Reading is the Wine of Life!

I like to read historical fiction. If they taught history like this in high school I think I would have had all A's.

Diana Gabaldon is one of my favorite authors. She wrote the Outlander series and what a series it is! Its about a 20th century woman going back in time to 18th century Scotland. It has adventure, romance, intrigue...you name it, she's got it in there. The series is five books long plus additional books about the characters. Give it a try! You'll be hooked!

I love reading about the Renaissance era - Tudor, Queen Elizabeth. My favorite author for this era is Philippa Gregory. She writes about the Tudor family from every perspective. The wives, the mistresses, the King's Fool. She also writes about later eras (King George) and is very descriptive and detailed about the characters. Again, gripping and a series you won't put down!

I'm not always stuck with historical fiction though. There are two books by Wally Lamb "I Know This Much is True" and "She's Come Undone" that tackle the issue of mental illness and how it affects those around the characters. It's not clinical or dreary but tells heartfelt stories of how mental illness really changes the way the afflicted person and their family views the world.

I'm now reading Ken Follets sequel to "Pillars of the Earth" called "World Without End". This is the continuation of the story of folks in Kingsbridge England back in the 12th and 14th centuries and shows how little politics, wars and family intrigue have changed in the past 900 years.

My biggest "surprise" read was Wicked. This much acclaimed book is a new take on the Wicked Witch of the West in Wizard of Oz. Now, I don't know much about the author but to come up with a story that makes the fairy tale look almost comical is amazing. Its a very cerebral book in my opinion and how they ever made a play out of it and manage to keep the audience's attention is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, the book is fantastic but the parallels between it and what is going on in our world today do not make for a gripping stage play. But, I haven't seen the play so if you have, let me know what you thought of it. I read "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" before I read "Wicked" and should have known what I was in for but I must "confess", I was surprised!

So, now you know what I'm reading and if you have any suggestions on books I ought to take a look at I'd love to hear them! Happy reading all!