Koontz is King

To finish up my favorite authors, Dean Koontz is the guy. He been writing books for decades, and never, not once, have I read a book of his that I didn't love. Every word he puts to paper is worthy of reading, and his stories grab ahold of you from beginning to end. Like my other favorites, Anne MacCaffrey and Jill Barnett, Mr. Koontz has staying power. His writing has changed over the years, getting better and better, and he knows what a reader wants.

Mr. Koontz writes suspense novel that can fall into several genres, including comic suspense, spiritual suspense, romantic suspense, tales of terror, and even dog stories. He's written nearly 100 books, and each are unique and interesting. A few of my favorite are:

Odd Thomas. Odd Thomas is one of the most endearing, loveable, and likeable characters I've ever read. There are four book in the series so far, not counting Dean Koontz first graphic novel, In Odd We Trust. They are Odd Thomas, Forever Odd, Brother Odd, and the newest, Odd Hours. Odd Thomas and Brother Odd are my favorites. Odd is born with the ability to see dead people. He can see them, but they can't speak, so understanding what they want isn't always simple. But Odd would love nothing more than a simple life. He's a short-order cook in Pico Mundo, very good at his job, and loves his girlfriend Stormy. But when disaster is about to his Pico Mundo, it's up to Odd to save the day, the town, and the girl. The book is set over a two day period, and you feel as if you live ever minutes of those two days with Odd. This book is funny, intriguing, scary, thoughtful, uplifting, and simply well written. The characters, the plot, the setting, everything in it is compelling. Oh, and he sees Elvis, totally cool. In Forever Odd, Odd is back, this time to save a childhood friend. The thing about this guy is he could be anyone you pass on the street. He's not a super hero, he has a normal if not mundane job, and he's as normal an every-day-Joe as there is, except for the seeing dead people that is. That's why what he does comes across as so spectacular, because you think, I wish if anything like this ever happens to me, I'd be able to react as well as Odd does. In Brother Odd, Odd has retreated to St. Bartholomew's Abby to get away from the world for awhile, to find peace. This time there is a killer loose, and with a snow storm hit, an Abby full of disabled children, monks and nuns who aren't all what they appear to be, and other guests that are as mysterious as Odd himself is, Odd will have his hands full. But with Boo, the white dog, and Elvis by his side, Odd will find a way to prevail... maybe. Odd Hours, is the fourth in the series, and this time Odd has moved on to a new town. He's got Boo with him, and a new friend who is just as cool as Elvis, and this time it's not just the town who needs Odd to save them, it's the entire country. Every book in this series is pure gold, please, don't miss a one of them.

Another of my favorites is Dean Koontz Frankenstein: Prodigal Son. So far there are two, but they are set in New Orleans, and after Hurricane Katrina, I think it was hard for Mr. Koontz to continue the story without including the events, but he would want to do it in a respectful way. I'm hoping that as time passes, the time will come for his to continue the series, because it is truly one of the most compelling series ever. In Prodigal Son, Deucalion comes to New Orleans to stop a killer. Det. Carson O'Conner (one of the best female detective ever written) is investigating a murder and ends up crossing paths with Deucalion (I love that name!). Then there is Victor Helios, the former Victor Frankenstein, who is perfecting his 'people building' skills. This book is dazzling. In Frankenstein II: City of the Night Victor Helios's creations are mis-firing and not even he can control them any longer. So now Deucalion (still love that name) not only has his former master to confront, but he must find and destroy a monster unlike anything thing world has ever seen. Det. Carson O'Conner and her partner Michael are back, and her autistic brother. This book leaves you hanging, because like I said, there were supposed to be more. Hopefully there will be soon. He has done a new comic, or graphic novel, based on his Frankenstein series. I've not checked it out yet, but the pictures of it are very cool.

Mr. Koontz has for too many other books I love for me to break them all down here. Just trust me when I say this man is worth reading. I think he's better than Stephen King, and that's saying something. If you've not read a Dean Koontz book, you should. If you don't believe me, just check out the rave reviews for him. And don't hold some of the movies based on his books against him. Some of them came out okay, but most of them were changed so much that only the title and the characters names stayed the same: ex. Watchers. His books are so much better than any movie could ever do them credit anyway.


Sites to check out:
http://www.deankoontz.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Koontz
http://www.dkoontz.com/fanclub/indexd.htm
http://veinotte.com/koontz/
http://www.oddthomas.tv/
http://www.myspace.com/deankoontzoddthomas
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Odd-Thomas-Dean-Koontz/12484641431
http://www.deankoontz.com/forums/
http://www.dkoontz.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=26 (reviews of books)
http://dkoontz.com/aspforum/display_forum.asp?fid=14

Today, 8-6-08

Nathaniel finally got his We're Back; a Dinosaur's Story in the mail, and he's watched it daily, over and over... but that's okay, because he really loves it, and he's singing with the songs and acting out parts of the movie. He then moved on to Cats Don't Dance, which we found at Netflix. He watched it a few days and was ready to send it back when he found Balto, which will hopefully be here tomorrow (also via Netflix).

