I've been blogging for a long time, y'all. A looonnngggg time. In the last fifteen (FIFTEEN!) years, I feel like I've talked about every book under the sun—amazing reads, meh ones, new finds, old favorites, etc. That makes today's TTT topic, Top Ten Books I Enjoyed But Have Never Talked About On My Blog, kind of a toughie. True, I've lightened up over the years and gotten less anal about reviewing every book I read, but I still usually at least mention the ones I've read. So, I figured this prompt called for a bit of a twist. I decided to talk about authors whose work I have just eaten up in the past, but whose recent books I've pretty much ignored for one reason or another. It's likely that I've mentioned all of these authors at some time or another on the blog, but they're definitely not ones I chat about often. Does that sorta kinda fit today's theme?? 

Feeling listy? Be sure to join in the TTT fun by visiting That Artsy Reader Girl, then making your own list, and hopping around the book blogosphere to share the love. It's a good time, I promise!

Top Ten Authors I Used to Love, But Haven't Checked In With Recently

- in alphabetical order -  

1. Piers Anthony—I went through a brief sci-fi/fantasy phase in high school in a futile attempt to impress a boy. SFF has never been my favorite genre, but I did fall in love with Anthony's Incarnation of Immortality series. It's been years since I've read it and occasionally I get the hankering to revisit it just for nostalgia's sake. Now in his late 80s, Anthony is still publishing books. He's had a remarkable career, even if I haven't kept up with it.

2. Mary Higgins Clark—My dad introduced me to Clark's clean, compelling murder mysteries when I was in junior high school and I quickly became a rabid fan. In the ten or so years before Clark's death in 2020, my enthusiasm for her books started to wane. They just didn't hold my attention like they had in the past. Still, I'll always love Clark for those many nights her books kept me up way past my bedtime racing through the pages, desperate to see what was going to happen next. 

3. John Grisham—Like Clark, Grisham's books from the 1990s kept me absolutely spellbound. His newer titles just haven't had the same spark for me. I did tackle The Reckoning a couple years ago, but that one was such a disappointment that I haven't picked up a Grisham book since and don't plan to do so again.

4. Stephen King—When I was a teenager, horror was the only genre it was acceptable to be seen reading in public. Horror was cool, so I read a lot of it. King was my go-to guy for spooky stories long after high school. Apparently, I've gotten much wimpier with age because I can't handle his books now. They're just too gory and too disturbing for this old lady with her delicate constitution!

5. Dean Koontz—Like King, Koontz is an author whose books I devoured back in the day. I'm still a fan, even though I haven't read anything of his since Odd Thomas a number of years ago. I really should pick up the next book in the series one of these days. 

6. Jodi Picoult—Up until about House Rules in 2010, I inhaled everything Picoult wrote. Her stories sucked me in, kept me turning pages, and made me think. I tuned out about the time she started writing YA novels with her daughter since those didn't interest me. She's published a handful of novels since then that I probably should check out eventually. I'm not rushing, though, which is weird since I used to be such a devoted fan.

7. Christopher Pike—Pike is another author for whom I went absolutely crazy in the 1990s. He was my hands-down favorite, even though he never did answer any of the fan letters I sent him as a teenager! As of a few years ago, he was still writing scary books for teens. I wonder what I would think of his creepy tales now?

8. Ann Rule—I used to read a lot of true crime back in the day. Rule's books are well-researched and interesting, so I flew through a number of them in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These days, I just can't stomach the genre, which is ironic since it's gotten so crazy-popular!

9. John Saul—This is another author I adored during my horror-reading phase. His last novel was published in 2009, but I haven't read him since high school (which was a looonnnggg time ago).

10. Adriana Trigiani—I've long loved Trigiani's warm, Italian-themed women's novels. For some reason, though, I haven't picked up anything by her in about a decade. I really need to check out her newer books as I'm sure I've missed out on some good ones.  

There you have it, ten authors I've loved in the past but haven't really kept up with in the present. Have you read any of them? Which authors fit this category for you? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. Please note that I will be out of town from tomorrow until Saturday, so you won't see comments from me until I return. Thanks for your patience.

