Top Ten Tuesday | Favourite Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten ALL TIME Favourite Authors'. This was a tricky topic for me, not because I had too many authors to choose from but because I'm not entirely sure if I have favourite authors to begin with. For example, I love Harry Potter, but having not read any of J. K. Rowling's work other than that series I don't know if I could class her as a favourite author because I might not love everything she's written. Does that make sense?

So rather than choose authors who happen to have written a book or a series that I love, I'm trying to pick authors whose work in general I enjoy, meaning I love them as an author and not just the one book or series they might have written.

Neil Gaiman

(1960-)

This guy is a genius. Pretty much everything he writes is exquisite, and his imagination just never stops. As a writer myself I'm incredibly envious of the way he crafts his fiction, and I think just the amount of adaptations his work has received shows how popular he is: Stardust and Coraline have both been adapted into films, Neverwhere and Good Omens have both been adapted for the radio, and Bryan Fuller, the genius behind Hannibal, is going to produce a TV adaptation of American Gods. My favourite book of his would have to be The Graveyard Book, though American Gods is a very close second.

Roald Dahl

(1916-1990)

I think almost every British child was raised on Roald Dahl's stories. He's probably one of the best children's author ever. Like Gaiman his imagination was unending, and he wrote plenty for adults, too. I devoured his books as a child - I loved everything from Fantastic Mr. Fox to The Witches to Matilda to The BFG to James and the Giant Peach - and I think my childhood would have been incomplete without them. My favourites of his have always been Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Magic Finger, though it's so difficult to pick a favourite.

Jacqueline Wilson

(1945-)

Another of my favourite children's authors. When I was a little older, I read pretty much everything Wilson wrote, I just loved her stories. She never speaks down to children, and she's never afraid to tackle issues that many people think are 'unacceptable' for children's fiction, such as cancer, divorce, sex, death, eating disorders and bullying. I loved her Girls series, and I also loved Lola Rose, The Diamond Girls and How to Survive Summer Camp. My favourite, however, was always The Illustrated Mum.

Daphne du Maurier

(1907-1989)

I don't know why I didn't get around to reading anything by Daphne du Maurier until last year, because I knew I was going to love her. I'm trying to read as many of her books as possible now. Her writing style is so beautiful, and she certainly wrote plenty while she was alive. My favourite book of hers so far has to be Frenchman's Creek - it's just so much fun!

Celia Rees

(1949-)

Celia Rees is another favourite author from my childhood/early teens, the lady who first got me into historical fiction when I stumbled across a copy of Pirates! in my local library. After that I read Witch Child, and I still love them both dearly now.

Frances Hodgson Burnett

(1849-1924)

I didn't actually read any of Frances Hodgson Burnett's books until I was in my 20s, when I finally got around to reading A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, but as I grew up with the film adaptations from the '90s I've always loved those two stories in particular. Out of the books I think The Secret Garden might be my favourite, but only just!

Shirley Jackson

(1916-1965)

Shirley Jackson is another author I only discovered recently, in the past year or so, but I've loved everything of hers I've read. So far I've read The Haunting of Hill House, The Lottery and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I don't know how she does it, but there's something about her writing style that leaves me constantly uneasy. Her skill isn't in what she says, but what she doesn't say. If you're a fan of horror, be sure to check her out!

Terry Deary

(1946-)

What can I say? I basically grew up on the Horrible Histories books. I'm always going to have respect for the way in which Terry Deary made history fun for children, whether they're children who already love history or children who've always found it intimidating until they open one of his books. If I ever have children they're definitely going to have these books on their shelves.

Seanan McGuire

(1978-)

Also known as Mira Grant, Seanan McGuire is the author of the October Daye series, an urban fantasy series featuring faeries, and also the author of the Newsflesh trilogy which you all know I love by now. I just love her, and I'm making it my mission to read everything she writes. So far my favourite book of hers is most definitely Feed. Not that any of you will be shocked.

Tanya Huff

(1957-)

Another SFF writer who I love and discovered during university. She's well-known for her female-led SFF and her knack for completely subverting gender stereotypes. Her stories are so much fun, and I love her Blood Books in particular!

Who made your list?

Reading Wrap-Up | August + September 2014

After a little hiatus my reading wrap-ups are back, and today I'll be sharing with you what I read in August and September. Considering I was finishing up my MA portfolio and just generally stressing out throughout both of these months I got more reading done than I expected!

