My Real Life

These are some books that have really stayed with me, long after I have finished.

Favorite Authors:

Harlan Coben (love the Myron Bolitar series)

Jeffrey Deaver (especially the Lincoln Rhyme series)

John Sandford (particularly the Prey series)

James Patterson (books that he’s written alone, more than the co-authored ones)

Michael Connelly

Maeve Binchy (quite a different genre than the others, however, I really enjoy her descriptions of life in modern Ireland)

Favorites Books:

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  Written for teens, yes, but I thoroughly enjoyed this action-packed, intriguing series!

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield – I found this book to be so beautifully written, that I would go back and re-read paragraphs over and over again.  I’ve copied pages from this book and pasted them in my journal for inspiration.  A great plot to go with the beautiful writing, and this is a definite recommendation of mine.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The story itself was haunting, and the writing was exceptionally well-crafted.  I was very excited to see that Zafon has a new book out: The Angel’s Game.  I plan on getting it as soon as I make my way through my summer reading pile.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien – I am not, in general, a fan of war novels.  However, this was written in a manner that brought me right to Vietnam with the characters.  Interestingly, since I’ve read this novel, it has been used in several workshops I’ve attended on how to teach teenagers to write.  It is just a wonderful example of good, solid writing.

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown.  I love a book that makes people think.  I know there was a lot of controversy surrounding this particular book, and I think that is an excellent, healthy thing.  Not only do I enjoy this genre, but I enjoy the debates that were sparked by the novel.  A book that makes people say, “Why not?” is good with me.  (Same goes for all of Dan Brown’s books, by the way.)

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling – Any book (or series of books) that gets children to read on a worldwide scale is 100% A-OK with me.  Also, I just thought they were great books.  My 8-year old daughter has just started reading these books and I have enjoyed our conversations surrounding the story immensely.

The Lightning Thief (The Percy Jackson Series) by Rick Riordan.  Again, anything that gets kids to read is great with me, and when I started reading this book in my 8th grade World History class during our study of Ancient Greece, my phone started ringing off the hook.  Parents couldn’t believe that their children were begging them to take them to the book store so that they could buy the sequel.  It’s a fabulous book, with a wonderful plot about 13 year old Percy Jackson who finds out that he is the son of Poseidon and that the Greek gods and goddesses are alive and well, living in Mt. Olympus at the top of the Empire State Building.  An excellent, excellent series.  Kids don’t realize they are learning about Greek gods, goddesses and heroes, and parents don’t care that it’s fiction.