I learned to read young. No really young. I was 3. For more than 40 years I have been a voracious reader. And on top of that, I will read nearly anything, and have for years. From Nancy Drew to Little House. Anne McCaffrey, Louis L’Amour, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter, Patricia Briggs and so many more. My preference and passion is fiction but what genre changes with my mood. If you’re willing to take a chance on something new, check these books out!
I fell in love and devoured it and I loved it so much I’ve read it several times over the years, for a lot of reasons. When I first read this, I was on a historical kick. Everything I read by choice was set in the past.
I loved that Outlander was realistic. It didn’t romanticize living in the eighteenth century, especially from the perspective of someone from the twentieth. On top of that the characters were real and they made you care about them, which is what a good story is supposed to do, right?
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first book in Diana Gabaldon’s acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series.
One of the top ten best-loved novels in America, as seen on PBS’s The Great American Read!
Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon’s work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion and…
This one is a contemporary story and is another of my favorites because it’s got more than a little bit of action keeping you going even if you’re not interested in the romance part of the story.
There are actually two stories/romances going on in this one, one now and one during WWII. The characters are real people with strengths, flaws, hopes, and dreams, and bonus, they are just as insecure about themselves and their interactions with each other as the rest of us are.
And they make me laugh. Like really laugh. Bonus points to the audiobook because the performances were amazing.
Troubleshooters: They Never Let You Down. The fourth addictive romantic suspense novel in New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series, filled with thrilling adventure, excitement and passion. In OUT OF CONTROL, Savannah von Hopf and Navy Seal Ken 'WildCard' Karmody are lost in a hostile jungle with no choice but to place their trust in one another...
When Savannah von Hopf's uncle is kidnapped in Indonesia there is only one man she can turn to help: Navy Seal Ken 'WildCard' Karmody. But before she has the chance to ask for his help, she finds herself caught up with…
Charley Davidson sees the dead, she’s a grim reaper and people have to pass through her to get to the other side. There is always something new, and something unexpected around the corner and even I could never guess (and I’m pretty good at figuring out what’s going on before it’s revealed).
It doesn’t hurt that both Charley and her love interest, Reyes, are more than a little attractive… and possibly more than a little dangerous. Charley’s smart mouth and penchant to find more trouble than she can get herself out of keeps me coming back to read over and over.
Private investigator Charlotte Davidson was born with three things: looks; a healthy respect for the male anatomy; and the rather odd job title of grim reaper. Since the age of five, she has been helping the departed solve the mysteries of their deaths so they can cross. Thus, when three lawyers from the same law firm are murdered, they come to her to find their killer. In the meantime, Charley's dealing with a being more powerful - and definitely sexier - than any spectre she's ever come across before. With the help of a pain-in-the-ass skip tracer, a dead pubescent…
You may have noticed there’s a bit of a theme here, well, other than that I love all these books, but this introduction to Stephanie Plum and her entourage is a great book that keeps me coming back when I’m in the mood for a laugh and a look at a family that’s even crazier than mine.
Stephanie is down and out, and out of desperation, blackmails her cousin into giving her a shot at bounty hunter. Experience? Who needs experience? Her first skip? An ex-cop she’s had more than a few run-ins with…usually without all her clothing.
Stephanie, her friends, and family make the whole adventure fun and make me come back over and over because I just can’t get enough of Stephanie.
Stephanie Plum is down on her luck. She's lost her job, her car's on the brink of repossession, and her apartment is fast becoming furniture-free.
Enter Cousin Vinnie, a low-life who runs a bail-bond company. If Stephanie can bring in vice cop turned outlaw Joe Morelli, she stands to pick up $10,000. But tracking down a cop wanted for murder isn't easy . . .
And when Benito Ramirez, a prize-fighter with more menace than mentality, wants to be her friend Stephanie soon knows what it's like to be pursued. Unfortunately the best person to protect her just happens to…
This one doesn’t have the same comedy element as most of the others, but it is funny in its own way.
Mercedes Thompson is a mechanic, and a coyote walker (shapeshifter.) I love this book for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that it blends a lot of the popular tales of werewolves, vampires, and more with the tales and mythology of Native American creatures in a way I’d never encountered.
I love that Mercy isn’t looking for love.She’s not looking for fame or riches. She just wants to fix cars and make her own decisions. And annoy the werewolf who shares the fence at the back of her property.
The first novel in the New York Times bestselling Mercy Thompson series - the major urban fantasy hit of the decade
'I love these books!' Charlaine Harris
The best new fantasy series I've read in years' Kelley Armstrong
MERCY THOMPSON: MECHANIC, SHAPESHIFTER, FIGHTER
I didn't realize he was a werewolf at first. My nose isn't at its best when surrounded by axle grease and burnt oil . . .'
Mercedes Thompson runs a garage in the Tri-Cities. She's a mechanic, and a damn good one, who spends her spare time karate training and tinkering with a VW bus that happens…
Maverick has just returned to Tucson from an assignment that took him out of town for more than two years. Now he’s trying to fit back into his life here. But things have changed around the Demented Souls club house and settling in isn’t as seamless as he expected.
After insulting his vice president’s woman, he’s got to make amends. The last thing he expected was to meet the woman he was sure he’d never see again in the sweet shop where he stopped to pick up an apology.
Can Maverick figure out how to keep things from taking a wrong turn and letting Dana get away or will he manage to insult someone else, getting himself into even more trouble?
My favorite fantasy novels tend to be rather complex. Winding plotlines, mysteriously interconnected characters, whimsical settings, and intricate, thoughtful worldbuilding combine to create immersive stories that stick in the mind like overworn folklore. Time travel or interworld travel lend additional layers of intrigue and mystery, forcing the inescapable contemplation of a more thrilling, alternate reality. And if it’s all packaged in artful, breathtaking prose that breeds full-color images, audible noises, indelible flavors, nose-crumpling odors, and tangible textures, I will happily lose myself in the pages, truly forgetting about the strictures of everyday life… at least until I get hungry and remember I need to consume more than books to survive.
An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction.
Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to Ride, but her destiny will pit her against her uncle and king, who have scorned her since before her birth.
In the Exchange, the waystation between realms, Emmelyn fights the G’Ambit, a gambling ring with members more intent on lining their pockets than protecting the realms—or their own lives.
Realm-devouring parasites threaten all existence. The Exchange is desperate to destroy them. But could their radical plans endanger the realms, too?
Soul-sucking parasites are overwhelming the realms.
Rhoswen of Stanburh is of age to train as a Realm Rider—a defender of the realms. Riders and their dragons work together to burn away infiltrating Narxon as they swarm in through tears in a realm’s fabric. But it’s not an easy battle: the mere touch of the smoky, dragon-like adversaries can reduce the lively winged beasts—and their Riders—to ash.
Becoming a Realm Rider is Rhoswen’s dream, but she carries far more responsibility…
