Favorite Reading Spaces by J Vincent

The one place I read in every day is my bed.  I read before I take my nap and I read again when we go to bed in the evening.  On my nightstand in the photo taken today are my Nook upon which I am reading April Lady by Georgette Heyer--a regency romance. My favorite place?  Although I enjoy my reading I don’t think the setting enhances it.

The second place I read every day is in my recliner in the living room.  If you look at the photo you can see the equipment I use for my CF vest treatment and my breathing treatments--these guarantee I am in this chair and thus reading every day.  What you can’t see is the book Prague Counterpoint (Zion Covenant Series Book 2) by Bodie Thoene.  I don’t often read paper copies of books these days due to my eyes but someone highly recommended this World War II series to me. I am captivated by it even as I’m horrified at some things that happen in it.  It’s a love story, a war story, a story of Jewish survival.  Since the series isn’t available as an epub I’ve been able to get the books at Wichita Public Library. Again, the recliner is not really a favorite place to read.

In the summer I have two favorite places to read.  The first and most often utilized is the glider on our deck. The view from there is my back yard with all our bird feeders and accompanying birds including orioles and humming birds that feed up on our deck, then a berm covered with blooming sunflowers.   Beyond that is a wheat field. Whenever I look up I am so thankful to have such a peaceful place which truly does enhance reading.

My most favorite place to read is at Thirty Mile Camp outside of Creede, CO. I’ve included two photos.  The first taken a couple of years ago with my grandchildren in camp.  The second is just some of scenery before me as I read.  Too bad we’re usually only there five days.  I make up for it by ready six or seven books.

 

Are your reading places similar?  Which of mine is your favorite?

My Favorite Fictional Character?

Favorite?  Really?  Impossible!

I loved Trixie Belden, when I was a young reader.  And Madeline, in the Madeline books.  That's probably because they were high-spirited and didn't take no for an answer.  They were strong-willed and different than the other characters in the story.  I tended to be shy as a little girl.  However, once I knew you well, I could be very pushy.  Just ask the kids I grew up with.  And ask the WARA ladies, who'll tell you I haven't grown out of that pushy part. ;)

My reading has always been eclectic, from True Crime to Horror/Suspense to Romance, and everything in-between.  If it's a good story, if it has characters that touch me in some way, it's going to be a favorite.

When I think of favorite characters, I think of three heroines, all in books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips aka SEP.

• Phoebe Somerville in It Had to Be You will always be an all-time favorite.  Phoebe appears to be the Queen of Voluptuous Dumb Blondes.  In fact, she might even agree with that, to some degree.  But Phoebe isn't dumb.  She knows how to use what she's been given to her advantage, but deep down inside, she's insecure and hates those curves.  At my very first RWA Conference in Dallas in 1996, I attended a workshop given by SEP.  She explained how she came up with the character of Phoebe, and when she finished, I was in complete awe.  You see, beneath the clingy, low-cut dresses and outlandish outfits, Phoebe wears "white, old lady underwear."  What she appears to be on the outside is the complete opposite of who she is on the inside.  She's not the outrageous airhead everyone thinks she is.  She had a childhood that would cause most women to have vapors, and because of it, she has no faith in herself.  But as she grew up, she learned that, with the right clothes and "attitude," she could have men falling at her feet.  In doing so, she has the upper hand, enabling her to never let anyone know the real Phoebe.  I LOVE PHOEBE!
• Sugar Beth Carey in Ain't She Sweet is about as close as second place can be without edging out Phoebe.  Sugar Beth was raised by her mother to be Parish, Mississippi's "princess."  Believing what her mama has taught her, she left Parish, thinking the world would always be hers.  But she returns, some years later, humbled by the "real world" and the horrible choices she's made.  The trouble is, she's unable to do much of anything except be the person everyone still believes her to be.  And then she meets up with the teacher who met his teaching demise, thanks to her.  Talk about sparks!  Talk about intricate but human characters!  I laughed and I cried, throughout the book.
• Blue Bailey in Natural Born Charmer, tied for second place with Sugar Beth, is as tough as nails, but has a heart of gold.  And that's a big problem for her.  Stubborn as the day is long, she first appears in a headless beaver costume, walking down the road.  She's broke, has nowhere to go, and would be the last person to take anything from anyone.  Of course, she has no choice and must accept.  Blue can fix anyone...but herself.  But there's one person she refuses to help--the driver of the car, who offers her a ride.  To reach her HEA (which she stubbornly refuses to acknowledge is possible), she has to grow, and she insists that's the one thing she doesn't need to do.