We had to take Nathaniel to the doctor this past weekend, with stomach problems, but he's doing a lot better, back on track. For a few days there, he wasn't eating and wasn't moving around a lot. For the past couple of days, he goes out on the porch with me in the evening, after it's cooled off some, and walks on the treadmill. Well, he walks for awhile, then he wants to put his stuffed animals on it and watch them fly off the back end. But he's getting a little more exercise, which is good.

It looks like the school is finally going to let him and Hillary ride a bus. We'll have to meet it half way, but at least that cuts the trip in half, which will help, especially on the days I don't sub and I have to make two trips (one to take them to school and one to pick them up). It's a pretty sad time when you may have to switch what school your children go to because of gas prices.

Hillary got in her copy of the new Stephenie Meyer book Breaking Dawn, and she loved it. I've not read any of the Twilight series, but she loves them, as much if not more than she did Harry Potter. She said some people were disappointed with the new novel, but she was tickled with it. It's a huge book, but she got through it fairly quickly, and is now re-reading it for her favorite parts. She said the next book may be Midnight Sun, which is Twilight, but from Edward's point of view. The stories are first person, all from Bella's point of view.

That's about it. Summers are pretty boring around here. Watching TV out here at moms, getting online every now and then, cleaning house, mowing the yard, taking care of the pets... that's about all we do. Once school starts back it'll pick up a bit... we can add driving to and from school to that list.

Jill Barnett- An Amazing American Author...

Another of my all-time favorite authors is Jill Barnett. Mrs. Barnett has written several historical romances, but she has two wonderful contemporary fiction novels as well. I know, people hear 'historical romance' and think, oh, here we go.... bosoms heaving and lips quivering.... but you know what... I like a good bosom heave every now and then. But with Mrs. Barnett's books, it's not like that. She one of the most talented authors I've ever read. Her books are not just well written but are heartwarming, and funny, and her characters become real as you read them.

The first book of hers I read was Carried Away, and I loved it. I went back to the book store, but had forgot to write down the name of the author. I described the book briefly, and the lady said, "That sounds like one of Jill's books. Funny, great heroes, love scenes to die for? Try Jill Barnett." I bought all of the books they had of hers at the time, read them one after another, and loved them. That was over a decade ago. At the time, we didn't have Internet, so I was stuck waiting to see what books of hers our local used book store got in stock. But then we got the Internet, and I discovered Amazon and half.com, so I got to load up on all her earlier books.

The books I loved the most were Just a Kiss Away, with Lollie LaRue and Sam, a more unlikely couple couldn't be found, or a more likeable heroine. Lollie is the quintessential Southern Belle, and Sam is the slum-kid turned soldier of fortune. This is one of those books where I laughed out loud as I read it, and I've re-read it several times over the years.
Also, the W trilogy, Wonderful, Wild, and Wicked, which isn't exactly a trilogy. What I mean is, you don't have to read all three to enjoy them, they each stand on their own, it's more a link of characters than anything, and they are all three magnificent, so if you read one you'll end up wanting to read the others.
And of course Bewitching and Dreaming. Bewitching gives witches a whole new outlook. Dreaming was the first books that made me cry so hard that I had to put it down for a moment, and I had been so involved in the book that when I put it down I was actually surprised to see I was sitting in my own home. It had grabbed ahold and pulled me right into the pages, and of course Richard is one of the best heroes to ever find his way onto a page.

I have read every book Mrs. Barnett has written, and I have not found one I didn't love, or one I didn't hold on to so I could re-read it again later. Even if you think you are above historical romances (you know who you are), give one of Jill Barnett's books a shot. You'll be hooked.

