What, or who, is stacked on your bookshelves?

I love to read, always have.  When I was in grade school and middle school, I would look forward to the book order forms the school would send home with all the students.  I would pour over the color photos of the books on display throughout the pamphlet and after carefully choosing my selections, I would wait with excitement for the book orders to finally arrive.  It was always a special treat…getting new books I could take home to read at my leisure.

I love books but I especially love a brand new book…flipping through the pages, smelling the “new” page smell.  Ahhh…it’s just heavenly.

I still enjoy reading, when I find the time, but my choice of books has changed quite a bit from Black Beauty and Little House on the Prairie.   

When I get into a good book, what I do read varies.  Some mystery authors I enjoy are Mary Higgins Clark and Terri Blackstock.  Suspense authors come and go but John Grisham is always a good read and so is James Patterson.  Horror would include Stephen King and one of my all-time favorites has been John Saul.  Dean Koontz is also talented with putting together a good thriller.  Two authors I came across and have also really enjoyed are Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker, who both spin a good tale if you enjoy a religious-based undertone mixed with horror or psychological thriller.

Mystery, suspense and horror are just the beginning…

I also enjoy historical fiction and my most recent find has been Ken Follett.  I’ve already read The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End and just recently purchased his latest, Fall of Giants, which I will somehow, eventually, find the time to read.  These books are huge, just under 1,000 pages, but the characters, the history and the story itself are all very easy to get lost in.

And who can put down a good western? 

Not me.  Although I haven’t read much in that genre lately, my favorite has always been Larry McMurtry.  Lonesome Dove is top-rated when it comes to books and to movies.

But what about a good ole’ romance, you say? 

For me, it’s not my favorite genre.  I used to read Danielle Steel, a lifetime ago, but if I did have to choose my favorites in this genre, it would be Jude Deveraux and LaVyrle Spencer.  I still remember my first Deveraux find…A Knight in Shining Armor.  I enjoyed it so much I hit the used book stores and bought every Deveraux book I could find.  The same goes with Spencer’s stories.  The first book I read was Hummingbird and it was such a light and funny romance, I was hooked.

But the list goes on and on…once I find a favorite author, there is no doubt I will soon own every book they ever wrote.

Here’s a look at just one book shelf, messy as it is:

And yet another…

I’m hoping soon my own book(s) will also be on these shelves.

I love all types of stories and all types of authors.  The real reason I even like a book is not because it might be written by an author in a genre I prefer but because it’s just a good story with characters I can relate to with a plot that sucks me in.

That’s what a good read is all about.  Whatever your genre or author preference might be, I hope you find the time to enjoy a good book every now and then.  It’s a great escape everyone should take pleasure in!