. . .to friends old and new, brought together by the power and the majesty of the written word. A little pompous, but true. Nothing is more influential to millions of people the world over than thin pieces of paper covered with standardized fonts or scrawled pencil lead.
I happen to enjoy my written words wrapped up in a thick historical romance . . . or a historical mystery, or a side-splitting contemporary comedy. I also confess deep admiration for inspirational romances, and have read Stephen King's work as well, although horror is not my cup of tea. On the other hand, I adore the over-the-top drama of a timeless gothic story, and have also developed an appreciation for well written erotic romances.
I will also re-read E.B. White any time I'm given the chance, and adore Junie B. Jones and the Little Critter.
I like books.
I assume the feeling is mutual. Book store owners certainly view me with with great affection.
I also adore research books. I love big glossy pages and musty tombs overlooked at the back of flea markets and used book stores. I love to hoard bits of information in hopes that someday I'll find use for it in a manuscript. Mostly, I love the feel of a book in my hand; I'm especially partial to the new larger paperbacks. Larger print (I'm not 25 anymore) without the weight of a hardback. But I'll take them anyway they are printed, and not worry about their mismatched presentation on my overflowing bookshelves.
They aren't there for decoration. They are there to be opened and creased and folded and thumbed through until a page or two comes fluttering out.
So which volumes have you loved to pieces? Any that necessitate a double buy, just so you'll have an extra on hand? Any too special to loan, even to the best of friends?
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Favorite Group Blogs
- Chicklets In the Kitchen
- Genreality
- Get Lost in a Story
- Harlequin American Romance Authors
- Historical Romance UK
- History Hoydens
- Honestly YA: Six Authors, One Love
- Kiss and Thril
- Murder She Writes
- Murderati
- Nineteen Teen
- Petticoats and Pistols
- Plot Monkeys
- Risky Regencies
- Romance Bandits
- Romance University
- The Dashing Duchesses
- The Five Scribes
- The Goddess Blogs
- The Romance Dish
- The Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood
- The Season
- The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills
- Unusual Historicals
- Word Wenches
Favorite Sites
- Alice Audrey
- Being Bonnie Vanak
- Bent on Books
- Bookends, LLC-A Literary Agency
- Courtney Milan
- Glynis Smy-Writer
- Jennifer on Writing
- Jess Granger Butterfly Blog
- Joanna Bourne
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- Maggie Robinson/ Margaret Rowe
- My place by the sea
- Once Written, Twice Shy
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- Sharon Wray
- Susanna Ives: Her Words in the World
- Tessa Dare
- The Knight Agency
- The Pioneer Woman
- The Regency Redingote
- The Writer Side of Life
- Unlocking History Through Romance
Best Loved Books and Authors
- I had quite the list going here, and then after conference I had even more to add, and it was getting a bit ridiculous. So here are three authors/books I cannot live without. . .
- Elizabeth Peters
- Mary Balogh
- Laurie R. King The Mary Russell series
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19 comments:
I have actually replaced The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen Woodiwiss several times. Englands's Perfect Hero is another I've had to replace, and all LaVyrle Spencer and Teresa Medeiros gets read often around here.
I have read everyone of Dean Koontz and Stephen Kings (though I tend to pass along the King books because once is enough for me). I enjoy some of Michael Crichton, not all, oh okay Timeline, I loved Timeline and still have it on my shelf, the rest are kind of 'iffy' to my romance loving heart.
Luckily, or unluckily, I believe I have passed my love of reading to my daughter, so my Pride and Prejudice is getting a really good workout. She isn't old enough for the others yet, or so I think, but I can remember being tweleve and stealing my older sister's books!
Lovely blog, Gillian, and welcome to the blogosphere!
May I be the first to comment on your lovely blog. Uh oh, looks like I'm the second. (waving to Terry Stone) Hopefully, you both will share the wealth and show me how to do this.
Yes, I agree, anything, everything Stephanie Plum. Each and every summer, my children understand that when mom is reading another hilarious Stephanie adventure that meal time becomes 'grab it and growl.' You're on your own, kids. Eating is so overrated, I tell them. :)
My double buys always include many of the books that accompanied me through high school and college. Anything written by James Michener or James Clavell. My love for the world started with their works. Daphne du Maurier found a way into my lyrical heart, and I share her love of Cornwall, England. Cussler and Jennings have furthered my lust for adventure, and Harry Potter, oh, is there ever a day not made better by my love for that darlin' teenage wizard.
Well, Gillian, it's official. Your critique partner and friend is rambling. Another procrastination technique to avoid finishing Gulls. Good luck to you darlin' and have tons of fun at Nationals.
Marianne
Yahoo, you found me :)
Terry Jo, good luck censoring your daughter. Mine will be 14 in two months and it's pretty hopeless. On the other hand, she doesn't seem to gravitate towards anything too graphic, so I'm lucky so far.
Marianne, Stephanie is the only thing I can't read in public--I always laugh out loud. That woman is gifted!
Hi Gillian,
Yay!! You have a blog! I'll be visiting often. I would never part with my early edition of Woolf's Orlando, or my Edgar Allan Poe collection.
