My Book Addiction

 

Since I’m a confirmed addict, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite books today. Each one on the list has impacted me in some way or another with their characters, worlds, themes, and writing. List number one...

 

10 Stand Alone Books

1. A Knight in Shining Armor - Jude Devereaux
2. Elsewhere – Gabrielle Zevin
3. Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
4. Island of the Blue Dolphins – Scott O’Dell
5. Before I Fall – Lauren Oliver
6. Watership Down – Richard Adams
7. The Handmaids Tale – Margaret Atwood
8. Timeline – Michael Crichton
9. Remembrance - Jude Devereaux
10. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh – Robert C. O’Brien

Number one and number nine are phenomenal reads for romance and time travel. I believe Jude Devereaux was offered a movie contract for number one and turned it down. I read both in high school until my copies disintegrated, and then I bought two more. I think of them at least once a week, especially while I do research for my books. My second, third, and fifth picks are all YA, and they deal with young death. Each is haunting and poignant with soul shattering messages, and all will stay with me forever. Numbers four, six, and ten have lingered in my mind for decades. I look at fields, islands, and rodent holes differently because of these stories, and I DO NOT eat rabbit; never have, never will. N-E-V-E-R. Number seven creeps up on me whenever I put on hand cream. This was my first dystopian world book, and it still scares me! My eighth book is a thrill ride. Crichton and his mastery of science and literary talent make this book, like all his others, an edge of your seat page-turner. Temporary Time, my book, is based on Quantum Mechanics and the multiverse theory, too, but it's a romance.  On to list number two…

10 Book Series

1. Emily of New Moon – L.M. Montgomery
2. Little House in the Woods – Laura Ingalls Wilder
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians…All - Rick Riordan
4. New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
5. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
6. Reckless Magic – Rachel Higginson
7. North and South – John Jakes
8. Maximum Ride – James Patterson
9. Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris
10. Fallen – Lauren Kate

I think I’ve read number one’s trilogy at least a dozen times. My idea of Heaven is a farmhouse on Prince Edward Island. My mother read number two’s books to me even when I was old enough to read myself. They hold a special place in my heart because of the bonding time we had with all those fabulous stories. Number three goes full circle with me as the mom, and my son as the child. We gobbled up this series, and still talk about the characters as if they were family friends. Number four is the second book in the Twilight series, and it came out at a time when I really needed to cry and mourn the loss of something in my life. Weeping, sobbing, and grieving with Bella gave me the excuse to bawl freely. “It’s the book,” I said over and over again to concerned family members. I read all three books of number five so many times I had dreams I WAS Katniss. That is the only time I’ve ever book dreamed. Six is a series about an immortal girl who, well…go read it. Imagine you can live forever, you don’t have to drink blood, and you have incredible powers! I love fresh concepts and a gorgeous hero. The series is self-published, and the first book is free on Amazon's kindle and Barnes and Noble's nook. Book seven’s cover and its first fifty page corners disintegrated on me in middle school. I loved the mini-series of the book, too. For my number eight pick, James Patterson turns words into magical stories with bite. How could something so wonderful as a bunch of kids who can fly not make my list?! Number nine and number ten are polar opposites: vampires and angels, and are both filled with lasting qualities.

My honorable mentions list has six book series, one stand alone book (until Meyer writes book two for number seven), and four writers. Number eleven has inspired me more throughout my lifetime than the majority of best selling authors have, and yes, he did write stories, poems, and even a song before creating Star Trek.

 

1. Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
2. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
3. Matched – Ally Condie
4. Divergent - Veronica Roth
5. The Selection – Kiera Cass
6. Firelight – Sophie Jordan
7. The Host – Stephenie Meyer
8. Shakespeare
9. Isaac Asminov
10. Robert Frost
11. Gene Roddenberry

All these books and authors have influenced the person I am today. They continue to affect me, and the way I write, on a daily basis.

What are your favorite books?

Who inspires you?