A to Z ~ Reflections

I made it through all of the letters this time around and without changing my theme!  It was so nice to meet new people and visit new blogs!

I was taught something new by Sue at The Great Raven.  Thanks to Sue, I now have a Followers gadget on my blog!!

I found so many great themes and posts.  My A to Z went from April Fools' Day to Zicree, with every post somehow related to books.  I think my favorite post was K ~ King.  Stephen King is just amazing!  I also really enjoyed writing O ~ One Thing.  I liked how free I felt, writing about something that means so much to me, rather than just reviewing a book or an author.

For anyone questioning whether this blogging challenge works, it does.  I usually get about 480 visitors per month, which is fine because I really just blog about books because I love doing it.  In April, it was 1,584 -- over THREE TIMES the number.  I also have six followers, which is six more than I had a month ago.  It was a wild ride.  I am glad I finished.  I'll look forward to next year.

Z ~ Zicree

Marc Zicree is yet another author I discovered quite by accident at the Friends of the Library book sale.  Yes, I have been very lucky with my used books from that source.  His Magic Time trilogy was magical.

I loved all three books.  You can read my reviews here:  Magic Time, Angelfire and Ghostlands.  I really only bought them because of the artwork (I'm a sucker for great cover art) and because the author's name started with that impossible-to-find letter Z, but I ended up finding out that they contained an original story that I loved.

Look for them.  Try the Friends of the Library book sale.  Or Amazon.  Or your local library.  They're worth finding.

Y ~ Yarrow

Charles de Lint is one of my favorite fantasy authors.  His Newford series is (as usual) very long and completely wonderful.  Yarrow starts with Y and is pretty much everything I ask for in a fantasy novel.  I remember thinking I'd never love another of his books as much as his The Riddle of the Wren, but I was wrong.  Mr. de Lint has an endless ability to write books I love.

It was a keeper, but somehow has been lost in one of my many moves.  I wish I still had it and hope one day to find another copy.

X ~ An Xt Called Stanley

An Xt Called Stanley by Robert Trebor is one of those books I love because it surprised me.  I found it, with it's interesting artwork and intriguing synopsis, at yet another Friends of the Library book sale.  When you get a book you've never heard of by an author you've never heard of for a quarter, you hope for the best and prepare to be disappointed.

This book was such a great example of classic science fiction.  I read it almost ten years ago now and still remember it with fondness.  I don't imagine it's easy to find but if you find a copy, grab it.  You will be glad you did.

W ~ Without Remorse

Without Remorse by Tom Clancy is part of the Jack Ryan universe.  This series includes so many great thrillers:  The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, The Sum of All Fears, and Executive Orders, just to name a few.

Many of them have been made into movies.  Harrison Ford has played Jack Ryan.  Sean Connery was in the movie version of The Hunt for Red October.  These are seriously some of the best political thrillers ever.

Sure, there are twenty-two novels in the series, some of which I haven't read yet, but I've yet to be disappointed and I do love a good, long series.  They are everything good thrillers should be.

V ~ Van Scyoc

Sydney Van Scyoc writes some of the most enchanting science fiction out there.  I've read nearly all of her stories and they are so very good.

I loved her series Sunstone Scrolls best of all.  It's one of my keepers and that is saying something.  I currently have 225 books, most never read, so keeping something I've read means I know I'll read it again some day.  If you love really good science fiction and haven't tried this author, you're missing out!

U ~ Untamed

Untamed by A. G. Howard is the companion novel to the absolutely wonderful Splintered series.  It is partially a rather disturbing re-telling of Alice in Wonderland and I didn't expect to love this young adult series half as much as I actually did.

The first book, Splintered, was a bit of a trial for me, but the rest were much better.  If you can get past a bit of teen angst and love a little dark, twisted fantasy, I highly recommend this series!

T ~ The Deathlands

The Deathlands series is serial science fiction.  James Axler is a name used by the publisher and there have been several authors behind the books.  It's a look at a future of what Earth could become in the wake of nuclear war.  These books are the definition of dystopia.  They're full of guns, violence, sex and gore.  They show the best and the worst of humanity.  And they are usually just so darn much fun to read.

I've read a grand total of 119 of these books.  I have five more on my TBR list.  There are two more that I don't have yet.  Then, my 16-year love affair is over.  The publisher cancelled the series back in 2015.  I was devastated and wrote a farewell post.

I'm purposefully saving these last few books.  I can hardly stand to think that someday soon I'll be done with them forever.

S ~ Stewart

Mary Stewart wrote what is, to date, my very favorite King Arthur series.  I love the idea of the sword in the stone, the magician, and the round table.  I've read dozens of books about King Arthur and Merlin.  None of them compare to this set of five books.

The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment, The Wicked Day, and The Prince and the Pilgrim were all just wonderful.  I gave them rave reviews (and several perfect 10's).  They are the one set of books that I gave away that I wish I never had.  I will have to replace them one day.

I want to read them again.

R ~ Redwall

The Redwall series by Brian Jacques is a wonderful group of stories.  All twenty-two books are about a world filled with animals that talk.  They are fantasy books written for ages ten and up, but I read them all as an adult and loved them.

I wasn't blogging back then, so no reviews, but they are so worth the time!  I know that 22 books is quite an undertaking, but you won't regret giving these stories a try.

They are magical.

Q ~ Quests

There's really nothing I love better than a great fantasy story, complete with knights, dragons and elves.  A great quest is usually required.  Whether it is for a ring or whether it is to defeat an evil creature, it doesn't matter to me.

I love the sweeping drama, romance and scares.  I love the fact that the fate of the whole, entire world rests with a few unlikely heroes.  I just love a good quest.

