It's Time for a Coffee Break

Books I love & Recommend—Romance, Fantasy, and Everything in Between.

What I envision for my Substack letters is a little bit of everything. As a child in a military family, I spent much of my childhood moving from one duty station to another. Honestly, I didn't love it back then, but I didn't hate it either. Along the way, I caught the nomad bug and acquired a love of ancient history and myth. I read a lot of books and must admit to collecting too much (what some people would call) useless information.

So let me tell you about The Books I love & Recommend—Romance, Fantasy, and Everything in Between. Over the years I've read thousands and thousands of books. I have kept most of them, so my library is extensive (yes, I have shelves that take up a whole wall in the TV room). I'm just going to pick 5 (in no particular order of preference) that are my very favorite (which means I've read them more than once) and let you find them on your favorite retailer if they sound interesting to you.

Anything written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, but especially: A Princess of Mars (made into a movie called John Carter of Mars—also a favorite), was first published in 1912. When I was in my 20s and living in England, I collected all of Burroughs' books, except a few hard-to-find titles. “...the Barsoom series inspired a number of well-known 20th-century science fiction writers including Jack Vance, Alan Moore, Ray Bradbury, Philip José Farmer, Arthur C. Clarke, Dan Simmons, Robert A. Heinlein, Stephen King, John Norman, and others. Burrough's Carter was a major influence on other science fiction and fantasy tales and characters through the 20th century including Flash Gordon, Superman, Buck Rogers, Dune, Warp!, Adam Strange, Den, George Lucas’ Star Wars (and the Jedi), James Cameron's Avatar, and many others. The Barsoom series was also inspirational for many scientists in the fields of space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life, including Carl Sagan. Burrough’s Barsoom continues to inspire and delight to this day.” ~The Barsoom Series Collected book page, Amazon. That I would say, is a legacy.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach was published in 1973 (the year I graduated from high school). It is a philosophic classic about a seagull who is determined to go on his own journey. “This is the story for people who follow their hearts and make their own rules…people who get special pleasure out of doing something well, even if only for themselves…people who know there’s more to this living than meets the eye: they’ll be right there with Jonathan, flying higher and faster than they ever dreamed.” ~ Barnes & Noble book page.

Bet Me by Jennifer Cruzie. It's hard to say if everyone will think this this one is a keeper, but I LOVE it!

“Minerva Dobbs knows all about risk management, which is why it's such a shock when David, her extremely logical choice for a boyfriend, dumps her three weeks before her perfect sister's wedding: David was not supposed to be a wild card. So when Min overhears David make a bet with his old nemesis—the gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey—that Cal can't get Min into bed in a month, she decides that fate has just handed her a stacked deck: she can make Cal sweat his sex appeal and get a date to the wedding, if she plays along and doesn't fold. What follows is a novel of destiny, chaos theory, Krispy Kreme donuts, the spirit of Elvis, Chicken Marsala, and a gamble for the highest stake of all: true love.

Bet Me is the winner of a 2005 RITA Award.” ~ Barnes & Noble book page.

Lemuria: The Lost Continent of the Pacific by WS Cerve and Dr James D Ward. Published in 1935 (and I believe there is an earlier version). The title speaks for itself and fires up my imagination, so it's on my list. This book is one of those books that can be taken as one remote version of history or as a fantastical story, depending on your belief system. It's very hard to find, but there are more current editions. If you're interested in finding a copy, check out AbeBooks. They find rare books.

The next two compete for fifth place: The Harry Potter Books by JK Rowling and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. If you haven't heard of them, I'd be surprised. Some love these books, some don't, but I'm a big fan.

The Harry Potter books follow Harry and his friends on their epic adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And Fourth Wing is the first book in Yarros' Empyrean Series—“Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda―because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.” I don’t usually follow the trends, but that description captured me.

There are so many books that I love and can recommend, but today these are the ones that come immediately to mind. Also, don't forget you can check out books at your local library.

Be well. Stay safe. And happy reading!

~Su