Here is a reading list of Jill Barnett's novels:

Historical Romance
Wonderful
Wild
Wicked
Carried Away
Imagine
Bewitching
Dreaming
Just a Kiss Away
Surrender a Dream
The Heart's Haven

Anthologies
A Season in the Highlands
That Summer Place
A Stockingful of Joy
A Midsummer Nights Madness
A Holiday of Love

Contemporary Novels
Sentimental Journey
The Days of Summer


Some sites about Jill Barnett and her books:
www.jillbarnett.com
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/jill-barnett/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Barnett
http://www.likesbooks.com/int5.html : an interview with Jill Barnett



P.S. :For those of you who enjoy a good romance novel, but use a book cover so people won't be staring at the cover and thinking "Ah ha, she likes to read about you-know-what", don't let anyone judge you or make you feel ashamed of your reading choices. Everyone has different tastes in food, colors, styles of clothes, and none are any 'better' than the next (except for 60 year old women in mini-skirts and halter tops, that's just not right). So, if you love Historical Romances, be proud, show that book cover, cleavage and muscles and all.
Reading doesn't have to just be about learning. It's also about taking you out of your life and depositing you in another, even if only for a few hours or minutes at a time. The world you choose to get lost in is your business, and whether it's a true to life biography or a historical romantic comedy, whether it's Shakespeare or Stephen King, whether it's 1600's England or the planet Pern, it's your right to enjoy whatever you want without anyone passing judgement.

Dragons, dragons

Hello. One of my all time favorite authors is Anne McCaffrey. I have been reading her books for over 25 years now. She wrote the Dragonriders of Pern series, and I first read 'Dragonflight' when I was in high school. My uncle gave it to me to read, and I fell in love with it. 'Dragonquest' and 'The White Dragon' followed, and I have read these books too many times to count over the years. These books are more than simply sci/fi/fantasy. It's her writing that makes them so special. Even if you take away the intriguing plots and the captivating characters, you still have the bones of great writing, which is why Mrs. McCaffrey is an author that's been able to stand the test of time. She has been a top-selling author for more than 40 years now, with nearly 100 books to her credit. This is why I believe Mrs. McCaffrey's books should be taught in literature classes at the high school and college level.

In the Dragonriders of Pern series, humans have settled on the planet Pern. They do not realize that the sister planet, the Red Star, swings in an orbit that brings it close enough to Pern every 200 years for thread to break away and fall to Pern. It burns and destroys everything it touches. The settlers take a local life-form, called dragons become of their resemblance to the creatures in earth folklore, and they genetically enhance them to allow riders to fly on them and fight thread in the air.

Over time, they care cut off from their home world of earth and their technology begins to break down and become useless, so they end up going from a technologically advanced society, to more of what we would think of as middle-ages or medieval times. Since dragonriders are busy saving the planet, they can't provide their own daily needs, like food, drink, clothing, etc. So the worlds Holds (like small countries) tithe to the Weyrs where the dragons live, in exchange for their protection from thread. But every few millennia there is a gap, a time where the Red Star doesn't come close enough for thread to fall. It's during one of these long periods that people begin to see the threat of thread as a folklore, or a story made up to scare the Holds into providing for the Weyrs.

At Bendon Weyr, the only place where dragons still live, their numbers have dwindled. The last Queen dragon has laid a clutch of eggs and then died. There is one golden egg, so one shot at a new Queen to give birth to the new generations of dragons, otherwise they will die out all together. The riders ride on search, to find a female to impress the new Queen. That's where the story starts.

I love these books because Mrs. McCaffrey brought this world to life. The dragons are ranked by color, which also correlates to their size. The biggest are Gold (females, Queens, the only to lay eggs), Bronzes (males, the only to mate Queens), Browns (male), Blues (male), and Greens (female, but because they chew firestone to fight thread they are barren). A human impresses a dragon at it's hatching, bonding to them telepathically and emotionally. It's this bond between dragon and rider that is so compelling. And dragons can go between to any place on the planet instantly.

This is a world with dragons, bards, warriors, kings and queens, chivalry, romance, tragedy... it's a place you want to visit time and time again. There are about 17 books set on Pern (not counting the two compliations and the related Pern works), most are about dragonriders, but some are the Harper Hall series. They are all magnificent.

Mrs. McCaffrey doesn't just write about dragons though. She has a score of other series, some of which I've only recently discovered, such as her 'Dinosaur Planet' series, which I intend to start reading soon. She also has written:
Acorna Series
Brain & Brawn Ship Series
Crystal Singer Series
Dinosaur Planet Series
Doona Series
Petaybee Series
Talent Series
The Coelura Series
Tower and Hive Series
And several non-series books, including many romances

Her website lists nearly 100 of her books. If you've not read an Anne McCaffrey book, please give one a try. Even if you're not a fan of sci/fi/fantasy, she may be just the author to bring you around :)

Here are some links to some sites about Anne McCaffrey, the Dragonriders of Pern, and some with reviews of Mrs. McCaffrey's books

http://www.pern.nl/
http://www.annemccaffreyfans.org/
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/anne-mccaffrey/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonriders_of_Pern
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_McCaffrey
http://pern.srellim.org/
http://mccaffrey.srellim.org/
http://www.amazon.com/Dragonriders-Pern-Anne-McCaffrey/dp/0345340248