Recently, my husband and I (and his parents) cleaned out our storage unit. We really didn't need it anymore, since our garage is bigger. Now we could load all the stuff in there and I can go through it much easier to put things away or get rid of stuff.
Anyway, along with all of the furniture and knickknacks came boxes of books. Several boxes of books. About ten, in fact. Hi, my name is Angel and I'm a bookaholic. I have a hard time getting rid of the things, but this is what's left after I culled about 3 boxes full when we were packing this past spring.
As I started going through them, I felt like I was like visiting with old friends. Most of my keeper shelf was boxed up during the move and I hadn't had the time to unpack them. I bet I spent an hour rummaging, reminiscing, and moving piles into the house.
Over the holiday season, I've read quite a few of these "keepers". I've always been a rereader, and I often revisit books while I'm writing, because I can skip to the good parts. :) Recently, I've reread After the Night and Loving Evangeline by Linda Howard, When Dreams Come True by Cathy Maxwell, and an old Silhouette Special Edition by Lucy Gordon titled Enchantment in Venice.
Piling up in the bed with these familiar reads was comforting and satisfying. The characters are old friends. The settings like taking a vacation in a much beloved spot. There is a reason why we call them "keepers"; they are just too good to let go.
What is your favorite "keeper" book? What authors fill your Keeper Shelf?
Today, I'll be giving away a new hardback copy of Maven Beverly Barton's Killing Her Softly to one lucky commenter. I'm sure it will be a great addition to someone's Keeper Shelf!
Angel
25 comments:
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase and Operation Gigilo by Vicki Lewis Thompson. They've survived several culling of the shelves. ;) (And I wish my storage unit was cleaned out -- wanna come over and give it a go?)
My favorite author on my keeper list is Sherrilyn Kenyon love her Dark-Hunter series. There is also Christine Feehan's series and recently I was turned on to Colleen Gleason's new series, I'm looking forward to her next release. I also enjoy Sue Grafton's the alphabet series!
I do own the Linda Howard collection, but my favorite is All the Queen's Men.
My comfort read is Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie.
And I have all the Dark Hunter books.
Plus a couple hundred more favorites laying around. I'll stop now.
I've been going through my old things too, Angel. I've got a box filled with favorites that I really should delve into. Plus, I've got bookshelves overflowing with TBR books and ye ol' tried and true romances.
For starters, I'll go with COME LOVE A STRANGER by Kathleen Woodiwiss. (Loved it so much I named #2 after the heroine.) Anything by Julie Garwood, of course. I just read her newest release, a return to historical Scotland, SHADOW MUSIC, in 8 hours. Whew!!! A must read for historical lovers.
HUMMINGBIRD by LaVerle Spencer has always been one of my great favorites and I recently reread it. I've fallen in love with, PIRATE'S PROMISE, by Bobbi Smith. I'm revisiting all the old Pirate Romances. Ah, heaven!!!
Argh!!! (Sneers and raises hand high)
We won't talk about our storage unit. :-/
When we moved 2 1/2 years ago I cleaned out lots and lots of books. I was a reviewer and was sent tons of books to read and review. But the ones that survived are from the authors in my RWA chapter along with a couple favorite category and single title authors. And then there's the copy of an old Deb Dixon novel she uses as an example in her workshop. I hunted and hunted til I found it and even got her to autograph it.
PM
You know, I'm not a rereader. I keep quite a few books (to DH's dismay) but I don't usually reread them. The TBR pile is just too big :-)
I have quite a few favorite authors though who I always keep - our Mavens of course! SEP (who interviewed with us this month in case you missed in on the website) Jennifer Crusie. Nora. Elizabeth Lowell. These woman are auto buys for me and once I have their books I don't let them go.
Instigator
Oh wow, keepers. I've had to be ruthless, because of military moves, but there were a few that I could NOT get rid of. They are older, so this doesn't take into account the new books I'm falling in love with.
