Saturday, June 03, 2006


Reading:
It's my favorite thing to do! If you know me, you know I spend way too much time with my nose stuck in a book. My Mother always had a book in her hand growing up, so I blame it on her. Now, we share the obsession together. Thankfully I have a few friends with the same obsession who don't think I'm totally off my rocker. It takes me to places both imaginary and real, it introduces me to characters who amaze me. It's a break from the every day and even sometimes is educational. I love children's books (I own hundreds, possibly thousands), romance novels, mystery novels, Christian novels, Christian living books, funny books, sad books, true story books, biographies and sometimes things in between.

I thought about trying to make a list of my top 10 or top 20 favorite books, can't do it! I thought I'd make a list of my top 10 or top 20 favorite authors, that would be hard too~ There are so many. So.. instead I just share a list of favorite authors and some of their favorite books, in no particular order!!

-James Patterson: (See picture) He's amazing. He writes mystery novels. (a few thrillers and even a few romance books) His style is awesome! I read his books so quickly, the chapters are always just a few pages long and I can't put them down. His "Alex Cross" series (a few are also made into movies "Kiss the Girls" and "Along Came a Spider") are fantastic, but then again everything he writes is!

-Barbara Parks: She writes for children, 8-12ish I'd say. Her "Junie B. Jones" books are hilarious. I buy them all, the day they come out! I read them in 25 minutes and usually laugh out loud, more than once! My Mother also reads them- If you want something to make you laugh, pick up one!!

-Eugenia Price: Oh she was a classic! Her historic romance novels are fantastic. It was amazing to read them back in high school and then actually took a few trips to visit the places from the novels. (a few being Savannah & St. Simons) We saw the churches, farms, cemetaries that were written about and it was awesome! The "Savannah" series is my favorite!

-Debbie Macomber: Ah romance, who can't get enough?! The "A Good Yarn" books are one of my favorite sets! Along with "16 Light House Road", start with one of those!!

-Sarah Graves: Mystery (funny mystery!) She's a hoot and I have our niece to thank for introducing her books to me this past Christmas!

-Fern Michaels: Ahhh romance, she is the best! The "Texas" books are my top choice for her! I love her series books, she is a dog lover and often has great doggie characters woven into her stories. I appreciate those! "Pretty Woman", "Plain Jane", "Family Blessings" are just a FEW of my other favorites-

-Robin Jones Gunn: Christian Fiction- I've just discovered her and she is making me smile and warming my heart. Making me want to look at things in a whole new light. Her "sisterchick" books are what I'm reading. "Sisterchicks do the Hula" may be my favorite, but right now I'm reading about them on a cruise "Sisterchicks in Sombreros" and it may be my favorite when I'm done!

-Richard Paul Evans: Fiction, fantastic! Great stories!! "The Christmas Box" books are awesome!! "A Perfect Day", wow!! "The Last Promise" double wow!! Great great books!!

-Nicholas Sparks: Oh man, Fiction. Some romance thrown in!! "The Notebook" very well could be my favorite all time novel. I've read it oodles of times. The movie, bring the tissues! Holy Moly!! I watch it over and over....Ryan Gosling is the best Noah!! Wowie! "Message in a Bottle", "A Walk to Remember"...man all of them are serious tear jerkers (and those are the ones made into movies)

-Janet Evanovich: If you read at all, enjoy a good laugh and a mystery. READ ONE! She is so darn hilarious. The "Stephanie Plum" books, starting with "One for the Money" is the best!! Now, WARNING: Her language is TERRIBLE!!! I mean TERRIBLE!!! But, get past that...and you'll laugh every time! All of her other books are equally as good, the characters are fantastic-

-Jan Karon: Christian Fiction. The Mitford Series is a must read for any "reader". They are great and will make you laugh with their small town stories and heartwarming humor!

-JK Rowling: Who hasn't read "Harry Potter" yet? I couldn't figure out what the fuss was about until I started reading them, good stuff! They are a little harder for me to read and take me longer than my typical reading. The world being "fantasty" and the vocabulary is not your every day! They are awesome though and I can't believe there is only one more coming! And I think when I hear parents who wont let their children read those...do your children play pretend, dress up, make believe? That's what it is, a fictional world...let your imagination roam!

-Ann B. Ross: "Miss Julia" oh...Miss Julia is a hoot! Her series is great!! Christian Fiction and super funny stories about another small town lady who finds herself in all sorts of insane situations!

