Who's your favorite author?

[CyberKitten]

Well if we are bringing childrens' books, can I bring my Nancy Drew series? I have each and every one - call me a major pack rat.

[Prin]

LOL I have never read Nancy Drew. But then again, I didn't read much when I was little. If Roald Dahl didn't write so well, such that even kids with no attention span like me can read them, I probably wouldn't know how to write...

[Writing4Fun]

Sorry, never read Ronald Dahl or Nancy Drew or Robert Munsch (I had a deprived childhood). Never heard of most of those other authors you all have mentioned (that's why I said "enlightened"). Danielle Steele? I wouldn't exactly call her "mushy". I can't believe the pain and suffering she puts her heroines through! Sometimes I think she seriously hates them! I liked her books, don't get me wrong. They're just some of the gloomiest things I've ever read, until the very last couple of pages. The only "children's books" I'd be able to survive with on a desert island would be the Harry Potter series.

[Kariia]

Tolkien. I'd bring all my Tolkien books (read:everything he's ever written and some biographies) and my Elvish dictionary.

And I would bring a few Roald Dahl books too. xD

[jjgeonerd]

Kurt Vonnegut. Cat's Cradle is one of the all-time great books IMO. Slaughterhouse Five also a great book.

[kandy]

If I could only choose one - it would have to be Dean Koontz. I think I have every book he's ever written. I also own all of Stephen Kings books, lots of John Saul, Anne Rice, and Brian Lumley for all the scarey stuff. On the lighter side I love Anne McCaffrey (books about a world that humans have inhabited - and engineered talking dolphins and dragons that fight 'thread' - a parasite that comes from the sky) - and Jean Auel (Pre-historic novels - Clan of the Cave Bear).

My hubby hates when I read - I tune everything else out and he can be hollering at me for ten minutes before I finally go - huh, did you say something? Obviously he's not a reader, unless it's Penthouse!

[Prin]

Originally Posted by Writing4Fun

Sorry, never read Ronald Dahl or Nancy Drew or Robert Munsch (I had a deprived childhood).

Can you read just one Roald Dahl book? You can't live life without knowing what it's all about. Ok, that's a bit dramatic, but these books are so imaginary and easy to read from start to finish in one sitting. If you do read one, read the BFG. Have you seen the Charlie and the Chocolate factory movie? (there's the one from the 70's that isn't so great, but then there is the new one with Johnny Depp that they tried to make more "true" to the book.) The books are so fun and so weird..

[Luvmypit]

Dean Koontz, JOhn Irving (a widow for one year),

I have book a read called "shes come undone"... i cant think of the author but I enjoyed two of her books... I loved Shes come undone!

I remember books more then authors... Lovely bones is another one. Awesome book.

Right now i am starting another dean koontz read as they are quick and fun to read novels.
After that my mom gave me this hard cover called Cane River about slavery which I can't wait to read.

Some books I start and never finish. I know its agood book when I cant put it down. It will take me 3 days to finish...

[Writing4Fun]

Originally Posted by kandy

On the lighter side I love Anne McCaffrey (books about a world that humans have inhabited - and engineered talking dolphins and dragons that fight 'thread' - a parasite that comes from the sky) - and Jean Auel (Pre-historic novels - Clan of the Cave Bear).

My hubby hates when I read - I tune everything else out and he can be hollering at me for ten minutes before I finally go - huh, did you say something? Obviously he's not a reader, unless it's Penthouse!

I used to loooove McCaffrey. Some of the later books in the Dragonriders' series started to get a little dull, like after the Harper died and the Weirleaders started getting old and the kids grew up. Have you read The Rowan? Again, first book was great - the rest, not so much. I read Clan of the Cave Bear and that series ages and ages ago. Again, the first one was great, the rest were blah.

Yeah, I'm the same way when I'm reading. Hubby can't stand it either. For him, it's not worth reading unless it's a comparo in a bike mag, or an instruction manual.

Prin: Guess I'll have to give Dahl a shot at least once in my life (although I've made it this far without anyone in my family knowing who he is ). Nope, never saw the Charlie movie, either one. Which one is BFG? Maybe that'll be the one that finally turns my 6yr old on to reading (he's his father's son, through and through).

[Prin]

It's the Big Friendly Giant. It's about how within a group of man-eating giants, there was one who didn't believe that eating people was right, so he suffered without eating them and ate putrid Snozzcumbers instead. He catches dreams with a butterfly net and blows them into little kids' rooms at night. He distroys all the nightmares he catches. I think your son should give these books a try. They're great. They're almost novel size, around 200 pages each, but they're really written to grab your attention. Like I said, I barely read anything growing up but I read nearly all his books. If he wants to go to Charlie and the Chocolate factory, you can make him read the book first before he is allowed to go.

[Puppyluv]

I'm a little partial to James and Matilda... probably because they were my first to read.
Sigh.... I think I'm going to go to the Children's library now.....

[Prin]

Matilda is great too (one of my favs). And the Witches. They made a Witches movie a while back. Is there a James and the Giant Peach movie? I can't remember.

[Puppyluv]

The Witches movie was Scary!! or at least when I saw it years ago. There is a James movie.. failry well done too, it's animated (claymation i think)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116683/

[kandy]

A really good kids book is "The Thief of Always" by Clive Barker. I wouldn't recommend it for really young children - but for early teens it would be great. It's a story about a house that takes children who are unhappy with their lives. In the house, everyday is a whole year with Christmas, Birthday's, Easter, Halloween - all the holidays. What the kids don't know is that for every year they spend in the house - a whole year passes in the world outside. The house is actually a holding tank for the devil so that he can collect the souls. Really well written - is supposed to make kids realize that the grass is not always greener. Clive Barker is a very talented writer if you like fantasy novels (some of his books are, The Great and Secret Show; Weaveworld; Galilee).

