books, books, books...

I had a question about what type of literature is my favorite.  So here goes...

I love to read.  Pretty much anything.  I love mysteries.  I love british chic lit.  I love the classics.  I love mythology.  I love biographies.  I love historical fiction.  I love it all.  Well, I guess not all...  I don't care too much for manuals.  (Although I do read them when it's necessary to teach myself something.)  I especially love when books lead me to question life and think about serious topics.

Some of my favorite authors are:   Jane Austin, Patricia Cornwell, Sophie Kinsella, James Patterson, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, and Robert Ludlum, to name just a few.

In my opinion, a well told story is pretty rare.  First, an author needs to have a fantastic idea, which they then flesh out with great storytelling flair.  There are some books that I've not even bothered to finish because the author didn't know how to tell a good story, even though they might have had a great idea.  The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyers are some of them.  (Please don't hate me if you love them...  This is all just my opinion...)  She had a good idea, about vampires and werewolves living in the modern day Pacific Northwest, but in the end, her characters were not developed beyond simple caricatures, her story was predicable and lacked good writing skills.  I have other issues about the plot, like how Edward is a possessive, creepy stalker, and masses of teen girls now think that he is the definition of romance, but I won't delve into them here.

I recently read a book that left me thinking about what marks I am making in the world and what, if any, value will it be for future generations.  People of the Book, by Geraline Brooks is a tale of an ancient manuscript restorer/rare books specialist who is hired to restore a historically important illuminated manuscript.  She finds some clues in and on the vellum pages, such as wine stains and insect wings, that lead her to trace where the book has been in it's 500 years, the people who owned the book, and the identity of the original artist.



How about you?  What types of books do you love to read?   Who are your favorite authors?