Welcome to my own version of April’s “A to Z Blog
Challenge” – a list of 26 of my favorite books, connected as well as possible
to the letters of the alphabet. This is
not really the way the blogging challenge is supposed to work, but I simply don’t
have the time or stamina to post every day for 26 days. So I’ve done similar posts in the past
instead, focusing the past two years on A to Z Game of Thrones characters and
places in anticipation of the spring premiers of the television show, but this
year, much to my dismay, it won’t return until summer (plus, I’ve done it twice
already—if you’re a fan of the shows or books, the links are here and here). So here are some books that truly pulled me
in and gave me hours of enjoyment—which is why I read, for pleasure. Most genres are represented, since I read a fairly
wide variety, but my preferences will probably be apparent to anyone perusing
the list. Hope you find a new book to
try!
A is for: A Song
Of Ice And Fire series by George R. R. Martin (A Game of Thrones, A Clash of
Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons). The
epic fantasy saga that inspired the television show, these novels are full of
plot twists and turns, shocking developments, rich characters, medieval
fantasy, and exotic places. The world-building alone is a staggering feat, and
I anxiously await the next in the series.
B is for: Belle
Cora by Phillip Margulies. I can't
believe more people don't know about this book - I thought it was fantastic.
I'd never heard of it, either, so I found it by chance--I happened to
walk by it propped up on a shelf as a recommendation at the library. The
cover grabbed my attention and the blurb did the rest. This is the story
of Arabella Godwin, a/k/a Belle Cora, a good girl who, through a series of
misfortunes, falls from grace. Set in the 1800s and loosely based on the
life of a real madam, this book has everything: history, romance, secrets,
suspense, betrayal, triumph, and tragedy. It is long, which only makes it
more epic in scope...I felt like I knew Belle intimately by the end. And
the research and attention to historical detail is evident throughout. I
learned quite a bit in the best way possible--immersed in an unputdownable book.
C is for: Chase,
Eve – Black Rabbit Hall. This book, like The Lost Girls (also on the list) melds
two stories: the lives, and tragedies, of the four Alton children as they spend
a summer in the late 1960s at their Cornwall estate, nicknamed Black Rabbit
Hall, and the implications of these past events on an engaged couple 30 years
later. Black Rabbit Hall is itself a compelling character, Gothic and
atmospheric, a place where time seems suspended. The prose is beautiful, the
writer's voice unique, and the comparisons to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and
several of Kate Morton's books are well-deserved in my opinion.
D is for: The
Drowning People by Richard Mason. I read
this years and years ago, and never forgot it. It was one of the few books that
I could absolutely not put down. The spooky, atmospheric narrative mixed with psychological
suspense and the history of an angst-ridden love affair keep me turning pages
and ignoring my responsibilities until I was finished.
E is for: Jane-Emily
by Patricia Clapp. One of my all-time
favorites, this YA book is both a sweet romance and a spooky ghost story.
In fact, I would call this book a huge inspiration for my writing, as it's that
combination of ghost story/love story that I find addictive. My father
brought Jane-Emily home from the library when I was around 8 years old, and I
read it over and over, then requested it regularly when I needed my Jane-Emily
fix. A few years back, I purchased my own copy (finally!) from ebay and
read it to my kids. The ghost of 12-year-old Emily still delivers chills
even after all these years as she unleashes her wrath on 9-year-old Jane--but
of course the romance piece was there as well between the hunky Doctor and
Jane's young aunt Louisa.
F is for:
Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor.
As a fan of historical fiction and historical romance, I’m always on the
lookout for new titles, and this one popped up as a Goodreads recommendation
for me. It was published in the 1940s,
and actually banned in Boston due to some of the risqué subjects and
scenes! Set in 17th century
Restoration England, this is the story of a penniless and pregnant young girl
who uses anything and everything she has at her disposal to climb the rungs of
society and to pursue the man she wants.
Fascinating history and a flawed character add to the intrigue of the
plot. Often compared to Gone with the
Wind, which is right below.
