|
|
|
|
The book that
made me want to be an author! I still remember the
characters; they were so vivid. Therefore, my own books
tend to be character-driven.
Like Oprah, I
think this book is Steinbeck's best (and I've read them
all).
What can I
say? Good vs. Evil. I get caught up in this book every
time I open it.
I get goose
bumps every time I think about this book.
One of the
best beginnings [and endings] I've ever read!
Back to Index
|
|
|
|
|
The characters
and the author's delicious sense of irony would be enough
reason to make this one a favorite, but this is the novel
that first introduced me to the wonderful era of the
English Regency. I stumbled upon the book in the public
library as a seventh grader and didn't understand half of
it, but that didn't stop me from falling in love with
it!
The first
Heyer book I ever read. Need I say more? It combined some
fascinating, offbeat characters with the Regency setting
I loved and a detailed, thoroughly researched and
readable dose of history few authors could get away with
in a popular novel. (It moves from the ballrooms of
Brussels to the battlefields of Waterloo and on to
London...) While I loved that as a reader, it also
inspired me as a writer!
This
charming, funny novel, about an irrepressible,
mistake-prone witch and a stuck-up duke, might be a
contender anyway, but it includes my favorite love scene
of all-time. It works on every level, thanks to the
wonderful characters and the skills of the author. I
don't want to say more in case someone hasn't read it,
since the element of surprise plays an integral part in
that scene's success.
 Mayne wrote young adult books
in the 60's that surpassed anything I'd ever read. In
Earthfasts, set in the Yorkshire Dales, he
blends past and present, legend and supernatural, in a
way that might be terrifying except that he keeps things
so grounded with a superb talent for detail and language.
I can't pick up this book without getting sucked into its
pages time and again, and I've read it a million
times!
Can we only
pick five favorites? (Whine.) This is so hard! Okay,
Luanne Rice is one of my newer reading addictions and
True Blue is my favorite among her books that
I've read so far. As a reader I enjoy her warm,
contemporary stories and very real, appealing characters.
I like her mix of romance with family issues and a dash
of mystery, magic or suspense, and I admire her grasp of
the volatile dynamics of human relationships! As a writer
I adore her style and —here it is again— talent for
detail and language. Not fast-paced, her prose is rich
and offers pleasure to be savored in and of itself.
Back to Index
|
|
|
|
|
How to choose
just five from a lifetime of favorites? They'd have to be
those books I've read that left me wanting
*more*...*now*! That's why Anne of Green Gables tops
the list. As a child and teenager, I couldn't get enough
of Anne's adventures in Avonlea and devoured the entire
series more than once. A true kindred spirit was Anne. Of
course, I've watched the CBC television 'Avonlea' series
many times and have even seen Green Gables
performed in musical theatre. I'd say that definitely
qualifies as wanting more! It was truly difficult,
though, to choose my favorite childhood book. Others
running neck-and-neck include 'Swallows
& Amazons' by Arthur Ransome; Cue for Treason by Geoffrey
Trease; and 'Black Beauty' by Anna
Sewell. I loved them all.
 Or maybe I
should say 'The Cat Who Went Bananas' ... or
'Knew Shakespeare' or
'Played Post Office' or...
sorry, but I can't pick just one '
Cat Who' book!
These cozy, old-fashioned mysteries feature smart cat
Koko the sleuthing Siamese, his companion Yum Yum, and
their human, the accidentally wealthy newsman and
perpetual bachelor, James (Qwill) Qwilleran. I'm midway
through Braun's 28-book series and enjoying every minute
spent with the people and places of Moose County "400
miles north of everywhere". Currently my choice for
bedtime reading, this series is a great way to unwind at
the end of a busy day.
No doubt about
it, Rowling is a masterful story-teller. My son and I
never tire of listening to the Jim Dale audio renditions
of Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban,
Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, and
Half-Blood Prince. They've opened a
world of reading and imagination for my son and that's a
bit of Potter 'magic' in itself.
This is book
one of another series favorite, the Amelia Peabody
Mysteries. Step back to early 1900's... Amelia and
her husband Emmerson are archaeologists in Egypt where
mystery and danger abound ...think Carter's cursed
discovery of King Tut's tomb. I've always wanted to visit
the pyramids. With Amelia, I do.
Book one of
the 'Dragon Riders of Pern' series,
this was my introduction to the world of science
fiction/fantasy. Here there be dragons!
