Group Post: Author You've Read the Most Books From

For the next 26 weeks, we're focusing our group posts on the "A-Z Bookish Survey," created by Jamie of The Perpetual Page Turner.

So, let's start at that very fine place to start, the beginning with "A" and the author you've read the most books from?

35 by Edgar Rice Burrows followed by a hefty amount of Stephen King and Tom Clancy.

35 by Stephen King, followed by 14 by Rick Riordan, 9 by Brandon Sanderson

35 by Lynn Kurland

I'm not even sure to count it but about 100 Nancy Drew books Carolyn Keane, followed by 33 L.M. Montgomery

About 63 books by Ann M. Martin

I'm definitely an Ann M. Martin too! I used to read a book day over the summers in Jr/Sr. High School

Until Jessica and Nancy told me their responses, I was overlooking the obvious choice in Ann M. Martin as well.  I own over 150 of her Baby Sitter's Club books and well over 200 Sweet Valley High/University by the the various ghostwriters using the pseudonym Francine Pascal.   If we're discounting pseudonyms, I've read 26 Michael Connelly novels.

But what about you?  Comment below with the author, you've read the most books from and let's keep the conversation going!

Staff Picks: Father's Day Edition

Father's Day is tomorrow and if you still haven't gotten shopping, we have some last minute ideas for you to look for in your favorite local bookstore.

Rachel is getting her dad, "Joyland," by Stephen King.  She traditionally gets him King's latest every year and his new crime novel is sure to please both King fans and non.




 Rebecca always gets her pops a Ted Dekker novel. He's "a great author for books with a weird twist. Many of his books have a thriller aspect to them and there's often some sort of spiritual element as well."  Dekker has many novels to choose from but Mr. T's favorites are "Three," "House," and "Blink of an Eye." 

Jess P.'s pick will be a bit harder to track down for your dad.  "Spanning the World," by Len Bernman, a witty sportcaster for ABC7 is out of print but is available as an e-book.  So, if your dad has a reader, you can download it for him or perhaps consider getting him a giftcard to your favorite bookstore where he can select books of his own choice.

My dad loves history books, I'd recommend anything by Pulitzer Prize winner, David McCullough such as "John Adams."  He's also become a John Grisham fan lately, and his best-selling novels like "The Racketeer," would make a great gift.

Happy Gifting, Happy Reading and Happy Father's Day!!

Laydown Lowdown

It's the first Tuesday in June and it's certainly busting out all over with new reads!! There are tons of new titles to choose from this week.

Some of the highlights in Mystery/Thriller include "Stolen," the 6th "Lucy Kincaid" novel by Allison Brennan, "The Kill Room," the 10th "Lincoln Rhyme" caper by Jeffrey Deaver and "A Serpent's Tooth," the 9th "Walk Longmire," tale by Craig Johnson.  

Other new releases include "Joyland," Stephen King's ode to classic pulpy mysteries plus "Lost," by S.J. Bolton, "Bloody Relations" by Don Gutteridge and "A Serpent's Tooth," by Craig Johnson.

Meanwhile, over in Romance, Sylvia Day wraps up her "Crossfire" trilogy with "Entwined With You."  "Wicked Memories," by Nina Bangs, "One Sweet Ride," by Jaci Burton, "Faking It," by Cora Carmack, and "Captive," by K.M. Fawcett also heat up store shelves today.

Richelle Mead, author of the best-selling Young Adult series, "Vampire Academy," releases her first novel specifically for adult's today with "Gameboard of the Gods."  "Darkness Unmasked," by Keri Arthur, "The Shining Girls," by Lauren Beukes, and "Earth Afire," by Orson Scott Card also make their debut in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section today.

Best-selling author Sarah Dessen's latest contemporary Young Adult novel, "The Moon and More," is released today along with "You Look Different in Real Life," by Jennifer Castle, "Stormbringers," by Phillipa Gregory, "Rules of Summer," by Joanna Philbin and "Pretty Little Liars: Crushed," by Sara Shepard.

What books will make your "to-read" list?  I was fortunate enough to meet Richelle Mead at Book Expo America this week so please check back soon for my review of "Gameboard of the Gods."  Until then, Happy Reading and remember to support your local bookstores whenever possible.

The Dead Pull the Dead Down

Hello friends!
 It has been a while since I have posted anything, mostly because it's been a while since I've read a book that has made me want to review it. Since I finished The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, I've been having a hard time finding a book that could hook me just as easily. But alas! I have found Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill to be a gripping and intense ride (on the nightroad ;]).

This is a story about a retired famous rock star, Judas Coyne, who is obsessed with all things macabre. He is ultimately tricked into buying a ghost on the internet, and said ghost haunts Coyne and those who are close to him with a vengeance. 

Normally this type of book is not my cup of tea. I prefer wizards and magic and mythical creatures and tend to shy away from modern ghost stories or thrillers. However, once glance at the back of this book and I knew I had to read it. Why, you might ask?

Because this dude is obviously related to Stephen King! I have been an avid Stephen King reader since I was 12 years old and I had to see what Mr. Hill was made of after I found out that he is indeed Stephen's Kings son. I compared his three novels back when they were sitting on Border's book shelves, and decided to read Horns first.
 
Horns tells the story of Ignatius Perrish, a man who wakes up on the morning after the anniversary of his girlfriend's death with a terrible headache and a lovely set of horns protruding from his head. Iggy soon realizes that a great power accompanies the appearance of these horns, and he uses said power to solve the mystery of his girlfriend's untimely death.
I loved this book because it contained the macabre humor of King's books, but was refreshingly original and terrifying all at the same time.

This is also the reason I loved Heart-Shaped Box so much. This book made me laugh. This book made me cry. This book made me hide under the covers and leave the light on all night. It has been a long time since a book has made me check behind the shower curtain when I go into the bathroom or make sure my closet doors are firmly shut. The ghost, Craddock, is one of the most deliciously terrifying antagonists I've read in a long time. I guess it's because ghosts don't have to follow any rules and I felt Jude's helplessness while trying to find a solution to his ghost problem. This story is also filled with innumerable twist and turns. This left me in a pickle because I wanted to read it every night before I went to bed, but I knew that I would just end up paranoid with my heart beating loud enough to wake my whole house up. Therefore, I had to confine my reading to the daylit hours only, but I still devoured this book within a few days.

So if you are a Stephen King fan, a fan of thrillers, ghost stories, the occult, or if you're just looking for something new and fast-paced, this is the book for you. If you enjoy it I strongly encourage you to pick up Horns as well. Hill also has a collection of short stories called 20th Century Ghosts that I can't wait to sink my brain into.

Also, just a little tidbit for any King fans out there: King revised the ending of his latest novel, 11/22/63, after discussing it with his son first. So you know he's good.

Until next time,
rachelyons