Of course there are dozens, if not hundreds, of heroines that could go on my favorites list, but these three have yet to be unseated, in almost twenty years of reading.  I often wonder why these three characters remain at the top.  Of all the books I read and movies I see, the ones I like the most are the ones where a character grows from the opening to the ending, all the while battling that growth.  (Miss Congeniality is a good example.) They start with a goal, but by the end of the book or movie, that goal has changed into something bigger and better.

Tough as nails, with a strong backstory and an overwhelming need to help others.  I like strong heroines, possibly because that's the type of person I want to be when I grow up.  I have a long way to go.  Who doesn't?

I'll tackle heroes later in the month.  (Now doesn't that sound like fun? *wink*)  Those heroes will take some thinking, but I have no doubt I'll find at least one...or two...or three.

Transitions: Where Do I Go From Here?

 In writing we call transitions turning points. The turning point of all turning points is known as, ta da, the black moment. Did you hear the drum roll and sotto voice that accompanied those infamous two words? Black moment. You know, when the lights go out and everyone screams in the dark.

Transition means: the passage from one place or state to another; change.

In writing, transitions turn the plot a different direction. They are specific bursts of energy to breathe life and renewed interest into your story. A car wreck, an unwelcome discovery, or an unexpected kiss can all be turning points.

The black moment comes when your characters face the ultimate test of their love. Can they overcome this obstacle? Will their love prevail? Can their relationship survive? Well, of course it can. We are romance writers! The only kind of endings we have are Happily Ever Afters.

In life transitions aren't always so neat and clean. They often come with unresolved messes that hang around forever. Sometimes they may be resolved, but no one is happy about it. I think that’s one of the main reasons people read and write. Life often goes tilt with no HEA in sight. Reading lets us enjoy a nice neat ending where all the problems work out well. We get the satisfaction of going, “Ahh!” instead of, “Not again!”

My life has recently made another transition. Not one I was looking forward to. Have all the loose ends been tied up? Is everyone okay with what happened? Is life all happy, happy, joy, joy? Nope, but that’s okay. I’m getting used to messes. Throw in a little chaos and let’s see what happens. In other words, bring it on!

When it all gets to be too much, I’ll go lose myself in a good book. Or better yet, go write the next scene in my latest WIP. Chaos, pain, loss and angst are what make for good emotional fodder. If life was all love, peace and harmony, what would we have to write about? Why would we want to? I don’t know about you, but perpetually optimistic, everything has a sunny side stories often make me want to gag. I’m too realistic.

So, the next time life throws you a curve ball and you feel a little off balance, put that emotion into your latest creation. Take that mess and milk it for all it’s worth. Or plop your hiney onto the nearest couch and reach for the comfort of an old friend. No, not chocolate! Okay, you can have both, but I meant a favorite book. One that satisfies your soul when it’s in a tizzy and makes you go, ahhh! If you’re really on a roll, eat that chocolate and read while soaking in a hot tub :)

One author that does that for me is Elizabeth Peters. I can read Crocodile On The Sandbank every year. It never grows old, even though I knew who the bad guy was before I finished it the first time. Her writing brings action, adventure, romance, spunk and portrays a truly liberated female. She loves her man, but she does what she thinks is right. Not to spite him, but because she is her own person.

I like that. It makes me feel more able to cope. Plus, it gives me hope that there’s an Emerson out there somewhere waiting for me. Someone who can take a little spunk and spitfire.