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

by Katherine Howe

My Rating: 

Connie Goodwin should be spending her summer doing research for her Ph.D. dissertation in American History. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she's compelled to help. It's not long before the time she's set aside for research is instead spent sorting through her grandmother's ancient possessions, discovering a woman she barely knew. One day, while exploring the dusty bookshelves in the study, Connie discovers a key hidden within an old bible. And within the key is a brittle slip of paper with two words written on it: Deliverance Dane. Along with a handsome steeplejack named Sam, Connie begins to dig into the town's records, looking for references to Deliverance Dane. But even as the pieces begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the witch trials so long ago, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past than she could have ever imagined. 

The first book I read in August was a re-read for me. I first discovered The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane in my local library and enjoyed it that much that I had to get my own copy. It had flaws in places - the villain was a little too obvious and the ending felt a little rushed - but I enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read it. Connie's a very relatable heroine and I love her mother, too. Not to mention Sam, the love interest, who I certainly wouldn't kick out of bed.

Even More Terrible Tudors

by Terry Deary

My Rating: 

Want to know:-- who invited Queen Elizabeth I to visit his brand new toilet?
- what you get when you sew the front of a chicken to the back of a pig?
- how to catch jail fever if you've never been to prison?

Read on for amazing information about the good times and the gory - from the fabulous fun of the great goose fairs and the harmless horrors of Shakespeare's plays, to the vicious variety of painful punishments and the terrible trickery of the ruthless royal family.

History has never been so horrible!

I grew up on the Horrible Histories books, they might be non-fiction but this series was one of my absolute favourites when I was little and I devoured them. Over the past few years it's garnered a whole new fanbase following the success of the show on CBBC and new, bright editions of the books have been released for a whole new generation of kids to enjoy. But I will always love the editions I grew up with which I sadly lost some years ago (I have a feeling my Mum donated them to charity), so when I discovered an entire box of the books in the editions I grew up with on a market stall there was no way I was walking away empty-handed. They were only 70p each, so I ended up picking up some of my favourites, including this one! One night I couldn't sleep, so I read this and it was really comforting. I love these books.

Deadline

by Mira Grant

My Rating: 

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.

But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

The last book I read in August was the second book in Mira Grant's Newsflesh trilogy. As expected, it was amazing and I loved it and I had to start the third book, Blackout, straight away. I haven't had much of a chance to really get into the third book yet, but I'm hoping to complete the trilogy this month! If you haven't picked up this series yet then frankly I don't know what you're doing with your life.

Frenchman's Creek

by Daphne du Maurier

My Rating: 

The Restoration Court knows Lady Dona St Columb to be ripe for any folly, any outrage that will relieve the tedium of her days. But there is another, secret Dona who longs for a life of honest love - and sweetness, even if it is spiced with danger. Dona flees London for remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds there the passion her spirit craves - in the love of a daring pirate hunted across Cornwall, a Frenchman who, like Dona, would gamble his life for a moment's joy.

In September I finally read my first Daphne du Maurier book! I was going to read Rebecca, but I've heard such amazing things about it that I didn't want to read Rebecca first and ruin du Maurier's other books for me. Being the lover of historical fiction that I am I decided to pick up Frenchman's Creek instead, and I really, really enjoyed it; it was just the kind of fun adventure/romance story I needed after finishing up my MA, and now I can't wait to read more du Maurier!

Blood Sinister

by Celia Rees

My Rating: 

Ellen Forrest is sick, she feels as if the life is being sucked out of her. The doctors think that she is suffering from a disease of the blood, and she has been sent to her grandmother's house to rest, but she seems to be getting worse, not better. Can it have anything to do with the diaries she has found in the attic? Diaries written in Victorian times by her great great grandmother. Diaries that describe an encounter with a handsome young Count who comes from the Land Beyond the Forest. 

Ellen likes a vampire story, who doesn't? The difference is that this one just happens to be true…

I wanted to cross at least one book off my Autumn TBR in September, so considering Blood Sinister isn't even 200 pages long it seemed like the perfect choice. It was okay. It wasn't the worst book I've read, but it wasn't particularly special either, although it was fun to read about people watching videos - you just can't beat the '90s! If you're in the mood to read something easy this Halloween then I recommend you pick it up, but don't expect to be wowed.

