Reading - Playing for Keeps

Last week, I read Mur Lafferty's debut novel Playing For Keeps, a superhero novel with average-hero protagonists - with super powers like the ability to cure hangovers, or never drop bar trays - and officially superheroic and villainous antagonists on a wide scale of barmytude.

It was a fun book to read and I wanted to know what was coming next. The story was interesting and the protagonists (it feels strange to say 'the heroes' or 'the heroin', given what these means in Seventh City), they actually felt like real people. They were put in a less than enviable position and they dealt in what felt like a genuine way.

I finished the book quite quickly by my standards, mainly because I kept sneaking in a page or two whenever I could - which is how I used to read back in middle-school. It was great to find a book that made me want to read it like that again.

I wanted to read this book because I listen to Lafferty's podcast I Should Be Writing regularly and enjoy it very much. If you're an aspiring writer and you've never heard of I Should Be Writing, I recommend that you try it, it's a great show. Lafferty talks about her writing, discusses writing problems and interviews awesome authors - including Neil Gaiman!* I've gone back and listened to quite a lot of ISBW and heard Mur discussing Playing For Keeps, from when she was writing and editing it, to the rejections and to being picked up by her publisher, Swarm Press.

I feel that listening to ISBW has taught me a lot, so I felt it was important for me to buy Mur's book and I wasn't disappointed! Check out I Should Be Writing and Playing For Keeps!

*Oh dear, I'm such a fangirl...