Writers Love to Read

Readers all have their favorite books. They each hold a place in our hearts for different reasons. Shannon and I came up with eight categories of books that we love, some we love to hate, and others that just got under our skin. Here's mine, for a list of both me and Shannons, check out our new site SXSW Books.

MY FAVORITE BOOK: THE NIGHT CIRCUS BY ERIN MORGENSTERN





















The Night Circus! Oh my gawd! It is one of  those creative tales that takes place in another era that still connects with you in every way. This book is pure magic.  It's the paramour you never thought you would end up with but all the stars aligned and somehow you found each other. That's how I feel about this book,butterflies.

A BOOK THAT I AM EMBARRASSED I LOVE: WHERE SHE WENT BY GAYLE FORMAN




















I grew up thinking I was tough, a tomboy, the Elaine of my group of guy friends. That's a lot of years pretending to loathe all things "girly." Now as a feminist who believes gender norms are a waste of outdated time, I still have a hard time admitting that sometimes I just wanna read a sappy love story and cry. One weekend, when I found myself alone I succumbed and watched Stay on Hulu. Then I did what every normal person does and looked it up online to see if the book ended the same way. Then I found out there was a sequel. I immediately ordered it and upon its arrival, read it in a few hours. I then wrote my own book over that weekend. This book really inspired me, and it opened up a part of me that I am usually too embarrassed to show. This book earned this spot on the list.

A BOOK THAT PISSED ME OFF: ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES BY JENNIFER NIVEN  

I love Instagram and when a book keeps popping up in my feed I, like a mindless robot, purchase it from Amazon. That was the case with Jennifer Niven's  All the Bright Places. There was a lot I liked about this book but if you read my previous post you will see what I didn't like, really outweighed the good. Please don't limit character descriptions to race.  It's 2016 for f's sake.

A BOOK I COULD READ A THOUSAND TIMES: THIS IS NOT A TEST BY COURTNEY SUMMERS 

Courtney Summers' This is Not A Test was like The Breakfast Club meets TWD. But in all the best ways. A group of high-schoolers find refuge in their school's gymnasium as the outside world is being eaten by zombies. But because it's Courtney Summers it's much more evolved. It is a character driven story that showed me, no matter the circumstances readers want to fall in love with the characters. I could read this book a thousand times and still get goosebumps from that last page.

A BOOK THAT I'M SCARED TO START:  BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP




















I bought this book back when I purchased Where She Went and thought the premise sounded intriguing but I'm afraid to open it. I don't know if I think it's going to be scary or if the mood it will evoke will just be too much for a summer off. Either way it sits in my tbr pile.

A BOOK THAT WAS TOTALLY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE BUT SURPRISED ME: THE REVENANT BY MICHAEL PUNKE 

I  never would have picked up this book. No offense Leo but this just isn't something I would naturally gravitate towards but then everyone around me read it and the first page had my birthday so I dove in. A historical revenge story told by a man that is alone for most of the book and it was still as engaging as Mark Watney on Mars. Not an easy feat and the author killed it.




A BOOK THAT GOT TURNED INTO A MOVIE THAT ACTUALLY MET MY EXPECTATIONS: THE HELP BY KATHRYN STOCKETT





















The Help was a book that knocks it out of the park in so many ways. You have the protagonist that you admire but still relate to. A woman who sees the world like no one else around her and she sees that as the gift it is rather than trying to ignore it and fit in. It calls our attention to injustice, it makes us laugh. So to see all of that depicted in the film was jaw-dropping. Hollywood rarely capture what was in our heads when we were reading but this time they succeeded.  The stellar cast helped of course.

A BOOK THAT MADE ME LAUGH: DAD IS FAT BY JIM GAFFIGAN

I know it's written by a comedian so it's supposed to be funny but there were no dull points.  I have two small children so I related to a lot of the experiences in this book.    

Keep scrolling for Shannon's Top Eight.

What are some of your favorite reads? Sound off in the comments.