My Favorite Things: Books

Time to read doesn't come easy.  I wish it did.  That doesn't mean I don't read.  I'd never give up finding a comfy spot and settling in with a good book.  In fact, my idea of Heaven is an eternity of reading with no interruptions, going from one book to another, one story to the next.  No need to stop to eat or bathe or do laundry or cook so someone else can eat.  Time for nothing to do but read.

Whether I make it to Heaven is debatable, but when I'm so invested in a story and its characters that I don't notice where I am, it is a little bit of Heaven.

What do I read?  Anything.  Okay, not the back of boxes of cereal or even the newspaper.  Magazines no longer tempt me.  But when it comes to books, I'll read almost anything.

I had to stop and think what I've read recently, because reading time is now usually done in bits and spurts, when there's time.  Sometimes it's at the end of the day for an hour or so, before I can no longer keep my eyes open, and I've read the same paragraph three or four times.  I'm trying to read more, and having an eReader (Kindle) has made that easier for two reasons.  First, I can stuff my entire digital library in my purse when I leave the house and have instant access to hundreds--yes, hundreds--of books.  Picking up the grandkids at school?  Twenty minutes of reading time.  Sitting at the rink, while my oldest granddaughter is at ice skating lessons?  Another thirty minutes.  The second reason is that I've found some good books for free or discounted.  Hey, bargains are on my list of favorite things, too!

So here is this year's list of the books I've read.

• Christmas on Mimosa Lane - Anna DeStefano  Not your usual Christmas story, but a deep look into characters who are struggling through the season and wish it would go away.  Yes, there's an HEA, but the main characters had to go through a lot to get there.  Years ago, I judged one of Anna's contest entries, and it was superb.  I knew she would soon be among the published (and was!) and I was delighted with this book.  I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in this Seasons of the Heart series.
• Ain't She Sweet - Susan Elizabeth Phillips  I've read this book and my other two favorite SEP books (It Had to Be You and Natural Born Charmer) multiple times. Yes, I re-read my favorites often.  I love her strong and sassy heroine's that hide their weaknesses, until they finally capitulate, fall into the heroes' arms and accept themselves, warts and all.  SEP makes me laugh and cry.  I once fell off the bed, while laughing too hard.  Cereal killer?  Really?!
• 11/22/63 - Stephen King  While I own the first 25 or so of King's books (in hardcover!), it had been   a couple of decades since I'd read any of the newer ones.  This one called to me.  Let's face it.  I clearly remember the day JFK was assassinated and wondered what King would do with it.  I wasn't disappointed.  But those 880 pages did take more than an evening to read.  The time spent was worth it.
• The Ladies Room - Carolyn Brown  Yes, I was the one who suggested this book to Reese.  I'd suggest it to anyone who likes to laugh and cheer on characters, who are dealing with what life throws at them.  I laughed out loud, several times, but the humor comes from within, not slapstick funny.  Throw in the fact that these characters were not twenty-somethings, and it made it even better.

What else do I read?  Dan Brown for the excitement, YA books by a variety of authors--both older and newer, some non-fiction, Jane Austen classics, Women's Fiction.  Oh, and romance, although I lean toward single title.  Do I ever start a book I don't finish?  Yes, and recently there have been two or three.  They weren't bad books, but either the story didn't grab me or progress, there was too much repeated detail, or the writing itself didn't pull me in.

What do you read?  What type of heroines keep you turning the pages?  What kind of heroes?  Do you like light or dark stories?  And, especially, what books and types of books would you suggest to friends?

Give Me a Book...Any Book!

I can't imagine living in a time when people couldn't read.  I've always read and always made up stories in my head.  As I frequently tell my grandkids, and told their mothers while they were growing up, books are my friends.

Growing up an only child, there were times when there was no one around to play with.  Before learning to read, I had picture books and an imagination.  Oh, what an imagination!  Those really were the best times, whether spent alone or with neighborhood friends.  Our bikes were horses, my clamp-on-with-a-key roller skates were my skis, we hung by our knees at the top of the swing set--our trapeze, and there was never enough time for play.

