The Proust Question of the Week was a good one this week - Who are your favourite writers?
I've always had a love of reading. I got a library card as soon as I was old enough and usually had a pile of books signed out at any given time. When the Scholastic Book Club would come to school, I would pore over the flyer to choose my new books. Luckily my parents were supportive of my reading habit and would usually let me choose a few books each time.
During my childhood, my favourite writer was definitely Carolyn Keene - or rather, the many women who wrote the Nancy Drew books. I loved Nancy Drew and collected as many of the books as I could. (I also coloured in them of course.) I also loved Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables books) and Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairies). I still have my Anne series - those books are timeless.
A few other writers that have become my favourite as an adult:
Edna Ferber. I discovered Edna Ferber through my love of Elizabeth Taylor, of all things. Elizabeth Taylor was in the movie Giant. When I realized the movie was based on a book, I found Ferber's works. Giant is one of my favourite novels (in fact, I was re-reading it again last night). I also love So Big and Ice Palace. Her novels are rich in detail. They tell stories about essentially regular people, yet in a way that's so interesting it's almost strange. She's hard to categorize.
Mary Stewart. I also discovered Mary Stewart in a roundabout way through a movie. An old Disney movie called The Moonspinners. The movie deviates from the book quite a bit but I enjoy both. Mary Stewart has written mystery/romance and fantasy novels. I've only read her mystery/romance ones. They remind me of Mary Higgins Clark (another favourite) - suspenseful, thrilling but with a nice love story so it never veers into creepy.
Daphne du Maurier. I've only read two of her novels but both were hauntingly good. Rebecca, of course, is a classic. But I like Our Cousin Rachel even more. It's an ambiguous novel. Even at the end you aren't sure what happened and who was wrong. You don't know if Rachel was evil or good, or somewhere in between. Delightfully thought provoking.
A few other books that have haunted me:
I've always had a love of reading. I got a library card as soon as I was old enough and usually had a pile of books signed out at any given time. When the Scholastic Book Club would come to school, I would pore over the flyer to choose my new books. Luckily my parents were supportive of my reading habit and would usually let me choose a few books each time.
During my childhood, my favourite writer was definitely Carolyn Keene - or rather, the many women who wrote the Nancy Drew books. I loved Nancy Drew and collected as many of the books as I could. (I also coloured in them of course.) I also loved Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables books) and Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairies). I still have my Anne series - those books are timeless.
A few other writers that have become my favourite as an adult:
Edna Ferber. I discovered Edna Ferber through my love of Elizabeth Taylor, of all things. Elizabeth Taylor was in the movie Giant. When I realized the movie was based on a book, I found Ferber's works. Giant is one of my favourite novels (in fact, I was re-reading it again last night). I also love So Big and Ice Palace. Her novels are rich in detail. They tell stories about essentially regular people, yet in a way that's so interesting it's almost strange. She's hard to categorize.
Mary Stewart. I also discovered Mary Stewart in a roundabout way through a movie. An old Disney movie called The Moonspinners. The movie deviates from the book quite a bit but I enjoy both. Mary Stewart has written mystery/romance and fantasy novels. I've only read her mystery/romance ones. They remind me of Mary Higgins Clark (another favourite) - suspenseful, thrilling but with a nice love story so it never veers into creepy.
Daphne du Maurier. I've only read two of her novels but both were hauntingly good. Rebecca, of course, is a classic. But I like Our Cousin Rachel even more. It's an ambiguous novel. Even at the end you aren't sure what happened and who was wrong. You don't know if Rachel was evil or good, or somewhere in between. Delightfully thought provoking.
A few other books that have haunted me:
- The Road (Cormac McCarthy). Made me lose sleep. Slightly lost the will to live during a few of its chapters. Horrible and depressing yet impossible to stop reading.
- Orange Is the New Black (Piper Kerman). An autobiography of the author's year in a women's prison. Given my fascination with prisons, no surprise I liked this one.
- Devil in the White City (Erik Larson). True story of America's first serial killer who stalked women during the Chicago World's Fair. Responsible for many a nightmare while I was reading it.
- Mindset (Carol Dwek). So much helpful life advice! And I read it at a time when I needed her wisdom most.
- The Lost Dogs (Jim Gorant). True story of what happened to Michael Vick's dogs after they were rescued from his dog fighting ring. Heartbreaking at times, inspirational at others. A hard read but one where good prevailed.