Happy TTT!  

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

Once again, it's time for Top Ten Tuesday, a bookish, list-y meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at The Broke and the Bookish.  And, wow, is this week's topic a stumper:  Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was a Blogger.  It's a toughie, right?  Especially for those of us who have been blogging for a while (BBB was born in August of 2006).  I mean, one of the chief reasons I started this blog was so I could remember all the great books I've read because, without it, my old, feeble mind just comes up blank!  Well, okay, I managed to think of ten, but I'm telling you, it was not easy, not easy at all ...


1.  Twilight by Stephenie Meyer—Yeah, yeah, yeah.  When Twilight first came out, I belonged to a book club with a woman who was related to Meyer somehow (cousin?).  She recommended the novel to us, saying if we all read it, she was pretty sure she could get Meyer to come chat with our book club.  But, when she described the novel as a "teenage vampire romance," we all turned up our noses.  And, it must be said (though it pains me to do so), that by the time she convinced us all to read Twilight, Meyer was much too busy to come to our little book club.  True story.

I remember being embarrassed to read Twilight in public.  Back then (it came out in 2005), adults didn't read teen books unless it was to screen them for their kids (which was totally what I was doing—uh huh).  And yet, it kept me totally entranced.  It still shames me to admit it, but I loved Twilight.


2.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling—The name J.K. Rowling doesn't appear on my blog until 2007, when I reviewed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, but I had been reading her ever since the first Harry book came out in the U.S. in 1998.  I remember devouring the series while sitting in the bedroom of my toddler (who's now 14).  He played happily while I read, oftentimes falling asleep before I realized the room had gone suspiciously quiet.  H.P. grabbed me from the get-go, keeping me totally riveted with the story, the characters, the setting, everything.  It will always be one of my favorite children's series!


3.  Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell—I'd seen the movie version of GWTW several times, but I didn't read the book until after I traveled to Atlanta in 2000.  The setting definitely came alive more because I'd visited the setting and the story, of course, kept me totally engrossed.


4.  Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman—I'm not sure why this one sticks out in my mind, except that I remember it being a fun, charming novel that was different than other books I was reading at the time.


5.  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon—I read this fat tome on someone's recommendation and, in no time at all, found myself totally immersed in the story.  It swept me away from the stresses of my every day life, which at the time included bottles, diapers, housework, and all the other chores that come along with stay-at-home motherhood.  I don't know why I didn't continue with the series, but it's one I would like to finish.  Someday.  You know when I have a million free hours to wade through those very, very large books!



6.  Emma by Jane Austen—After Gwyneth Paltrow brought Emma Woodhouse to such charming life on the big screen in 1996, I knew I had to read this book.  Needless to say, it met my (very) high expectations.


7.  Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty—I've never been a huge fan of Westerns, but this classic really captured my imagination.  It's an entertaining read that I should probably re-read soon.


8.  The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown—Like millions of other fans, I found this one edge-of-your-seat compelling.  Is the writing absolutely brilliant?  No, but it's still an exciting and very readable thriller.


9.  A Time to Kill by John Grisham—I loved the movie version of this novel and not just because it's the only  Matthew McConaughey film in which the actor does more than just look pretty.  Nope, it was the storyline that sucked me in.  I'm not a huge Grisham fan, but I did really enjoy this book.  I've been meaning to re-read it for years, but a library copy's still sitting on my desk waiting for my attention.  Soon, I promise!



10.  The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold—As disturbing as this novel is, I also found it totally mesmerizing.  It's unique, compelling and memorable.

A stunning realization:  So, as I was typing up this post, I had an epiphany—all the books I listed, except one (Outlander), have been made into movies/t.v. series.  Does this make them stick out more in my mind?  Or, is it just because I selected a crop of very excellent books?  Hm ...

Now that I've searched my tired mind for titles I loved before becoming a book blogger (way back in 2006—yikes!), I'd really like to know which books you adored back in the day.  Do we have any favorites in common?