Adults aren't expected to live their life in imaginary worlds.  In fact, it's pretty much frowned upon.  Instead, we turn to reading books that are created by the imaginations of writers.

Guess what?  Now we're the writers, so we get to let our imaginations run free!  Just call me Peter Pan...from one of my favorite stories.  With no books in Neverland, Wendy told stories to the Lost Boys.  She should have been a writer. ;)

But books aren't only used by grownups for entertainment.  We use them to gain knowledge of things we don't know.  As writers, we often use them to help us hone our craft.  Many of those have been mentioned this month on this blog.  It's worth checking them out, if only to see a new way to do something or solve a problem we're having with our own writing.  They're a great teaching tool!  Fiction and non-fiction bring us full circle.

Life doesn't give me a lot of time to read these days, but I've been trying lately to do more.  I read in the car, as I wait for my grandkids school to be out.  I read before going to sleep...and sometimes while I'm going to sleep!  There simply aren't enough hours in the day.  My favorite fiction books have been read more than once.  I just finished reading Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Natural Born Charmer for the third time.  This time I tried to pay attention to more of the writing process in it.  Not so easy to do with a book that pulls me in from the start.

Yesterday, I took Debra Dixon's GMC to read while waiting for the grandkids.  Now that I've learned how to use it, it's much easier to understand.☺  Sometimes I work on my own writing.  I'm a failure at doing nothing.  I read online articles and blogs on writing.  I research topics related to my stories.  Yes, I write contemporary romance, but there are still many things to learn, whether it's mechanics of writing, locations for stories, and currently specifics on maternal death in the U.S..

I love to be entertained and I love to learn new things.  I have shelves of how-to books, some related to writing, some to life in general.  My Kindle holds even more, including romance, suspense, YA, classics, biographies, and even cookbooks.  (Disclaimer:  I am not a "cooking" person.)  If someone took all my books away, I wouldn't know what to do.  Make me laugh, make me cry, and make me learn!  It's all about books...and life.

Pat Davids here.
Who or what has been the biggest influence in my writing career?

That is our blog topic for the month of July and it's an important question. It forces us to take an in-depth look at the people and events that shape our writing.

Nearly all writers were, or still are, avid readers. I'm no exception. Books have been shaping how I think and how I see the world since my parents first read me a bedtime story. When I was young, I loved to read stories by Louis L'Amore. Cowboys, Indians, gunfights, the heroine in distress saved by the gunslinger turned hero, what more does an teenage heart need?

 When I was a little older, I discovered Andre Norton and worlds beyond our own where human explorers battled or befriended alien creatures in the far reaches of space. I learned to look at the stars in the night sky in a whole new light and I was filled with wonder at what might actually exist out there. As I will forever remain a diehard fan of the orginal Star Trek and Stargate SG 1, that sense of wonder and curiosity has never left me.

It was in the 1974 that I first read a historical romance that blew my mind. The book was The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen Woodwiss. What a hero! What a HEROINE! What GREAT LOVE SCENES!!!

I was hooked on romances from that day forward. I read Regencies, I read about knights in shining armor and stories about desert Sheiks. I read and read and read until one day, I put down the book I had been reading and realized that I wanted to do that, too.

I wanted to tell stories about cowboys, knights, space travelers, cops, soldiers and whoever else. But most of all, I wanted to tell about the women who made a gunslinger, a disinhereted knight or a desert Sheik into a hero to die for. In the end, it is all about LOVE.

So there you have it. Books and the love of books have been the biggest influence on my writing career. From the pages penned by others evolved a dream that I would one day join their very special fellowship. To writers everywhere, I say ladies and gentlemen take a bow. You have no idea how far your words will travel or how many dreams they may inspire.

Now its your turn to tell me about authors who have inspired you.

Nope, Nada, Nothing....

Writing? Childhood event? Nope. Nada. Nothing. There was nothing in my childhood as any kind of event that precipitated a writer such as me. Then I realized. Maybe.