G is for: Gone
with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. A
classic. Scarlett and Rhett are one of
my favorite fictional couples. I love
Scarlett for being the anti-"Mary Sue": she's not very sympathetic,
and she's certainly no saint (much like Amber, above). She's feisty,
selfish, and ruthless, but also strong, driven, and fearless. Rhett can't
help but love her. Rhett can easily admit that he's no gentleman
according to Southern society standards, but it soon becomes clear that he is a
hero when it counts. Their powerful story is set amongst the unraveling
of a way of life in the south and the Civil War, as well as the aftermath.
H is for: The
Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons. It's
difficult to put into words how much I loved this historical romance novel, as
well as the second in the trilogy, Tatiana and Alexander. I admit I had a
few doubts when I began the first book--WWII-era Leningrad does not seem like
the most romantic setting, and in fact, the things that happened once the
Soviet Union entered the war were downright horrific. But throughout the
years, the struggle, and the horror, Tatiana and Alexander hold on to their
love, even when separated. My heart ached for what these characters went
through, and Simons captures the brutal history with amazing accuracy while
still delivering a poignant--and often steamy--love story.
I is for: Into
the Wilderness by Sara Donati. Historical
romance recommended for fans of Outlander and The Tea Rose, two of my
favorites. The many and sometimes
omniscient points-of-view keep the reader a little separated from the
characters, but the descriptive language made me feel as though I could see
every part of Paradise, Hidden Wolf, the brush, and Lake in the Clouds. A forbidden
romance between an Englishwoman and a frontiersman raised by Native Americans,
and great adventure in a New York settlement located in the rural wilderness of
New York in the 1700s.
J is for: JoAnn
Ross -- Blue Bayou. Bad boy Jack returns
to his hometown to find his teenage love, Danielle, has also decided to make a
life for herself back in Blue Bayou after the death of her husband. The
young lovers were torn apart once by tragedy, and past and present collide as
secrets are revealed and connections are discovered, and this romantic
suspense/contemporary romance is an entertaining beach read with a hot alpha
hero who whispers Cajun terms of endearment. I’m a big fan of reunion romances,
a common element in many of my own novels, and this is one of my favorites.
K is for:
Katherine by Anya Seton.
Originally published in 1954, this is the historical account of the unlikely
and forbidden love affair between Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, the
Duke of Lancaster, in 14th century England. Their romance persisted through wars and
uprisings, arranged marriages, and deadly plagues, despite not only these obstacles
but also their vastly different stations in society. An excellent account of a true story that
impacted the royal lines of England forever.
L is for:
Landry, William – Defending Jacob.
Legal thrillers aren't always a go-to genre for me, but this one was an
out-and-out page-turner that I literally could not put down. I brought my
Kindle to my son's baseball games so I could read a few pages between innings.
The story revolves around a lawyer defending his son against murder while
not entirely convinced of his innocence. The level of tension and
uncertainty reminded me of Gone Girl.
M is for:
Madeleine’s Ghost by Robert Girardi.
One of my all-time favorites. The ultimate combination (for me) of ghost
story, love story, mystery, and history, this novel moves between the gritty
streets of a run-down neighborhood in Brooklyn and the steamy bayous of New
Orleans. A captivating mix of romance,
history, and the paranormal, this book has it all: intrigue, mystery, secrets,
star-crossed lovers, and a haunting.
Another title that served as inspiration for my own writing.
N is for: Nora
Roberts – Midnight Bayou. Another mix of
romance and ghosts, set in Louisiana. I
could not put this book down...literally. I loved the New Orleans bayou
setting and intertwining of past and present. A sassy Cajun heroine
and a hunky ex-lawyer-turned-carpenter embark on a passionate journey to
uncover the dark secrets of Manet Hall.