What have you read recently?

What's Up Wednesday! | 20/08/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

I finished rereading The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe, and enjoyed it as much as I did the first time, and then last night I decided to revisit my childhood by reading Even More Terrible Tudors by Terry Deary. No regrets.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read next, but I'm hoping it'll be The Thickety: A Path Begins by J.A. White if my copy has arrived!

What I'm Writing

I'm sure you all know this by now: I'm working on my portfolio. Over the past few days I finally managed to get one of the big, climactic scenes of the novel written, and though I'm sure it needs a lot of editing I'm strangely proud of it - hopefully that doesn't jinx how other people receive it!

What Inspires Me Right Now

Today is the 402nd Anniversary of the Pendle Witch Trials, one of the most famous witch trials in Britain, and this year the Castle opened up the dungeon they were kept in and allowed people to go down in groups and be told the story. This was great news for me as one of the main characters in my WIP is accused of witchcraft and imprisoned in the same castle so it was great research, but being the sap that I am I actually found being in that dungeon quite emotional. I didn't cry, but there's something so painfully sad about the injustice of the witch hunts in the late 16th/early 17th centuries.

I wish I could say witch hunts don't happen now, but they're still happening in the Niger Delta where children are bathed in acid, buried alive and tortured to extract confessions. Stepping Stones Nigeria is a charity who are trying to put an end to this, but sadly not many people know of them - please spread the word of the great work they do!

What Else I've Been Up To

The Castle was really busy on Saturday when I went - which is great, it's awesome to see so many people enjoying this fascinating building - and there were so many different events on, including a birds of prey demonstration. The birds were adorable, so naturally I got some pictures on my phone while I was there, including this one of Rio the barn owl:

While I was in town I was also ecstatic to come across a small pile of Horrible Histories books in the editions I had when I was younger. The majority of my childhood books and all of my childhood toys aren't with me any more, for various reasons, and as someone who places a lot of sentimental value on things it's always made me very sad. The books were 60p each, so naturally I got seven of them. No regrets!

I'm also currently holding a giveaway over on my tumblr, so if you're tumblrer yourself why not check it out and enter? You could get a free book out of it!

What's new with you?

10 Books That Changed Me | The Angry Aztecs by Terry Deary

Last month I talked about the first of my influential books, The Magic Finger. You can find that post here if you're interested!

This is probably a bit of a weird choice, and it probably says something about me that what first drew me to this book, when I was around 8 years old, was the promise that it was going to teach me about human sacrifice...

A lot of you probably know by now that I love history, and I've loved it since I was very small, so it's only natural that I grew up reading this series. I can still remember the first time I came across them; they had their own little rack in a Wilkinson's that my Mum went into a lot. One day she found me looking at these, so she told me if I picked one she'd buy it for me.

I was torn between The Angry Aztecs and The Incredible Incas, and to this day I'm still not entirely sure why those two in particular caught my eye. I knew practically nothing about the Aztecs or the Incas - which might be why they interested me - but I think it might have simply been that their covers caught my attention.

Whatever the reason I chose The Angry Aztecs when the back of The Incredible Incas told me the Incas used to eat guinea pigs. I had a guinea pig at the time, and somehow I felt like he'd know if I brought home a book about the people who ate his ancestors.

I devoured The Angry Aztecs and every Horrible Histories book my parents bought me afterwards. I was hooked.

I loved the way these books didn't shy away from teaching children, or anyone else who wanted to read them, the nitty gritty parts of history that you don't get taught in school. In fact these books taught me that there was history outside of school I wasn't being taught (something we obviously know when we're older, but I was only 8 at the time!) and that I could learn about it if I wanted to, simply by reading the right books.

These books encouraged my love of history, and encouraged me to do my own reading and research in my own time if school didn't answer the questions I wanted answering. The skills I learned from reading these books are especially important now; writing a Historical Fiction novel means research has become a regular activity for me, and I'm so glad I was able to start with the basics thanks to this series.

I suppose I could have chosen any Horrible Histories book, but it felt right to put the very first one I read on this list. If I hadn't read this one I wouldn't have read the others, and there's no knowing if I might have picked them up at a later date.

What about you? Did you read these books when you were younger?