Would reading the science fiction section in it's entirety when I was about fifteen fit the bill? Because all of that futuristic reading, as well as other novels had me thinking. It was obvious to me that we needed to find a way to limit human population before we turned the planet into a giant feedlot, like we have for cattle. But who do we trust the decisions to? Hitler had a final solution and no one trusts him anymore. No kidding. But all that shows is that man has his own agenda at who is more fit to procreate than others. Fortunately for man, mother nature and luck has been in charge of who survives and who does not for most of our human history. They need to stay in charge.

Since I'm scientific by nature, and influenced by the power of love, I found a solution and wondered how it could ever be implemented.

Only a handful of years ago, it became a story. Or rather the result of my internal ruminations became a story. The Proving Zone: Tory's Story. And then another, her brother's story--In the Zone: Pitin's Problem.

What are these stories about? How to survive the Proving Zone where you have to walk a thousand miles and survive before you're allowed to have children. You also have to survive your preconceived ideas of love, other people, your own abilities as well as primitive conditions. Each story has a happy, satisfying ending. Why? Because the real world can kick you in the head enough. Everyone deserves their stories to work out--we call that hope in action. We ought to be able to rely on that in our fiction.

Romance means hope. The world is a better place for it.

Thank You, Daddy

It wasn't an event that affected my future and what has become my writing career.  It was a person.

My dad was one of the wisest and kindest people I've ever known, in spite of having only a 7th grade education.  When he was ten years old (in 1920), his father died, and he stepped up to help his mother and younger brother by working odd jobs.  Over a lifetime his work involved selling magazines door to door, as an usher at the Orpheum Theater (where he met and obtained autographs from many famous people), as a soda jerk, and other jobs.  Later on he worked at Fox-Vliet Drug Company and at Boeing Aircraft, where he was a supervisor in the purchasing department and retired after almost 25 years.  Not bad for a man who never attended high school, much less college!  And throughout working all those jobs, he read.

While on vacations that took us through 48 states, my souvenirs were always books, usually Little Golden Books.  I even have a book we bought in Havana, Cuba, when I was three.  Before I was able to make out the letters and words, my dad would read to me.  But even that wasn't always enough, and I'd read them by the light of my nightlight. It's no wonder I wore glasses by the time I was six!

National Geographic Magazine was a favorite source of reading to my dad.  He liked to keep up with what was going on in the world...and in space.  Being a part of Boeing meant being a part of building rockets to the moon, and his interest turned to the stars.  The wonderful thing was that he never pushed the knowledge reading gave him on anyone, but if asked, he always had an educated answer.  He never limited his interests or his reading to one or two things, and he continued to read and learn until his death at the age of 76 in 1987.

There's no way I could ever be able to thank my dad for the gift of reading he gave me.  If it hadn't been for all the time he spent reading to me and the quiet encouragement he always gave, I wouldn't be here sharing this today.  He was gone before I began to write seriously.  But I know that he's watching over me, smiling and proud.  Thank you, Daddy, for the gift of reading, because without it, I never would have written.

Reading Outside Your Genre (Penny Rader)

Pssst. Wanna know how to improve your writing? Try reading outside your genre. Yup. It’s true. For a few reasons why, check out the post snippets below:

Breaking Your Mental Blockers (Nfoster)

“Read outside your genre or regular authors. Reading the same two authors every time you read because they're your favorites can get stale. You know their plot devices, you know their character stereotypes. You're not learning anything new as you read. I'm not saying you have to, but if you're going to be a writer, you need to experiment. New authors or different genres of reading can give you that highly-valued new perception I keep talking about. … As you read, you're broadening your horizons about who, what, where and why according to someone else. No one reacts the same way, so understanding other people's characters is infinitely valuable to your mental processes.”


Fundamentals of Fiction, Part II: "Read, Read, Read!" (Marg Gilks)

“Read novels and read short stories; read poetry. Poetry will tune your writer's ear to the rhythm of language, and make your writing beautiful. Novels and short stories each have their own technical requirements; studying overall story arc in a novel will teach you about plot and structure; the length restrictions imposed by short stories will both allow you to study technique in condensed form and teach you how such important aspects as characterization and setting can be conveyed to maximum effect in a minimum of space.”