O is for:
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. The
first book in the series that inspired the television show, this is one of my
absolute favorites, with a mix of romance, history, and paranormal elements. Time travel sweeps the heroine Claire Randall
from 1945 to the Scottish Highlands of 1743, where she encounters Jamie Fraser,
a young, fierce warrior with a sweet and innocent side. When fate throws the Highlander into a more
permanent relationships with Claire, a strong and competent combat nurse from
the future, he nicknames her "Sassenach" - Outlander in his Celtic
tongue. I love everything about Jamie - his speech, his insight, his
courage, and his protectiveness. Claire is already married...but in
another time and place. The couple must
face this conflict and many more in the dangerous and uncertain times of warring
clans, political upheaval, and the Jacobite rebellions.
P is for: The
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. An
epic historical fiction set in 12th century feudal England. The building of a cathedral is central to the
plot, but there is drama, intrigue, betrayal, romance, war, religion, and royal
affairs woven throughout, resulting in a suspenseful tale with characters that
come to life. Descendants of those
characters populate the sequel, World Without End, which is set in the same
town two centuries later and was also one of my favorites…and in doing this
post, I discovered a third book in the series, titled A Column of Fire, will be
coming out in the fall of 2017!
Q is for: the Quarantine series by Lex Thomas—The
Loners, The Saints, The Burnouts, and The Giant—a YA dystopian thriller series
described as "Lord of the Flies in a 21st century high school
setting". When a high school devolves into chaos following a
military quarantine, survival becomes a desperate challenge. With no
adults left inside to fill the vacuum of authority, violent gangs form as
social cliques band together to maintain strength in numbers. But
protagonist David Thorpe and his younger brother, Will, have been always been
loners...and now, it's just the two of them against the rest of the students. These young adult books had the added bonus
of grabbing the attention of my two teenage boys and not letting go, and that’s
saying something. Both my kids could NOT
put these books down, even my older reluctant reader. In fact, when I
packed the second in the series for him for our trip to London, he finished it
in a few days and I had to download the next one and share my Kindle!
R is for: The
Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly, the second book in The Tea Rose trilogy. All three books are fantastic works of
historical romance, and they can be read as stand-alones, although there are
character connections that join them together.
The Winter Rose is my favorite, as I adored the main characters, India
Selwyn-Jones and Sid Malone. India, a
naive but fearless young female doctor in 1900
England, encounters East London's crime lord Sid Malone as she tries
to improve the lives of her poorest patients. The obvious clash in
their social stations is just one of many conflicts that work against
these two damaged souls. This amazing story takes the reader on an
incredible journey as the characters fight to find their way back to each
other.
S is for: Smith,
Wilbur – River God. This is an older
book, published in 1995, set in an even older time--Ancient Egypt, circa 2,000
BC. This is the first book in Wilbur Smith's Ancient Egypt series, and
I'm so glad a friend told me about it. While I had my misgivings when I
realized the entire story would be told in the first person Point of View by a
eunuch slave, it worked really well, and the engaging narrator Taita was even
able to bring the forbidden romance between Tanus and Lostris alive for me.
And while Taita is a literary "Mary Sue", the author knew what
he was creating and he had fun with it.
Fair warning to animal lovers like myself—I almost put the book down because
it begins with a graphic hippo hunt. But
I'm very glad I didn't. This novel really brought Ancient Egypt alive, and
while I wouldn't call it "romance", there are several wonderful love
stories woven into all the history, intrigue, and adventure.
T is for: the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. Yes, I admit it, I enjoyed these books. Paranormal romance is one of my favorite
genres, and I think Meyer is a gifted storyteller. She created perfect conflict between the two
main characters and wove in mystery, angst, and danger. Edward is mysterious, witty, intelligent, but
also a dangerous predator. Already striving to be a "good"
vampire, his love for Bella allows him to overcome his primal instincts.
Protective, polite, and ridiculously handsome, it's obvious why Bella falls for
Edward. It’s less obvious why Edward
would fall for Bella, since her character is definitely a Mary Sue. But Midnight Sun, the unpublished version of Twilight
written from Edward's viewpoint, helps reveal the qualities in Bella that
Edward treasures: selflessness, kindness, and loyalty.
