(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. Want to make your own list? Clicking the image will take you to this week’s post. Happy listing!)
Everyone has authors they love — you just want some stories and worlds to go on and on. Here’s the authors I wish could keep writing forever.
1. Jane Austen – This lady is probably going to be on a lot of lists, and for good reason.
2. Anne Frank – It’s so sad to think about how this girl’s creativity and intelligence was snuffed out because of hate. And she was just one of millions. Imagine how different the world would be…
3. Margaret Sanger – The pioneer of the birth control movement. Yes, her stance on eugenics was pretty terrible, but let’s not throw out the good with the bad.
4. Mary Roach – Stiff, Spook, Bonk, and Packing for Mars were all incredible — I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!
5. Jasper Fforde – Both the Thursday Next and Nursery Crime series need to extend into eternity. And I just heard about his new Last Dragonslayer series — yet another reason it’s totally lame that I don’t live in the UK.
6. Geraldine Brooks – I loved Nine Parts of Desire and March, and have just added Year of Wonders to my TBR list. I can’t get enough of this lady’s writing.
7. Rob Bell – Love Wins was like manna from heaven. Hoping I get some of the NOOMA videos soon.
8. Georgette Heyer – The Masqueraders. The Grand Sophy. Lady of Quality. The Corinthian. All genius. I wish Heyer was still writing.
9. Peggy Orenstein – I loved Cinderella Ate My Daughter more than anyone should love a book. Write another one, Peggy!
Don’t you hate not being able to think of a tenth one?
It’s funny, but I decided not to put Heyer on my list because I thought it sounded greedy! Like, do I really need another Heyer book when there are, what, 40 or something to read over and over… (the little voice in my head says, “Yes! Why not?”
The only Brooks book I’ve read so far is Year of Wonders and I loved it. I got People of the Book recently and I’m looking forward to reading it.
What did Margaret Sanger write? I can’t think of it…
That’s the same reason I almost didn’t put Fforde on my list; he’s consistently writing, and even has a new series coming out soon — but I can’t help myself!
Brooks’ March was incredible. I was halfway through it before I realized I’d read another of her books (Nine Parts of Desire) for a class in college. I always feel like I could curl up in her writing, and it would keep me warm at night.
Sanger wrote a lot of stuff, but I really want to get my hands on My Fight for Birth Control, which chronicles a lot of her activities in the birth control movement. It’s out of print, though, and all the copies I can find give me sticker shock. I’ve read her biography, at least — she had some controversial ideas, but she’s also the founder of Planned Parenthood, and had a lot of ideas I can get behind.
I have never read a Jane Austen book. But I’ve seen a ton of the movies, multiple times, so I just…feel as though I don’t have to. It’s awful.
I also haven’t read The Diary of a Young Girl. School failed to force me, and when I tried to read it on my own I didn’t get very far.
Oops. Sorry about forgetting to close the italics tag!
No worries! 🙂
It’s kind of hard to work up the necessity to read a book when you’ve seen the movie a million times. But I maintain that the books are almost always better, so maybe Austen is worth taking in in written form. 🙂 Someday, perhaps.
I know I read Diary of a Young Girl in middle school, but I can’t remember if it was for class, or if it was one of the many books my mom handed to me and said, “It’s important to read this one.” They released an updated edition several years ago, which contains a lot of the stuff her father had removed from the original printing (mostly mean stuff Anne said about her mother, and her comments/thoughts on sex and sexuality). I’m sorry you didn’t get very far into it — I guess you have to be in the right mood. Which is, you have to be in the mood of accepting that you know how it’s going to end.
I loved Mary Roach in Stiff but I really was disappointed in Spook. What is her new book. I’ve heard it is good.
Wow, another person who was kinda bummed by Spook! That makes me feel better, actually. I loved Stiff so much, and then Spook was kind of a letdown. Maybe it’s just not our favorite topic?
Her newest book is called Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. It’s covers bits of the history of space travel, the research they did and do here on earth to simulate living in space, and a look forward into the technology and ideas that are coming down the pike.
My favorite book of hers, though, is Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. Everything she writes is fascinating and hysterical.
I love when others love Dorothy Parker! And awesome that Mary Roach was included on your list 🙂
I’ve most read Parker’s poetry, but she was so snarky that can’t help but love her. 🙂 Same with Mary Roach, actually. Thanks for stopping by, Lynn!
Jasper Fforde is someone I really expect to love. I’m going to read the Eyre Affair for sure, but I can’t say when. I’ve seen some quotes from him and I do like them so I’m inclined to think I’ll definitely like the book and, in general, him as an author.
Don’t be telling people about my mind reading powers now! I love it when I read someone’s post and all I can think is “Yep, yep, yep.” The book blogging community is constantly awesome!
Yes, read Fforde as soon as you can. If you don’t love it, I’ll eat my hat (though I’ll have to find it first).
That’s generally how I end up following new people: I read a post and think, “That’s exactly what I would write and how I would feel!” I especially love experiencing that with Top 10 Tuesday lists.
Yup. I don’t think I’ve seen a list without Jane Austen on it. 🙂
That’s cause she wrote the book on writing the book. 😉