- Nalani Nieto
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read

I enjoy reading! I love a good book! Especially a good murder mystery (detective) or adventure novel, but I haven't found ANY great novels in the past decade. No joke.
I used to enjoy reading James Patterson's novels. Blah... it's all basically the same thing. Boring...
I used to enjoy Clive Cussler.... again old and outdated... boring.
I even used to enjoy reading Dan Brown, Michael Crichton and Lee Child. All amazingly talented novelists, but nothing that gets me excited. I am seeking a novel that thrills me, and isn't falling into the societal traps. What I mean by societal traps is.... pride, greed and political positions. I want to read a novel without all that. No more sexual interests of the same sex. No more leaning into a particular political agenda, and no more talk of greed and envy. I want something pure.

Novelists need to step away from the societal norms. They need to think outside of that life and more in line with people outside of the big city limits. There are more people living outside of those big cities that enjoy reading. We are not dumb.
I live in Tennesee, USA. I live in a city but not a big city like Nashville or Memphis or Knoxville. I live in Tennessee's 5th or 6th largest city. It's not very big. Here, it's more like a small town in a city environment. I like it, but we seem to be in the middle of being rural and urban. Which means we don't tend to be thought of when the politicians play their games. When mainstream media wants to do a story on something here, it would have to be a major event. Such as a natural disaster. We in the middle get left out. Therefore, the authors, the producers, the TV executives, they don't write books, scripts, or shows with us in mind. They only write with big city people in mind, or maybe a rural area in mind.
We are the middle class that has been forgotten. Our world doesn't exist in the minds of famous authors, TV and movie executives or mainstream media producers, We don't even exist in the minds of our politicians. Yet, here we are. Here I am.
I exist. We all do, whether they believe it or not. We want better from them. I say this because, I have a library card, I am a Books-A-Million rewards card member, and I even had a Barne's and Noble's card. I am a reader. I have books throughout my house, and e-books on my Kindle app. I even have books in other e-reader apps and audiobooks.
However, as I browse the isles in my local library and Books-A-Million, I see nothing but garbage. It's all trash.
There is nothing entertaining to me anymore. I am now more interested in looking for non-fiction books. Books that truly inspire me are biographies, autobiographies, real mysteries, real adventures, real people. People who have actually existed, or still do. I love their stories.
I am not much of a true crime fan, however, though I am intrigued by it more than a fictional story. Fiction has become dull. It has no soul.
Maybe, one day I'll find a novelist who gets it. Until then, I will stick to reading biographies, personal finance, self-help, inspirational books, and true stories about real adventures.
I have even begun to take an interest in dictionaries, and encyclopedias. They are more interesting than a fictional novel to me. Yikes!
So, if a novelist, an author, or even an aspiring novelist is reading this, I challenge you. Go beyond the normal. Go above and beyond the average fictional novel. Create a story that is inspired by real people like the middle class. I can assure you, there is plenty of inspiration coming from real life.
But an even greater challenge would be to seek God, the almighty. Allow Him to inspire you. If you can do that... well that will change the world of authors tremendously.
Until next time.
Mamabird 87