[Puppyluv]

Originally Posted by kandy

A really good kids book is "The Thief of Always" by Clive Barker. I wouldn't recommend it for really young children - but for early teens it would be great. It's a story about a house that takes children who are unhappy with their lives. In the house, everyday is a whole year with Christmas, Birthday's, Easter, Halloween - all the holidays.

I started out reading that post thinking "wow, what a nice sounding story" and then WHAM

Originally Posted by kandy

What the kids don't know is that for every year they spend in the house - a whole year passes in the world outside. The house is actually a holding tank for the devil so that he can collect the souls.

Was I blindsided by that one!!! Still sounds really good, just totally different than I thought.

[Prin]

LOL Nightmare material. It starts out like the Polar Express...

[CyberKitten]

I hate horror movies and books tho I liked them as a kid. The Exorcist kind of did me in tho so that was it. I've read a couple Stephen King but I am not keen about his or Dean Kootz (sp?) work. They seem like great ppl tho. I am not a fan of Danielle Steel either - too mushy and a step above the Harlequin romance I guess. Then again, I also like what some would call trash novels like Robin Cook and Michael -- ahh, can't think of the last name- Palmer, and the guy who wrote The Procedure. Novels set in a medical environment - like I'd need that!!

Some might say that Greeley is on par with Steele tho and I like him, mostly bec his characters are Irish in heritage and I can relate to alot of what he writes about.

[kandy]

The only thing I have on my bookshelves that isn't considered in the horror genre or at least macabre is my collection of prehistoric novels and the Pern novels by McCaffrey. Everything else is scarey, gorey, bloody - you know, the best things! Romance novels make me wanna puke - the closest I get to them is that some of Anne Rice's vampire novels can get pretty steamy!

[Prin]

Hey, if anybody read Interview with the Vampire before watching the movie, did you cry when Claudia dies? I did, because there is that whole relationship that is developed in the book, and the movie doesn't show it as well...

[kandy]

Originally Posted by Prin

Hey, if anybody read Interview with the Vampire before watching the movie, did you cry when Claudia dies? I did, because there is that whole relationship that is developed in the book, and the movie doesn't show it as well...

Yeah, I cried. To me, the movie is never better than the book. Sometimes you'll get lucky and the movie will at least follow the book for the most part.

[Roxy's_MA]

I have a whole bunch of Anne Rice collecting dust on the bookshelf, maybe I should read them.

Speaking of childerns author, I alway loved the peotry be Shel Silverstein - A light in the Attic.

Currently I am reading the new Harry Potter, because i am into it at the moment I am going choose JK Rowling as my favorite author.

Another book I been reading here and there is Chicken soup for the pet lovers soul. There are some very heartwarming stories (also tear-jerkers) in this book. I am sure everyone on this site would appreciate them.

[Puppyluv]

GAAHH.!!! I got the new Harry Potter delivered to me the day it came out.. but I won't let myself read it until Aug 21 (the day after my mcat) it's killing me!! it's just sitting on my desk taunting me!!!

[Prin]

Originally Posted by Roxy's_MA

Speaking of childerns author, I alway loved the peotry be Shel Silverstein - A light in the Attic.

I love him too! In my elementary school, we did a spring play (Christmas was too busy), and one year we all did skits based on his poems. It was so fun! I think about the one, "It's Hot!" on days like today. I'm sitting here in my bones and it's STILL hot!

[Puppyluv]

I think Shel was my first introduction to poetry!! what was the poem we did in grade 2???? It was from "Where the sidewalk ends".... Oh i don't remember what it was called, it was about a boy who thought he was SOOO smart for starting with a dollar bill and ending with 4 pennies.
OOOHH and "Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout, Wouldn't take the garbage out"
SOOOO good!!! I'm so glad this thread shifted to childrens' books!!!

[Prin]

Oh, I'll find it. Oh, crap- it isn't in A Light in the Attic... I can't find it. I remember it was 1 dollar for 2 quarters because two is better than one. Then 2 quarters for 3 nickels because three is better than two...
If you like Shel, you have to read Tim Burton's "The melancholy death of oysterboy". It's similar.

[Puppyluv]

yes that's the one!! and he's talking about how his grandfather was speachless-because he was so proud
oo I'll have to check that out! (But not til the 21 )

[kandy]

Originally Posted by Writing4Fun

Have you read The Rowan? Again, first book was great - the rest, not so much. I read Clan of the Cave Bear and that series ages and ages ago. Again, the first one was great, the rest were blah.

I haven't even heard of The Rowan - is it by McCaffrey? I've found a few of her books to be kind of redundant - same story just from different person's viewpoint - but I love Dolphins & Dragons. I keep her books on the same shelf as my Windstone Dragon collection.

For Jean Auel - I think that The Valley of Horses is my favorite. She just takes too freakin long to write the next one! There was a gap of more than 6 years between the last two she wrote, and now its been 3 years since The Shelters of Stone came out and no word when the next one will be done.

[normag]

I like quite a few but my very favourite is Catherine Cookson, I have just about all of her books and I read them over and over, she has passed on now but there were still some releases after her death.

[joeysmama]

Shel Silverstein and Maurice Sendak. LOVE THEM LOVE THEM LOVE THEM !!

[glasslass]

This summer I've been hooked on Diana Gabaldon. I'm on the 4th in a series of 5 books. Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and now Drums of Autumn. Her books are thick and meaty, taking days to read, not just a couple hours. Cyberkitten, the main character is a physician and the setting is in Scotland. Right up your ally!