If You Want to be a Good Writer, You Need to Read (John Harmon)

“…read outside your safety zone. You should read magazines and books you wouldn’t normally pick up for your own pleasure. Sound crazy? It’s not. It’s learning, it’s stretching your boundaries. You’d be surprised at how many unique ideas you can gain from reading unfamiliar material.”


Reading Outside Your Genre (Edmund Schubert)

“From the other genres you can pick up tropes and tricks. From non-fiction you can pick all sorts of useful nuggets you can use in future novels of your own.”


Ten Steps to Finding Your Writing Voice (Holly Lisle)

“Read fiction, read nonfiction, read in the genre you love, read outside of it. Read WAY outside of it. You cannot be a snob -- don't write off any genre or type of book as being without redeeming qualities or lessons to teach you.”

~~~

So what do I read when I’m not reading romance?

• Harlen Coban – Fabulous openings and I’m always surprised by how the story turns out.



• Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series – Makes me laugh out loud. And I'm a huge Ranger fan. ;D



• Lisa Gardner – Twisty, turny thrillers with really scary serial killers.



• Kristin Hannah -- Her women's fiction stories, whether they are about relationships between sisters, mothers/daughters, or friends touch me, help me reconnect with myself. Few books make me cry. Firefly Lane did.



• Jodi Picoult – Intriguing characters. Usually a combination of law, medicine, and faith. Almost always surprised by how her books end (but not always pleasantly surprised). The ending of the last one I read p--, uh, made me furious.



• Lisa Wingate’s Tending Roses series – Lyrical and lovely. Her stories make me feel good and comforted and wishing I could write more like she does.



• Fairy tales and myths – For ready-made plots to twist and expand upon.



• Biographies and self-help books and all sorts of nonficton – To better understand why people do the things they do and find tidbits for stories.



• Writing exercises & prompts -- For inspiration, for courage, for when I have absolutely no idea what to write about.

~~~

I’d love to hear who you read outside your genre and why.

POPCORN! (Frances Louis)

When my first grade son flung his raggedy blue backpack onto the living room ottoman after school this past spring, I immediately sighed, and politely asked him to hang it on the set of hooks I had installed on the kitchen wall for that very purpose. My request however, went unheard as I mumbled mid-sentence and my eyes fell on a very old, very familiar, and very loved book that had slipped out of the bag and onto the floor.

"POPCORN!" I squealed. My son looked at me as if I had a screw loose (which, after a long day of parenting, probably had). I grabbed my son's hand and pulled him beside me on the couch. "Do you know what this is?" I asked, my hands gingerly touching the pages.

"A book," he replied, fear of my sudden change in behavior, clearly written on his face.

"Well, yes," I ceded. He was, after all, right. It was a book. But it was a special book. It was, and still is, my FAVORITE book. Which I told him as soon as I remembered how to speak again.

With its silly illustrations at my fingertips, I sought to tell my seven year-old, just why the thirty year-old book was my favorite. I'm not sure I succeeded. I mean, how can one share the memories of reading the book for the first time, of loving the fact that the book took place on one of my favorite holidays (Halloween) or the hours one spends just staring at the pictures and picking out which costumed bear you would have been if you had been invited to the doomed party?

I have never owned a copy of Popcorn. By the time I was actually old enough to afford a copy of the book, I had grown out of the early reader stage and had moved on to more age appropriate reading. I had actually forgotten all about the little bears and their Halloween party until that moment when my son brought it home for his own reading pleasure.

Maybe it's time I finally bought that book. Or maybe, with my son in my arms, I'd let him make his own memories of reading so he could tell stories to his own children of how grandma freaked when she saw a book from her childhood.

