Favorite Books 1st Quarter 2013

Congratulations to Armando Read, you are the winner of the autographed copy of Please Don't Remove MarGreat's Glasses by Josh Baker. I've sent you an email for your address and we'll get that out to you soon.

Speaking of great books, I've read some really good ones lately. I think my favorite one from a famous author was Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer's Between the Lines . This story was magic to me. It's told by several POV's which can sometimes  be confusing but not the way they did it. This story is a fairytale that is told from inside the book and out. Delihah is obsessed with this fairytale and falls in love with the handsome prince in the book. But wait... did he just move? How could that be possible. He's a character in a book! To me, this book is what all of us writers envision would happen to the books and characters we create. They come to life! Here is what Jodi says about the book and creating it with her daughter http://www.jodipicoult.com/between-the-lines.html .

  
 My favorite picture book is Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond, illustrated by Diane deGroat. Oh how I laughed at this story about an adorable short-legged pioneer dog named Charlie. Breakfast is his life, especially when bacon is involved. Charlie has dangly ears, floppy skin, and big, fat paws. He describes just how hard he has to work everyday, and of course he has to get a few naps inbetween. The illustrator did an amazing job as well. I love this book and am just upset that I didn't write it!

Not only do I love reading the big famous authors books but even more so, I love reading books that my author friends have written. Last year, I think my favorite friend authors book that I read was Courtney Rene's A Howl in the Night. This is a great paranormal book with fascinating characters, some of which turn into wolves. Not werewolfs, but wolves, which are such cool beings. I felt myself wanting to be one while I was reading about them! Courtneys voice is unique and comes out with such wit in all of her books. I sure hope she is busy working on a sequel to A Howl in the Night because I know myself and her fans want to see one!

 Next is Crime in the Big Easy by Deborah Lynne. Guess where it takes place! You guessed it, right in the heart of New Orleans. This book is a mystery, crime with a little bit of romance mixed in. This is a must read for all fans of that genre. The gorgeous red-head, Taylor, that you see on the cover is an independent strong-willed journalist who doesnt let anyone stop her when it comes to going after a good story! And you can imagine what kind of good stories come out of New Orleans! Taylor meets her match though when she meets the handsome detective, John. Deborahs characters are vivid, vibrant, and leave you wanting more!

But my favorite of all is of course my mother and sisters new book Twist of Fate. This not only is a well written mystery/romance novel, it is a life long dream of theirs. One in which they both worked their butts off to accomplish. There 2nd in the series is sitting at their publishers desk as we speak and hopefully will be published soon. Both my mother and sister have been doing some form of writing their entire lives and to me, their writing style reflec
ts that. I not only enjoyed their book tremendously, I also love reading their blog posts each week. Take a peak when you get a chance and show your support by joining their blog. You can read about my mothers difficult journey writing with macular degeneration. She actually has to type in the computer and use a software program that speaks what she writes back to her because her eyes can't read what she writes. Anyway, check it out when you get a chance SwopeParente .



That's it for me. What was your favorite book you've read so far this year?