I love to read. I’ve always loved to read. I can’t remember a time I didn’t have a book next to my bed and beside my chair in the living room. My whole family loves to read. We were raised as readers and I’m thankful my mom made sure it was part of our lives. I was a teenager when Agatha Christie came into my life since she was a favorite my mom’s. (http://www.agathachristie.com/) Mom would wait until you were about half way through a book then come ask if you’d figured out who the murderer was yet. I never did know until almost the last page, but her question taught me to pay close attention to clues.

It’s amazing how many red herrings Christie (and other mystery writers) throw into the mix, just to keep readers guessing. If you are not familiar with the term “red herring,” here’s what Wikipedia has to say, “A red herring is something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important issue. It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences towards a false conclusion. A red herring might be intentionally used, such as in mystery fiction or as part of rhetorical strategies (e.g. in politics), or it could be inadvertently used during argumentation.

Another favorite author was DL Sayers who wrote the Lord Peter Wimsey books. I was in love with Lord Peter for most of my teen years. He was witty, had PTSD, and was wealthy.

Jim Butcher is a recent favorite. I’ve been reading his books for about ten years. I was hooked immediately as I met Harry Dresden, wizard detective. The fun and fantasy are a great combo. Harry introduced me to parallel worlds of beings from fairies who work for pizza to the queens who rule both winter and summer. Nothing is as the reader would imagine as we learn. The rules in a wizard’s world are bizarre and most untrustworthy.

Tell me about your favorite authors! Who are they and why do you like them? I find it makes for an interesting discussion when we talk about our favorites.