Monday, September 21, 2009

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 :)

6 comments:

  1. Ooooo! This is so hard but I'll give it a go.

    Just Between You and Me by Jenny B Jones ~ fresh, challenging and romantic!

    Double Cross by James David Jordan ~ unique characterisation of a woman by a bloke. I really enjoy books written by men, they have a different perspective. Great suspense, too!

    Stretch Marks by Kimberley Stuart ~ written with great integrity and honesty about a topic rarely touched in CF.

    I totally agree on Francine's Mark of the Lion series, too :)

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  2. This is 100% off topic, but who are ya'll's agents? Just curious?

    And since I am posting here, I will go ahead and say that the Mark of the Lion series is by far my favorite series!!

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  3. Wow, you're right, that is hard. At the moment a few of my favorites are probably 'Mere Christianity', 'Atlas Shrugged', and 'The Daughter of Time'.

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  4. My #1 favorite book is Marcia Schuyler by Grace Livingston Hill. Grace had such a delicate beauty about her words, her description often reads like poetry.

    Robin Jones Gunn is my favorite living author. Her characters are so down-to-earth and humorous, you can't help but feel like they're close friends. She also inserts quite a bit if lyricism and insight into her stories, like little nuggets you collect along the way and hold onto long after.

    For Historical Fiction, Liz Curtis Higgs is a master at her craft. Grace in Thine Eyes was my favorite of hers so far.

    And nobody does Suspense quite like Dee Henderson!

    Erynn, your writing reminds me of Robin's. :o) You're pretty high up there in my book. And though I haven't had the pleasure of reading the rest of you ladies wonderful works, I hope to very soon!

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  5. Oh, I love these because it's giving me lots more ideas for reading!!

    Rel - awesome call on Jenny and Kimberly. I haven't read James David Jordan yet, but I'll be sure to check him out!

    Jordan - That's okay, we accept all off-topic questions! :) My agent is Steve Laube.

    Abby - I need to get busy reading. ;)

    Christiana - first off, thank you!! You are too sweet. :) And I completely agree on Robin, Liz and Dee - awesome books (and I haven't met Dee yet, but Robin and Liz are about as sweet and real as they come!). I haven't read Grace Livingston Hill, but I'll add it to my list!

    Yay! New books to read! :)

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  6. I've been working my way through Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers also! Great books!! Two thumbs up for sure. What a writer eh? :)

    Lauren Holbrook Series-Erynn Mangum :D

    Fancy Pants-Cathy Marie Hake

    Petticoat Ranch-Mary Connealy

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