My favorite quests have been found in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson and The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, although The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is a very close second.

P ~ The Passage

The Passage by Justin Cronin is a really great story.  It was recommended to me in the tiny, little library in Melrose, Florida.  That library had the most wonderful of things -- a rack of books you could take for free and keep.  You just had to bring books you were done with to trade for the books you took.

The librarian, who I can picture clearly in my mind but whose name I've forgotten in intervening years, saw that the books I brought and the books I took were almost all either Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror.  She loved The Passage and told me about it one day.  I'm so very glad she did.  It was wonderful and scary.

O ~ One Thing

The One Thing I love the most.  Yes, of course, I love books (and dogs, and games, and many other things).  But the thing I love best I love because of my books -- my bookshelves.  It's where all my old friends and my (hopefully) soon-to-be new friends hang out.

When I move, the bookshelf is last thing packed and the first thing unpacked.  I keep my books in alphabetical order by author and then by title.  I've used stacked milk crates.  I've had bookshelves built out of used cardboard boxes and tape which I considered a real triumph of ingenuity (see photo!).

Currently, I have what I would call a 'fancy shelf'.  I purchased it at Walmart and I put together myself with a screwdriver, a hammer, and some curse words.  Sure, the books are double-stacked but I always know where to find the next one I plan to read and, when you have as many books as I do, that's pretty important!

N ~ The Novice

The Novice by Trudi Canavan is the second book in the Black Magician trilogy.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  It was a new author to me.  I love fantasy, but know (unfortunately) that there is plenty of mediocre fantasy out there.

This series was really good.  It's easy to lose yourself in these stories.  I read this trilogy back in 2011 and it still sticks in my mind as a really wonderful set of books.  I gave them all a solid 8/10 or better.  

The Magicians' Guild (book 1) and The High Lord (book 3) are both equally memorable.  Give this series a try.  I can't imagine it will disappoint you.

M ~ McCaffrey

Anne McCaffrey wrote dozens and dozens of books.  She is best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series, but she has written many other fascinating science fiction / fantasy novels.

I've read 47 of her novels and have another ten I haven't read yet.  There are a few more on my wish list.  After that, all that are left are her few novels involving cats, which I doubt I'll read.  Ms. McCaffrey passed away and there won't be any more.

Her son, Todd, is continuing her Dragonriders books and they are good, but he doesn't quite have his mother's talent.

I'm so glad that about 10 years ago, I wrote away for a bookplate hand-signed by Anne McCaffrey.  She sent me two.  They are treasures to me and I haven't put them in a book yet.  They are still in the envelope they came in, all the way from the Ireland.

L ~ Little House on the Prairie

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, along with the other 8 books in the series, were some of my very favorites when I was young.  This picture looks exactly like my copy did (although mine was not in very good shape, having been read over and over by my much younger self).

I was also a great fan of the TV series based on these books starring Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon.

These stories were of a gentler and perhaps, in some ways, better time.  There were still unkind people and still things to be afraid of, but Pa and Ma were always there to take care of the family.  My set of books were given away or sold at a yard sale decades ago.  I'd like to find another set.  I believe I'd still be enchanted.  Definitely worth reading, even if you don't have children.

K ~ King

Stephen King is one of the most prolific and well-loved authors ever.  I've read a whopping 62 books written by him.  Some of them were short story collections and some had more than one novel in them, so if I was to count stories...well, the number would be even higher.  This number also doesn't count the number of times I've re-read the same book because I loved it so much.  I have another half-dozen yet to read (which doesn't include the ones he's written that I don't have yet!).  And, he's not done.  Of this, I am sure.

From Carrie (1974) to Sleeping Beauties (2017), from The Stand to the Dark Tower series, this man has earned the title The King of Horror, although I think he's actually The King of Story-Telling myself.  So many of his books have been made into movies (or mini-series), it's incredible.

My favorite books remain the Dark Tower series (which I'm currently re-reading) and The Stand, which is also my favorite of his film adaptations, although the movie made from The Shining with Jack Nicholson and The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are very close seconds.

He is and has been for as long as I can remember the one person I'd like most to meet.

J ~ Jordan

Robert Jordan has written one of the better fantasy sagas out there.  His Wheel of Time series is just plain wonderful.  Swashbuckling adventure and a quest to save the world.  What more could you ask for?

Unfortunately Mr. Jordan died before finishing his epic.  He left behind copious notes and tape recordings, thankfully.  Another very fine author, Brandon Sanderson, took up where he left off and finished the story.

There are a total of 14 books (and 3 novellas, two of which I've skipped) in the set and none of the novels are short.  You could build a house with these books!  It's a huge investment of time, but so well worth it.  I have the last three waiting for me and I just can't wait until I finally find out how it all ends.

I ~ Intruder

The Foreigner series by C. J. Cherryh is one of the two science fiction series I consider 'keepers'.  Intruder is the 13th book and, while there are other books in this series that start with 'I', this is the only one that starts with 'I' that I've actually reviewed.  I lost most of my collection a few years ago and am trying to get them all back, but it's hard when there are currently 17 books and I only have six.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this saga.  Bren, Banichi, and Jago are such wonderful characters -- as are all of the characters in these books.  The world of the atevi is incredible.

My goal is to get all the books again and start from the very beginning... and review them all.  I know I will love them all as much as I did the first time around.

H ~ Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling and the movie franchise based on these young adult novels are among some of my very favorites.

I've read them all (twice!).  I've watched the movies twice through and probably will again.  They are magical, fun, exciting, scary and just so wonderful.

They may be considered young adult, but they are timeless and ageless.  I loved them.