I recently listened to an episode of Smart Podcast Trashy Books, and it inspired me to think about all the authors and books I'm thankful for.
I'm pretty sure I started reading at age 6, in the special class between kindergarten and first. I remember devouring picture books, then easy readers, and so on and so forth.
Thanks to: Cam Jansen, Hank the Cowdog, Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley, Babysitter's Club, A Wrinkle in Time, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, Little Women, etc.
Beverley Cleary, Judy Blume, Lois Lowry, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louis Sachar, etc.
Special shout-out to the two thick volumes of old fairy tales and folklore in my parents' bookcase that I loved.
I must've read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret at least 20 times. A few years later, and I obsessed over Summer Sisters and Forever . . . I also read the Anne of Green Gables series over and over. The same goes for Little Women. I read Gone With the Wind at least once a year as a teenager.
I began reading LJ Smith's books as a young teen, thanks to my Uncle Phil who gave me one of them for Christmas. That kicked off my exploration of paranormal/supernatural fiction, at least a decade before the sub-genre became popular. I read the original 4 Vampire Diaries books, the Secret Circle trilogy, the Forbidden Game trilogy, the Dark Visions trilogy, and the Night World series. These books all came out in the early-to-mid 1990s, and I loved them and reread them often. Thank you, LJ Smith, for expanding my reading options to include supernatural themes.
One of my favorite authors of all time is Piers Anthony. I was introduced to the world of Xanth as a young teen, via Demons Don't Dream, which happened to be #16 in the series. The first in the Xanth series, A Spell For Chameleon, is my favorite book to this day. Of course I didn't stick to just the Xanth books, I read his 2 autobiographies, several of his stand-alone fantasy and sci-fi novels, a couple of his erotic fantasies, a few collaborations,and a few books from other series. So THANK YOU to Piers Anthony, one of the best authors I have come across. I seriously love you, dude. His website is www.hipiers.com.
I began sneaking my grandma's Harlequins at a young age, probably around 11 or 12. I credit them with teaching me about sexuality. Public school biology class doesn't explain the interesting parts of sex. When I started driving at age 16, I was able to go to the library by myself, which enabled me to check out all the dirty romances I wanted. I really had a field day with smut as a teenager, culminating in me getting caught passing around an especially explicit book in a 12th-grade class. Luckily, the teacher ended up giving it back to me without reporting the incident.
I still love reading romance novels, but today I am much more discerning. I don't read them for the sex scenes anymore, for example. The romance has to have a good, interesting plot for me to read it. Some romance authors I especially enjoy are Nora Roberts, Susan Mallery, Jennifer Crusie, and Robyn Carr. I'm a sucker for certain romance tropes: the mail-order bride, the Old West, the small town where everyone knows everyone, etc. If the book happens to include the renovation of an inn or old house, I'm all over it. Also, I love romantic suspense: a murder mystery with two characters falling in love while they investigate. It's all the more better if the romantic suspense becomes an entire series. My favorite romantic suspense series is the In Death series by JD Robb, but Tess Gerritsen, Kay Hooper, Iris Johansen, Jayne Ann Krentz, Julie Garwood, and Karin Slaughter all have great novels, too.
I forget exactly when I began my love affair with paranormal fiction, but it was probably around my late teens. It used to be difficult to find these books at a bookstore, because they did not have their own section. LJ Smith was found in YA, but once I exhausted all of those, I had to really search. Some were found in fantasy, some were considered sci-fi, and some were in romance. I remember that Laurell K Hamilton was placed next to Stephen King in the sci-fi section of Waldenbooks. And speaking of LKH, I LOVED her first Anita Blake novel, Guilty Pleasures. I've read all the books in the series, and she is still writing more. I also love her Merry Gentry series. Thank you, LKH. Other paranormal authors I have enjoyed are: Kim Harrison, Christine Feehan, Rachel Vincent, Rachel Caine, Kelley Armstrong, Chalaine Harris, Carrie Vaughn, Molly Harper, Jennifer Estep, PC Cast, Robin McKinley, Nicole Peeler, Lora Leigh, and Patricia Briggs.
What's my catnip?
Oh man . . . I love quirky, funny romances. I LOVE romantic suspense . . . In the paranormal romance realm, I prefer shapeshifters over vampires and witches and such. I also really enjoy a good dystopian novel. I am a sucker for cute, light fantasy books, too. Every year, I read the latest books from my favorite authors, including the next in a few series.'
