Guest Post with Author, Lauren Smith

Author Guest Post – Lauren Smith


Top Ten List of Favorite Books of All Time

The Host by Stephanie Meyer
This is hands down one of the most heart achingly beautiful portrayals of a long quadrangle as well as a deeper discussion as to what makes human good or evil. I read it at least once a year and I still cry in a few places every time. It reminds me how a writer can touch a reader’s soul without overly flowery language or crazy plot arcs.

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
No, you can’t pick just one of them. For me, this series is a packaged deal. J.K. Rowling changed my life when I was 12 years old and started reading Harry Potter. It made me see the power of stories, especially upon young readers, and how sometimes, a good story is what really matters when you write.

The Secret Garden by Kate Morton
This book! I can’t say enough about it! It’s a bit of an echo of the old children’s Secret Garden book but with a darker, more adult twist to it. Morton’s language makes places and characters come alive, in fairy tale sort of way full of reach diction and dialogue that make you want to savor every page as well as linger over the story itself.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
It’s my favorite of the classics by Austen. I love the hero Henry and his playful nature only dampened by the heroine’s consistent belief his family might be holding deadly secrets. I really identify with the heroine Catherine, since I tend to assume every creak and groan in an old house must be the result of a ghost! Her wild imagination is something I can understand and sympathize with as a main character.

She by H. Rider Haggard
One of my favorite novels of the old Victorian-era adventure novels. She is all about feminine mystique and power, not just over men, but the universe in general. And it’s also a love story. The language Haggard uses is classical, but so poetic that his observations on the nature of mankind are brilliantly delivered in the midst of a powerful story.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
This is a book that every girl should read when she’s at least 21. When you’re younger, you miss a lot of the fine details, but any woman past 21 will really enjoy this. The emotions that Scarlett endures with the various men and her struggles during the war and after are poignant and timeless. This book resonated with me deeply, and kept me entranced by an era both beautiful and sinister and now gone forever.

When He was Wicked Julia Quinn
I love romance novels, but very few have touched me deeply. This book was one of them. Quinn’s portrayal of friends to lovers is so well done that I cried during this book. The heroine loses her husband and falls for his best friend (a man who has loved her for years in secret). There’s broken hearts, salvation, miscarriages and forgiveness, so much emotion in such a story it will leave you gasping and breathless and hopefully teary-eyed.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
One of the best fantasy novels I’ve ever read. Despite the intense world building required in all fantasy novels, Jordan never fails to suck me in with his characters. I keep frantically turning the pages just to learn more about their stories. And this is the first book in the series, the beginning of a 20 plus book series that I treasure immensely.

Knight by Kristen Ashley
For some reason you come across books that just hit you square in the chest. You can’t put a finger on what exactly makes them addictive, or makes you an obsessive reader. For me, Knight was that book. I can’t explain, I can only say it was my addiction.

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton
I can’t seem to write much humor into my books so when I come across something that has me in stiches with laughter, I can’t help but love it since I love to laugh. This book was nonstop hilarity and yet it also offered steamy scenes and a powerful, real feeling love story. What a great combination right?


About Lauren Smith:

Amazon Best-Selling Author Lauren Smith is an attorney by day, author by night, who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She’s a native Oklahoman who lives with her three pets: a feisty chinchilla, sophisticated cat and dapper little schnauzer. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including being an Amazon.com

Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award. 

Connect with Lauren:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Blog Tour w/Review - Cherry Pie

Blog Tour w/Review - This Piece Of My Soul

New Release w/Review - Frat Wars