Back to Index
|
|
|
|
|
|
The best
tortured hero ever and the funniest, no nonsense
heroine. This is one of the only books I'll read
parts of over and over again, year after year.
2. Heaven, Texas
Susan Elizabeth Philips
This is one of
the first of the author's
Chicago Stars books and I love them all. But
I have a serious Brett Favre crush and Bobby Tom Denton
just reminds me of him.
When this
came out it was so new, so different, just
spectacular. Check out the last line—one of the best
ever written.
A powerful,
emotional re-telling of the story of Hosea. Just
brilliant.
 From the
beginning, I've been a Stephanie fan. Evanovich has
continued to deliver hysterical stories book after
book. I've gone back and re-read this one countless
times to try and figure out how she did it. I can't
because I just keep enjoying the ride. A series I can
share with my niece—just great fun.
Back to Index |
|
|
|
|
This was one
of the most "food for thought" books I have ever read.
Despite its length, I couldn't put it aside. Only thing I
didn't like was the ending. I would have preferred Dagney
to end up still "in love" with Hank Reardon (I adored him)
rather than John Gault. I guess that's because I'm a
romance writer.
The second
book that really tapped into my mind. Although, I don't
buy everything Brown said, he sure writes what I consider
to be a "page-turning, can't put it down to the end" kind
of book.
Do I even have
to explain. Jane Austen at her best. Darcy and Elizabeth
the perfect protagonists, plus a cadre of great
supporting characters whom I envy as a writer.
First Sandra
book I'd ever read. Not the greatest romance plot, but a
heck of a good story. I bought whatever I could find of
hers from that time on.
The book that
turned me onto romance novels. No big, hot sex scenes,
but the superb writing carried the book. And keep in mind
that at the time she wrote it, a romance in a novel was
not pigeon-holed as a "trashy novel".
Back to Index
|
|
|
|
|
Read the book
when I was younger. It still stays with me. And it is
still in print: last printing December 1, 2005!
The first book
I read for RWA's Golden Medallion contest
— many, many years ago. Was released again by Imaginn
books in 2002....still available.
Loved this book
by Judith French along with the books in the series that
followed — The Barbarian and The Warrior. Great
characters, riveting stories!
 A Harlequin
Romance written released in 1981. This book made me laugh
out loud. It was an amusing book that I haven't
forgotten.
I love all the
"In
Death" books by J.D. Robb aka Nora Roberts. I
also love all Nora Roberts books.
Back to Index
|
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth
Bennett is a wonderful, intelligent heroine, very easy to
relate to, with an embarrassing family (don't we all have
at least one relative who makes us wince?). And she has
great taste in men.
 I love the
complexity of this book. There are three romances running
simultaneously along with a suspense element and a tie-in
to a historical event.
3.Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte
Jane is plain
yet smart ... the perfect heroine to cheer on. Love the
gothic setting and tone.
4.Casey
Lori Foster
This hero is
the perfect man. Kind, loyal, brimming with integrity...
the kind of guy you could actually live with for forty
years and still love.
Isn't there a
little bit of bumbling Bridget in all of us? At least
there is in me. ;-)
Back to Index
|
|
|
|
|
I fell
in love with this book even before I moved to New
Orleans. Now that I've lived here going on fourteen
years, I laugh even harder. And sometimes it makes me
cry, too. Especially now.
There may be a
theme developing here ...books that make me laugh when
they are not making me cry! Try it, you'll see!
 This "children's
book" is probably the most instrumental influence in my
becoming a writer. After I read this novel in fourth or
fifth grade, I began keeping my own "spy notebooks." I've
continued to do so, and I've almost, but not quite,
reached "That Birthday"!
Seriously,
folks, want to get married again? Married for the first
time? Married, one hopes, for the last time? Try it. It
works!
A friend gave
this book to me for Christmas three years ago. He told me
he'd been taught to read one chapter, or law, each
morning, following a seven day cycle. I began reading
this tiny gem that Sunday. I am thankful that this gift
came into my life and by sharing this book as one of my
favorites, I hope to pass on that gift to others.
Back to Index
|
|
| |
|
|
This
is a wonderful story of family life and society in pre World War II
Japan. It centers around the difficulties of marrying off Yukiko, the
shy, old fashioned, but strong willed third of the four sisters. The
author has been dubbed “The Japanese Jane Austen.” Attention
writers: I bet you can’t top the last sentence.
 The
American author recounts the experiences she had while teaching in Japan.
