My Name is Suzanne, and I am a Book-A-Holic

I've always known I had an addiction. Ever since childhood, I have loved books. I remember going to the school library and running to a favorite section to find something new & exciting to read. Back in those days, I usually preferred a good Nancy Drew mystery or biography about a famous American. In 25+ years, my tastes in books hasn't changed much. I still love a good mystery/suspense plot and enjoy reading about the real life stories of others. In fact, I'll read almost anything- fiction, horror, true crime, mystery, biography, etc. About the only thing I won't read is a Harlequin Romance novel. I read enough VC Andrews in middle and high school to make up for my lack of appreciation for the romance genre today. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

The Last Time That They Met by Anita Shreve: This was the book that made me fall in love with this author. The "oh-my-gosh-did-I-just-read-that" ending is one thing that makes this book great (in my opinion). It's one book that I'll often pick up and just read the last 2 pages and say "Wow!" every single time. But the ending isn't the only good thing. This is a beautiful story about love, loss and coming to terms with the decisions that shape our lives.

Anything by Anne Rule: Anne Rule is the queen of the true crime genre. Her well-researched books on crimes that boggle the mind are hard to put down. She makes it her mission to write the full truth- from court proceedings to interviews with the victims' families and friends. I was thrilled to get the chance to meet her at an Atlanta book signing a few years ago because she is a gracious lady.

Anything by Stephen King: King is the King when it comes to the horror genre. I make it a mission to own anything he writes (with the exception of his sci-fi stuff) and buy it in hardback as soon as it hits bookshelves. I'm really proud of my Stephen King collection in our home library.

The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates: A beautifully written novel about love and loss that revolves around Niagara Falls. Written with some historical accuracy, Oates paints a picture of a tormented woman who copes with a tragic loss on her wedding night.

That's just a few of my must-reads. I could go on and on about my favorite authors and books, but no one wants to read a novel on a blog post. Let's just say that Anne Rule, Mary Higgins Clark, Stephen King, and select others have taken the place of Nancy Drew on my preferred reading list and the bookshelves in my home. And when my husband rolls his eyes because I come home with yet another bag of books from Barnes and Noble (my own personal heaven on Earth), I can only say this: It's cheaper than crack!