A Week of Favorites

This week on Scribble Chicks, we're talking favorites. Favorite books, that is! I think most of us would agree that picking a favorite book is about as easy as deciding which is more essential to a happy me - coffee or chocolate. (The correct answer, by the way, is both. Which is why God created mochas).

But I digress. :)

So, without further ado, here are my current favorites!

A Voice In The Wind, by Francine Rivers

Not many people can do historical fiction and make it seem like it's happening right now. Francine Rivers is arguably the best fiction writer on the market right now and this book only solidifies that for me. It's romantic without being cheesy, suspenseful without being dramatic, character-driven while still possessing a great plot. And it's one that consistently, every time I read it, makes me fall deeper in love with Jesus. That makes it a great book for me!

Francine Rivers excells at description. She gives you just enough that your imagination kicks in and supplies the rest of it. Descriptions are probably my weakest point - so reading her work is inspiring to me.

Blue Heart Blessed, by Susan Meissner

I read this book a couple of months ago and absolutely loved it! The writing style is cute and quirky. I think I finished this in one marathon reading session - it's that good. A sweet story and a happy ending peppered with lots of fun characters - this one gets my vote. :)

Susan Meissner is fabulous at creating lovable, albeit flawed, characters (which, honestly, just makes me love them that much more!). When I read this book I remember that characters, like people, need to be real. They need goals, lives, friends, failures and vices.

And finally, A Ship Possessed, by Alton Gansky.

There aren't a lot of books that can scare me to death every time I read them, but this is definitely one of them. Alton Gansky writes plot-driven fiction so well that I always cringe whenever I think of my nearly plot-less books. If you want a great read (keep the lights on), then definitely check out this book!

Alton Gansky is so good at plotting. And it shows in his work. This is one of those books that you have to read once to find out the ending and then read again to find out how he wrote it. Note the transitions. He's excellent with plot transitions!

So, why are these favorites important to our writing? Because finding out why you like a particular book is probably going to be more useful than half a dozen writing classes. If you can read a book, love it and go back through it to nail down the reason why, you are teaching yourself writing as you go. Alton Gansky pushes me to write better plots. Susan Meissner makes me remember to flesh-out my characters. And Francine Rivers reminds me that there is a poetry and a rhythm to a story that can't be read as much as felt.

Good reading inspires good writing.

Now it's your turn! What are your favorite books? And why? :)

Have a fun day!

Erynn :)