U is for: Coal
Run by Tawni O’Dell. I love everything O’Dell
writes, and this was the follow-up second novel to her breakout debut Back
Roads. Her stories usually offer a dark
and gritty setting that becomes a character itself: a rural Pennsylvania coal
mining town with little left to offer the families who gave their lives to the
mines that sustained them for generations.
Against this backdrop, her stories weave past secrets, family drama, compelling
characters, suspenseful mysteries, and the reverberations of local tragedies
into beautifully written page-turners set against the struggling, and often
dying, mining towns of Pennsylvania.
V is for: Valley
of Bones by Michael Gruber, the second in the Jimmy Paz trilogy. These books are so much more than typical
police procedurals, and I was absolutely blown away by the first novel, Tropic
of Night. Valley of Bones didn’t
disappoint, in fact, I think I tore through it even faster. This thriller follows the Voodoo Murders case
of Tropic of Night, and as Paz investigated a new death, the backstory of the
main suspect—her “confession”—takes the reader on a compelling, exciting, and
gut-wrenching journey. There are touches
of the paranormal in these books, but obviously, I embrace that, and it’s done
very well. Night of the Jaguar is the
third in the series, and I enjoyed that one a great deal as well.
W is for: Whitney
My Love by Judith McNaught. A very
well-known historical romance that became the second in the Westmoreland
series, although this one was published first.
The arrogant and dashing Duke of Claymore wants Whitney for
himself...yet she wants Paul, her childhood love. For me, this story
paralleled some of the relationship conflicts in Gone with the Wind, but this
novel is set in 1800s England. Certain scenes in the
story are controversial, but that is part of what made these characters
feel so real - they are flawed. They make terrible mistakes. And
the emotions I felt throughout the story - my heart actually hurt at some
points. The sexual tension had me turning pages well into the night,
desperately hoping Whitney and Clayton would get their happy ending.
X is for: Lexicon
by Max Barry. This novel was recommended
by several people I trust--otherwise, I'm not sure I would have tried it, based
on the blurb describing a school that teaches the 'art of persuasion'.
But, these readers share my passion for certain other books, and their
excitement had me interested. And then the first page of Lexicon had me hooked. This
book is so much more than the description can even attempt to cover. It's
a page-turning thriller with dark humor, crisp dialog, powerful romance,
ancient mystery, and a frightening look at the possibilities that arise from a
dependence on technology and the ease of data collection.
Y is for: Young,
Heather – The Lost Girls. Parallel
stories unfold in this beautiful blend of historical fiction, literary
fiction, and suspense. A little girl's disappearance from the family's
summer lake house in 1935 is never solved. But in her final year of life,
one of the girl's older sisters records the story in a journal, which she
leaves, along with the house, to her grandniece, Justine. As Justine
fights her own demons by seeking refuge in the remote house on a Minnesota
lake, we slowly learn the details of that fateful summer. This haunting
novel captured my attention immediately and kept me turning the pages. A
poignant and captivating debut.
Z is for:
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King (Book #4 in The Dark Tower series). First off, I should say many SK books rank as
my favorites, and this one is representing the group because it’s my favorite
one in King’s The Dark Tower series, which begins with The Gunslinger. This epic high fantasy series portrays a memorable
cast of characters on a quest to find The Dark Tower, complete with touches of
the spine-tingling horror King is known for. The journey through this
world, which has "moved on", takes readers through bleak landscapes,
deserted cities, desolate beaches, and magical spots that connect to our own
world. Wizard and Glass carries us back
to Roland’s past and offers key insight into his motivation, but it also tells
the story of his lost love, Susan Delgado.
There were so many exciting scenes and shocking twists in Wizard and
Glass, and although the first book in the series can be a little challenging to
get into, it’s worth taking the time to go on this journey.
Seeing Silver Lake published after years of hard
work is truly a dream come true. And I’m
thankful that it seems on some level, my mother is looking down, sharing it
with me. While I find that infinitely
comforting, my writing will probably continue to feature a spookier kind of
ghost: the kind that has to haunt the hero and heroine to get its message
through. The kind that raises a few
goose bumps on the reader’s arm. And
hopefully, the kind that keeps the pages turning, well into the night. 