Happy Mothers Day! (Rox Delaney)

Good Grief, It's Mother's Day!....Charlie Brown


I didn't plan on being late, but because it's Mothers Day and many of us reading here are mothers, not to mention we all are children of mothers, I started doing a little research. Because I'll get another stab at this month's topic later, I decided a blog about mothers and literature might be appropriate.

So here we go...


MEMORABLE MOMS IN LITERATURE   (Warning:  I did not come up with all of these myself.)

Cinderella's mom - Classic fairytale --- This would obviously be her step-mother and not on the plus side of the list. ;)
Mrs. Bennett - Pride and Prejudice
Marmee - Little Women
Mrs. Weasley - Harry Potter
Mrs. Darling - Peter Pan --- Certainly much better than Peter's mother, who allowed the pram Peter was in to roll away, while she was chatting with a friend about Peter's future.
Charlotte - Charlotte's Web
Mary - The Bible

A quick note:  Mary Wollstonecraft, the mother of Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein, was also an author.

I'd like to add one of my own contemporary favorites:  April Robillard in Natural Born Charmer.

But why stop with literature?  Why not add TV Moms?
(from my childhood:)
June Cleaver - Leave it to Beaver
Margaret Anderson - Father Knows Best
Harriet Nelson - (The Adventurers of) Ozzie and Harriet
Kathy Williams - Make Room for Daddy
(and later...)
Shirley Partridge - The Partridge Family
Marion Cunningham - Happy Days

Now is your chance to add your own favorites!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of our WARA members, mothers of WARA members, mothers who are reading this and their mothers! :)

My Favorite Non WARA Authors J Vincent

I inhale books, always have and hope I always will. Below are my favorite authors. I’ve read or reread (or listened to as I do many audiobooks) them in the last six months. As I set up the list I quickly saw there was a definite warp to what I read. Historicals of course. I didn’t know how to categorize Castle/Krentz since her Arcane series goes from past to present to future. >My kids loved sci fi/fantasy but I wasn’t really into it until I came across Katherine Kurtz in the 80’s I think it was. Lately I’ve been hooked on Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time--now in book 9. It’s the only series I’ve ever felt compelled to read and dread doing so at the same time. Then there are the mysteries I love—in all flavors.

Just a word about nonfiction since I read so much of it. Research material can be very very dry and difficult to plow through but there are some authors who are passionate and write very readable books. Philip Haythornthwaite is one. A good thing with that last name! Most of all I love the writers of the war diaries I read. Kincaid makes me laugh, Tompkinson makes me think, and Julia Page’s biography of Edward Charles Cocks and his death in battle makes me cry.

Sweet Georgian and Regency authors

1. Georgette Heyer
   
2. Mary Balogh’s older Regency works
   
3. Joan Smith
   
4. Patricia Veryan—all but especially the Golden Chronicles
   
5. Barbara Metzger
   
6. Patricia Oliver
   
7. Ashley Gardner-- Captain Gabriel Lacey Regency Mystery series
   
8. Laura Willig’s Pink Carnation Series (Regency spy romance)
9. Joan Aiken and her sister Joan Aiken Hodge

More explicit Georgian and Regency authors

1. Jo Beverley
2. Diana Gabaldon

Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick –especially the Arcane Society

Sci fi/Fantasy

1. Robert Jordan’s Wheel in Time series -
2. David Eddings’s Belgariad series
3. Katherine Kurtz’s Deryni series

Cozy Mystery series

1. Earlene Fowler’s Benni Harper series
   
2. Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury series
3. Margaret Maron’s Debra Knott series
4. Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mysteries
5. Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Catering
6. Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabodys set in Egypt

More explicit mysteries

1. J D Robb’s In Death series
2. Iris Johansen especially Eve Duncan books
   
3. Elizabeth George’s Lynley Mysteries
4. Ann Perry’s the Monk and the Pitt series
5. Vince Flynn
6. P D James mysteries
   
7. Charlaine Harris’ Lily Bard (Shakespeare) Series (not the vampires stories so popular now)

To all the writers listed above and to our WARA authors—published and unpublished—for all the entertainment you’ve provided. –Thank You!