Here are some of my favorites… In no particular order, because I’d get lost in the prioritization and never write again. And we wouldn’t want that, now would we? Â
Let me know at the bottom – what are your favorites?
Fantasy
L E Modesitt’s Recluce series
Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker
This steampunk fantasy series caught me totally off guard in a good way. Seriously up there as one of my all time favorites. If you like fantasy with a little slow burning love on the side, this series is truly epic and filled with wonderful, quirky characters.
Grace Draven
These are fantasy romance at its best! Beautiful painterly descriptions, fascinating characters, and loves scenes that are to die for.
My First Favorites
These were the books that first got me started on fantasy fiction, borrowed from friends. I discovered sci-fi later on my own in my family’s regular trips to Barnes & Noble, not realizing that Dragonriders was drawing me toward sci-fi all along.
Anne McCaffery Dragonriders of Pern series, especially The White Dragon
Melanie Rawn
RomanceÂ
Absolutely, Positively, by Jayne Anne Krentz
Pride & Prejudice, of course
Nonfiction
If You want to Write, by Brenda Ueland
An inspiring book about the real truths of making art of all kinds.
Felicia Day’s You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
A celebration of geekdom, procrastination, and creation. I hope I’m someday half as self-actualized as Felicia is.
The War of Art
If you want to write / create art / start a business, but never seem to, and you don’t know why, read this. A masterwork. Turning Pro is also good, and both books can be bought directly from Black Irish Books.
What are you reading? I’m always looking for new stories, especially in sci-fi, fantasy, and romance. =)
Great list – thanks for sharing. I, too, like Grace Draven – love Master of Crows and Wraith Kings series. I have been a long-time fan of Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Kelley Armstrong and Anne Bishop, and recently discovered Intisar Khanani. I found Patricia Briggs through http://www.fantasticfiction.com. You should consider adding your name to the website — it has a pretty big following internationally. Some people go there to learn more about authors new to them, see what’s new in their genre of choice, get book lists and check out recommendations by their favoured authors.
I am adding Patricia Briggs right now! Those are all wonderful authors. And I’ve reached out to Fantastic Fiction, we’ll see what they say. Thanks so much for stopping by — oh and also pardon the dust as I realized I have a page or two I forgot to finish in all the hubbub of launch!
All the best,
~RK
Thanks for sharing your book list! I quickly became swept away by both Mage Slave and Mage Strike–the latter of which I finished only moments ago–and decided to check out your website. There are many authors here whom I do not recognize, but if they were any inspiration to you, then I will gladly check them out! One author I am familiar with, however, is Patricia Briggs–I have been lost in the world of Mercy Thompson since at least 2010 and am so glad that you’re a fan, too!
If you have any extra time, I would recommend that you read the Beka Cooper Series and the Study Series, by Tamora Pierce and Maria V. Snyder respectively. Both series are firmly entrenched in worlds of magic, and both authors did a fantastic job of keeping me practically foaming at the mouth for the next installment. In my opinion, Pierce excels in world-building and Snyder in character-building, and both series are high in my favorite books list.
Thank you so much for writing Mage Slave and Mage Strike. They are amazing books that I have already recommended to all of my friends! Keep up the great work!
Great list with a few I definitely need to go check out. I would add Sarah J Maas to that list, both of her series. (The Throne of Glass series and the Court of Thorn and Roses series…)
Nice list. There are defiantly some I’ll be looking to add to my reading list. I would suggest Sharon Lee and Steve Miller for a very good read.
That’s awesome to hear, because I actually have Agent of Change on my TBR list! I’ve heard their whole series is really great. Maybe I’ll move it up! =)