Today's List

Hmmm...what to list about, what to list about.... A List of My 10 Favorite Authors (in no particular order, except #1)

1. James Frey*
2. Ken Follett
3. Donald Westlake
4. Lorna Landvic
5. Olivia Goldsmith
6. Jodi Picoult
7. Will Ferguson
8. Janet Evanovich
9. Peter Walsh (non-fiction)
10. Brian Tracy (Eat that Frog - non-fiction)

I can't imagine the regrets that James Frey must have over the whole non-fiction / fiction / biography debacle brought to light on the (gag-me) Oprah Show. I have stated in my blog before (and in several other Internet forums and formats) that it doesn't matter to me whether his book is on the fiction shelf or the non-fiction shelf at the local book store... what truly matters is that this man is a literary genius in my book. His style of writing is SO different and SO emotional and draws you in to his story and his characters as no other author I've ever read. It actually pains me to think that his work is automatically put on some narrow-minded people's "don't read" list simply because he showed poor judgment in not telling the truth about the origins of the story. Who cares?!? His writing speaks for itself. He's just coming out with a new title (located in the fiction department), Bright Shiny Morning, and I have pre-ordered it from Amazon, though it won't arrive until mid-May. Worth the wait, I'm sure!

Donald Westlake - If you haven't read Donald Westlake (or even better, listened to the audio books), you're really missing some great belly laughs. His Dortmunder series are some of the funniest books I've ever read. A group of bungling burglers have one adventure after another, never with the end results they want or your expect. The audio books really bring the characters to life and are a great way for the entire family to enjoy a car trip together. If you like Janet Evanovich's series, you'll love Donald Westlake.

Will Ferguson - Oh my - what a great book. The title is Happiness and boy, will this book make you think! The premise is "What would happen if self-help books actually worked?" Think about it. People would quit smoking, tobacco industries would go out of business. People would be happy with themselves as they are -- clothing guru's, beauty products, diet clinics -- all out of business. The end of civilization as we know it?

Brian Tracy - Eat that Frog. This book quite literally changed my life. Brian Tracy is known for his business and time management books, and this book is actually about time management. But housewives / homemakers need time management too! How to figure out what's important in your life and focus on it. I have this book in paperback and in audio! Considering how much I've been procrastinating lately, I guess I need to listen to it again!