-Ann Brashers: "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"...I thought that the movie and book was going to be "cute" and maybe I'd enjoy it a little. I saw the movie first and WAS HOOKED!! (Matter of fact saw it 3 times in the theater!) Awesome!! Now the book differs are little, but it's equally as awesome! There are 3 books now and I'm on pins and needles waiting for the 4th! They are written for teens mind you, but I love them!

-Emily Grayson: romance..."The Gazebo" and several others, super sweet!

-Fanny Flagg: southern fiction..."Fried Green Tomatoes" ring any bells? That's her! There are other books too, try them!

-Robert Fulghum: "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten", that's his first. It's awesome, funny short stories to make ya laugh! He has other books too and they are all equally as entertaining!!

-Mary Kay Andrews: Southern Fiction and could be on my top 5 list now! I just found her and am obsessed with her books. "Hissy Fit" is PRICELESS!! If you live in the south, READ IT! She's a little, um spicy too in her words (READ: SUPER BAD LANGUAGE)...but hilarious!

-Dan Brown: Only this past week did I actually read "The DaVinci Code". Wether you agree or disagree is pointless I think. It's fiction mystery. He says that "this book is fiction". If you enjoy a good treasure hunt mystery, this is a page turner. I read the almost 450 page book in a day! I can't wait to re-read it. I saw the movie and it's awesome and can't wait to see it again too. I am ready to start the actual "pre-quel" to it.."Angels & Demons".

-Suzanne Brockmann: romance fiction ..start with "Heart Throb" it's the first in a series about Navy Seals, macho men, what can't be great about that??

-Haywood Smith: "The Red Hat Society"...Southern Fiction and so darn funny...I hope that my friends and I have half as much fun at their age as they do!!!

-Rob Scotton: a new found favorite children's author, "Russell the Sheep" if you have a child under age 7, buy this book!! Super cute and the illustrations are AWESOME!!

-Eric Carle: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and all his friends....every Eric Carle book rocks for kids!!

-Don & Audrey Wood: "The Napping House", you have small kids? You have this book? Right?! If not GET IT!!

-Giles Andreae- "Giraffe's Can't Dance", "Rumble in the Jungle", "Cock-a-doodle-doo" and all the rest...great stuff!!

-Laura Numeroff- "If you give a moose a muffin" and all the rest, great great great books!

-Shel Silverstein- Poetry for elementary age kids, fantastic! "A Light in the Attic", "Where the Sidewalk Ends", every kids library should have these books...and "The Giving Tree"..a children's short story - oh man!!

-Jon Scieszka- "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs", your kids MUST have this story!! It's a hoot and always a super favorite of my kids at school!!

-Iza Trapani-"Mary Had a Little Lamb" is my favorite, but all her books are awesome. The story extends from the one you know, they are super cute! Classics, get them all!


********Ok, I will draw the line there. If you made it this far, you're a saint for sticking in there. Or..did you skip down to the colored section and cheat?? I didn't include all of my favorite adult authors and didn't scratch the surface good of my favorite children's authors! But, who is going to read this entire rambling anyways? No one! (Ok, Misty if you find this you will...only b/c you share in my obsession!) Still...there it is....all laid out for ya...Just in case you get the itch to pick up a new book!************

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I think my eyes may be permanantly glossed over. ;)

My favorite author:
Juliet Marillier

monica said...

Just one? *gasp*I'll have to check your favorite one out!

Traci said...

My favorite author whose books I'd buy the day they came out was Dean Koontz.

Now I have no time to read. Heck, I was up at 11:30 last night just to have the time to paint my toe nails.

Glad you enjoy reading Monica, and I agree with your defination of where reading takes your imagination.

Holly said...

Angels and Demons is better than the DaVinci Code, I think. His other books are good too.

I've read most of those on your list, have to check out a couple that I didn't know.

My favorites: Stephen King, Lilian Jackson Braun (you'd like those, Monica, start with the Cat Who Read Backwards) Dean Koontz, Elizabeth Peters (her Amelia books - you'd like those too. I don't remember which one is first though.)If you want a fast, hilarious read, and you like fantasy/sci-fi, Robert Aspirins Myth series is absolutely hilarious. Dan Brown is currently at the top of my list though.

monica said...

Thanks Holly for the new ideas. I have about 6 left that I've already bought, as soon as summer arrived. I have a few new found authors that have books I want to try and I'll surely dive into your authors too, I love finding new favorite authors, thanks! I am saving "Angels & Demons" until I return, I'm taking a few books with me. I don't want to take one that I for sure "can't put down" though, don't want to get caught up reading too much when I need to be out enjoying the fun.