My favorite authors

I love to read, maybe a little too much because it sometimes keeps me from doing other things that are probably more important, but I can't help myself sometimes. So I got to thinking about all the books I've read over the years and which authors I look forward to reading the most. Not that anyone else probably really cares, but here are my favorites in no particular order...

Authors of grownup books:
1. Francine Rivers - Love, love, love her books! She has such a gift of storytelling while addressing some really difficult topics and weaving Biblical truths throughout. I just finished her most recent two book series - Marta's Legacy - wow, amazing! Her Mark of the Lion series is also fantastic - just skip over the graphic descriptions in the first 40 pages of the first book unless you have a stronger stomach than I do (Roman persecution of Christians, I'll leave it at that) - the rest of the story is totally worth it, I promise! Leota's Garden, The Atonement Child, and When the Shofar Blew are some other ones well worth reading.
2. Terri Blackstock - Great characters, great stories, if you like thrillers, she's great!
3. Karen Kingsbury - Keep a box of tissues handy when you read her books, her stories tug at your heart throughout. Always uplifting and focused on God's grace and love.
4. Tracie Peterson - Terrific historical fiction writer with a Christian perspective...after reading her Brides of Gallatin County series and Heirs of Montana series, I'm glad that I was born when I was - I never would have survived in the 1800's!
5. John Grisham - I much prefer his books to the movie versions, and I really liked all the movies!
6. Nicholas Sparks - ditto (see John Grisham) I cried at the end of The Wedding.
7. Sue Grafton - Private eye Kinsey Milhone is a great recurring character in all her books, sometimes you just have to laugh out loud.
8. David Baldacci - If you like political thrillers, check out his books.
9. Mary Higgins Clark - Modern day queen of mystery writing, love all of her books as well as several she co-wrote with her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark.
10. Harlan Coben - Also a thriller writer, his characters are great.
11. Robin Cook - Medical thriller, although I sometimes get a little paranoid after reading his books, I hope it's mostly fiction based on a few facts and not the other way around.
12. Liz Curtis Higgs - One of my favorites of all time - if you haven't read her Thorn in My Heart series...well, you just have to. And her stand-alones are laugh-out-loud funny.
13. Frank Peretti - Big fan of his older books - This Present Darkness, etc.

Authors of children's books:
1. Cornelia Funke - I love her Inkheart series -they are so much better than the movie. What an imagination! Thief Lord and Dragon Rider are great too.
2. C.S. Lewis - Narnia, need I say more?
3. Jessica Day George - Dragon Slippers and sequels - does it get any better than dragons and princesses helping each other?
4. Dr. Seuss - Genius.
6. Lynne Reid Banks - Indian in the Cupboard series is great, especially for boys (but girls like it too).
7. Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House books - the best when it comes to historical fiction for kids.
8. Michael Spradlin - Youngest Templar series - great historical fiction!
9. Christopher Paolini - Eragon and sequels - was surprised how much I liked these, I'm so impressed that he was only 19 when the first one was published, yea for homeschoolers!
10. Linda Buckley-Archer - Time Travelers, really great trilogy, one of my favorites.
11. Dave Barry/Ridley Pearson - Peter and the Starcatchers and sequels, also one of my favorites for kids of all ages.
12. Jeanne DuPrau - City of Ember (much better than the movie) and sequels are good reads.

I could go on and on (as you can see) but I won't. I'm always on the prowl for my next favorite book or author, so make some suggestions - I'd love to hear them!