Just about anything by Laura Kinsale. Even the books I don't like, I can't get rid of. LK wrote fabulous, lush historicals. A highwayman with vertigo. A ruthless mercenary Italian princess and her knight in shining armor. An assassin who's into being whipped. An English Ninja in Hawaii. Does it get any better? :)
Susan Wiggs's The Charm School. Teresa Medeiros's A Whisper of Roses. Katherine O'Neal's The Last Highwayman. Rachel Gibson's Simply Irresistible. SEP's It Had to Be You and Heaven, Texas.
I'm getting new keepers too, but those are the ones I've hauled around for several moves. They are mostly historical because that's what I used to read the most of. These days, I'm finding more contemp, RS, and paranormal that I like and have to keep.
I'm not much of a re-reader either, but like movies, I'm a horder. I couldn't part with my HP collection, my maven books, or my Skye O'Malley series.
Connie Mason, and Ana Leigh are two authors that have been on my keeper shelves for years.
The flame and the flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss is my absolte keeper. But I have a lot of authors on my keeper shelf: J.R.Ward, Jude Deveraux, Vivi Anna, Margo Maguire, Rebecca Hagan Lee and a lot of others. You're a bookocholic? Surprise, surprise, me too! :P
Tetewa, my sister recently went on a tirade because the newest books by Sherrilyn Kenyon (I think) and Christine Feehan came out in hardcover. She's a keeper like me, and she was upset that her book series would no longer match. On the bookshelf she'd have all these paperbacks, then that one ugly hardcover sticking up. :)
Angel
Almost all my books are keepers! lol I have older books by Kathleen Woodiwiss, Rosemary Rogers, Phyllis Whitney, Mary Stewart and Julie Garwood. I also have newer books by Brenda Novak, Candice Hern, Allison Brennan, Nora Roberts and so many more that I can't name them all!
I'm not much of a rereader but The Earth Children Series by Jean Auel is one of my favorites. But even if I don't reread, all my books are keepers!
You can spot my keepers from a mile away--they look like they've been read a million times. Spines all beat up, loose pages...
You can spot my keepers from a mile away--they look like they've been read a million times. Spines all beat up, loose pages...
Instigator, I've got all of Elizabeth Lowell's historicals. Just bought a new one, a western, RECKLESS LOVE, her first in a long time. Yay!!
Ever read YARGO by Jacqueline Susanne? It's so cool!! A SCI-FI Romance. Totally out of my zone but I've kept it for nearly 30 years. (Cue Joey Lawrence... Woe!)
I am a re reader also.
If I loved to book I did and I enjoy visiting the characaters again even though I know how its going to work out :)
I forgot to tell you my favorite I love historicals by Elizabeth Lowell and Julie Garwood, I kept them.
My keeper shelf hosts The Texas Trilogy by Sandra Brown and yes, I do reread them.
Open Season and Dream Man by Linda Howard are two of my favorites but all Linda Howard books are keepers.
I have many wonderful romance books that remain in my personal library, but a favorite story I have kept and reread many times so that the poor book is in rather sad shape is 'Fountainhead' by Ayn Rand; it is a classic I have always enjoyed and still do.
My favorite reread is Julie Garwoods historials. Karen Robards, Sabrina Jeffries and the list goes on.
I have 2 if I may - Linda Howard - Sarah's Child and Barbara Delinsky's Three Wishes. Both gutwrenching endings. And wonderful reads. Amd they really do have heas.
Pat L.
Slap me silly, how could I forget Howard's Mackenzie's Mountain, and SEP's Kiss an Angel and all her Chicago Stars books, particulary Nobody's Baby But Mine - so funny.
Pat L.
I have a problem - an addiction if you may - and it is romance books. So I give it up cold turkey in order to graduate from college!! 15 years later , a husband and child, I got hit with nostaglia and decided to collect all Linda Howard and Judith McNaught books again. I'm not giving them up but have decided to restrict myself to just these two aurthors, for the sake of my 700sq apartment, my husband and child:)
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