It’s beautifully written and contains many astute observations on
Japanese society and places. Read this, and you’ll want to head for
Tokyo.
Another American in
Japan memoir. The author worked as an apprentice to a master Japanese
potter, a rare opportunity for a foreigner. This book increased my
appreciation and understanding of Japanese art, and it was a fun
read, too.
A classic, informative, entertaining
account of the journalist author’s travels in Asia, including
Japan. I wish I had his job.
The author is one of Japan’s
top mystery authors. This novel is an eye opening look at contemporary
Japan, as well as a fascinating mystery.
Back to Index |
|
|
|
One of the criteria for choosing
our favorite books was a book that was on our keeper shelf, a book
we turn to again and again, for enjoyment, for comfort. The rest of
the books I chose were fiction books, but I couldn't leave this one
out. It's there for me, when I'm up, when I'm down, when I need a word
to get me back on my feet. I have an older New International Version
with study notes, which can be interesting in themselves. If you've
never read the Bible, try it. You might like it!
This series of books for young
people includes The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King. I first read them when I
was in third grade. I've read them again and again over the years,
and was delighted to read them to my sons when they were younger. The
language is beautiful, it's easy to relate to the characters, and I
swear there really is such a land just over the horizon. Celtic mythology
has always spoken to me. I hope I can share these with my grandchildren
some day.
 In this fish out
of water tale, a starving graduate student is whisked into an epic
fantasy world where language has power. Suddenly, because he can quote
Shakespeare and Milton, he's the greatest wizard going! Christopher
Stasheff said one of the reasons he wrote this book was that so many
high fantasies, based on the middle ages, leave out God. That seemed
odd to him because the Church was so important in those days. The hero
has to deal with issues of heaven and hell, for what he had assumed
to be literary is now literal. Great story!
This book opened my eyes to
the wonders of the Regency period. A spirited young lady is sent to
rusticate in the country to live down a recent scandal. However, the
castle where she takes refuge is haunted by a very different sort of
spirit!
This is another of my favorite
Regency romances. Miss Melinda Mathley is happy to have a logical mind,
a decent head of hair, and good teeth. She also has a habit of rescuing
those around her. But when she sets out to rescue reforming rake Lord
Carleton, she nearly drives him to the brink of disaster! As funny
as it is poignant, this story captured my imagination and never let
go.
Back to Index
|
|
|
|
1. The Eight
Katherine Neville
What do chess,
Charlemagne, the French Revolution, computers and OPEC
have in common? Not much, you'd think. Think again. They have in common THE EIGHT, by Katherine Neville.
While this book has had it's share of so-so reviews, it's
one I keep coming back to. I love the
past/present "Dickenesk" style and the master plot that keeps you really guessing until the very end.
 While I
*loved* Eco's Foucaults Pendulum, I have to
admit I preferred The Name of the Rose. What can I
say? I'm a sucker for historical novels, and not necessary
romance ones, which this definitely is not. The book revolves around
a murder in a medieval monastery and a Sherlock Holmes-like monk
(and his your apprentice) who try to solve the crime while still more murders take place. Wonderfully
written; a book you can really sink your teeth in to.
One of the all-time best contemporary romances I've ever
read. Very steamy! Anyone who can read Slow Heat in Heaven and
not fall head-over-heels for Cash Beaudreaux
is a stronger woman than I. I believe this was Brown's
"break out of category romance" book, and she did a
"heavenly" job with it. This book generated the first and
only fan letter I've ever written.
Interesting and different. An Instance of the
Fingerpost involves four different versions of the
exact same event (a murder), each part told from a separate
character's very dissimilar view point. With each telling, something new about
the original version is learned and more detail is added. It's set duringthe middle ages, and the author really brings the time-period to vivid life. This book withstood my Rubber Band Test (if I reread a book so many times it falls apart and has to be held together with a rubber band, it's Really Good).
I'm a huge Phantom of the Opera fan.
Phantom was originally released in 1991 (and was
re-released (yay!) in 2005). It's a recent addition to my
top 5 favorites, bumping off Tom & Sharon Curtis'
Lightning that Lingers and
their The Windflower. If you are a
fan of Phantom of the Opera in any of
its many forms, and have ever wondered what Erik's life might have been like before Christine, plunge into Phantom. (I've recently had
to buy the hardcover edition of this book because it also passed my Rubber Band Test!)
Back to Index
|
