This has to be the most difficult question of my five! How do you ask an author what their favorite books are unless you wish them to go on and on and on…
Out of all the books I’ve read, there are six particular books that will always be at the top of my “favorites”. My Soul To Keep, a science-fiction novel written by my favorite author, Tananarive Due, along with its sequels, is a beautifully-written, suspense-filled wonder! Khaled Houssenei has recently become a favorite author of mine. His book A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of the best novels I have read thusfar due to his gift, as shown in this book, for making the human struggle- specifically the lives of two Afghani woman- a struggle that encapsulates the whole of their culture. I read Stealing Freedom, by Elisa Carbone many years ago, and it has continued to be a favorite. Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons is a great book, as is Phillip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, (excluding the movie.) Lastly, as a guide for higher living, Shakti Gawain’s book Living in the Light is my bedside buddy, backpack pal, and staying-up-late-in-a-hotel companion that brings me back to my purpose here in this Universe.
In speaking of higher living, this type of literature is one of my favorite genres to read. Authors under this group whose books I have read and collected include Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Shakti Gawain, Eckhart Tolle, Dan Millman and his Peaceful Warrior, and U.S. Anderson’s Three Magic Words.
Other authors and books I have enjoyed include my 20th century mentor, Zora Neale Hurston, writer Anthony Browder who brings obscure pieces of African/African-American history to light, Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea, Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies, Tananarive Due’s Black Rose, and Christina Lamb’s Sewing Circles of Herat and House of Stone. My favorite literary classics collection include Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, and Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities.
Young adult author’s I enjoy are Nancy Farmer, Madeleine L’engle, Sharon G. Flake, and others. And did I forget J.K. Rowling and her outstanding ability to encourage children to read their first 870-page book with the Harry Potter Series? They are a must-read.
As you can see, reading is a favorite past-time of mine. I feel that it is one of the most important means of educating yourself.
I would like to share a quote from Shishu Bhavan, a children’s home in Calcutta, often attributed to a strong, favorite figure of mine, Mother Teresa. It reads “give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough…give the world the best you’ve got anyway”.
You have done quite well in exposing yourself to an array of authors and subject matter. It has and will continue to serve you well. It is awesome to see that you engulf yourself into self help literature. Perhaps this is why you are so mature and apparently very grounded. You are an inspiration.