I adore Edgar Allen Poe, but haven't read any of his work in ages. Thanks for the reminder :)
Hey, Gillian!!! Your blog is gorgeous and very much you, my fellow Slave! She is much too modest to say so folks, but Miss Gillian made it to round two in the Molly!! You and I share a love of all things Julia Quinn and especially To Sir Phillip with Love. I love Karen Hawkins. Her twin heroes in Her Master and Commander and Her Officer and a Gentleman are diving. The butler who appears in both books is one of those once in a lifetime secondary characters. I love Stephen King and am presently collecting all of them in hardback as my paperbacks have seen better days. Love Teresa Medeiros, Eloisa James, Victoria Alexander. Lets just say that I have an entire room of wall to wall bookcases with nothing but historical romances in them!! Preston Douglas and Lincoln Childs Pendergast series is amazing. Ever seen the movie The Relic? They wrote the book and the book is better. Their best? Still Life with Crows. My current absolute favorite? Anna Campbell's Claiming the Courtesan. Magnificent! I'm with Marianne on needing the help computer-wise. Have loads of fun at Nationals and take loads of pictures please! Knock 'em dead with your pitches, honey. You've got a winner to sell!
DOH! The heroes in Karen Hawkins books would be DIVINE, not diving! Apparently I need help with English as well as computerese!
The only books I've ever done a double buy on were accidents.lol. I am a tad forgetful from time to time. TBR piles are so very expansive sometimes it's hard to know everything that's in them by heart.
But since recently a friend of mine made off with some of my favorites, I have been considering the double-buy:)
Doglady- I don't know Karen Hawkins. I love discovering recommendations for new (to me) authors.
Actually, gentle readers, Marianne and Pam are right there with me in the Molly semi-finals, brilliant and talented ladies that they are. I am only there because of my Passion Slaves' insightful critiques (and a boatload of luck).
Welcome Kelly! I do that as well, especially when a book is re-released with a new title :)
Hi Gillian! I'm so happy you've started blogging! And wow, congrats on Round 2 of the Molly...that is just wonderful. You PSlaves are just ridiculously talented, I swear!
As for me, I've definitely bought all of Julia Quinn's backlist at least once. I kept loaning them out to people, but never getting them back...and JQ is one of the few authors whose books I could read over and over again. Others that I flinch over when loaning are: Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton, Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters, and anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
Hi Mary! Yes, I do love Julia Quinn as well (who among us doesn't?:)).
I can't imagine loaning out my Elizabeth Peters books. Really, I don't think my fingers would release the pages. . . ;)
They are there to be opened and creased and folded and thumbed through until a page or two comes fluttering out.
I totally agree! I'm constantly lending books out to people at work. Often, they're suprised at my attitude. I don't care if the book never makes it back to me as long as someone's reading it. In other words, if Cindy loves the JQ so much she really, really wants Jessica to read it, then I say lend it to her! If my lead takes a Linda Howard to Vegas and drops it in the water because she was enjoying it at the pool, who cares? Books are for reading. That's my motto. So long as they're being read, I don't care if the spine comes back creased or a page is dog-eared. I heart sharing my books!
You have a generous spirit, Lacey, and that's certainly the best way to promote both our genre and a general love of reading.
I'd better buy more copies; I am rather attached to the original copies of my favorites. However,I'm always up to escorting a friend to the bookstore!
Hello Gillian!! So good to see you again! Congrats on the Molly's, but really we all know how wonderful you are. I'm so glad to see you blogging, now I can keep up with you! You've put together a very nice blogspot!
As far as books, I'm not an intentional double-buyer either, but it happens when I'm a bit forgetful. I won't let go of any of my Kathleen Woodiwiss or Rosemary Rogers books (especially the Steve/Ginny series), and I fear my copy of Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley will have to be retired soon. Of course, you throw in the JQ, Teresa Medeiros, Mary Balogh, Suzanne Enoch, Victoria Alexander, Eloisa James...ok, there are too many to mention. My husband has threatened bodily harm if I don't weed out some soon. But honey, I really will read that one again!!
Ashley (Ashbongo10)
Welcome to the addictive world of blogging! I'll be linking to you shortly. I hardly ever reread books now even if I wind up keeping them, but I'll reread all of Heyer again and again and, yes, again. I used to reread the Stand by Stephen King just because I knew I missed something. I also have an annual Wodehouse festival just for laughs. :)
Hey Gillian,
I love books. I have books dated back to the eighteen hundreds. My favorite books are old history books and old literature books. I collect them, I hardly open them for fear of them falling apart. I do love research books. I don't know how many times I have maxed out my library limit, which is 99 books. The funny thing is that I will max out my kid's cards too. Moslty on research books.
Ashley (huge hug), it's so great to hear from you! I miss our late night fanlit talks. I need to get myself over to Fanlit F. more! Husbands just don't understand, do they? Tell him the books are for inspiration (nudge, wink) ;)
Maggie, thanks so much for stopping by! You know, after I read the Stand I actually took the book out of my house; it's like the evil was a living thing. The man writes some powerful books.
Christina, what an amazing collection! I have nothing so old as that, but I do have a set of 10 books from 1928 called The Sexual Education Series and they are a hoot!
Sexual Education from 1928?! Now there is a blog. :) You should hop over to Fanlit when you get a chance.
Is it okay if I add you to my blog friends? Missed you, my Ks friend.
Christina, link away! It's a small blog world, and a lovely way to stay in touch :)
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