Reader's forum--what do you love to read most of all?

[Roxanne]

What are your favorite genres, and who are your favorite authors?

[Theresa]

Hello Roxanne
my name is theresa I like reading all kunds od books. my #1 is mystery Romance and second is romance. My few of my favourite authors are Ann Vaughn, Dee Ann Waite, JS Cooper and Bj Daniels That is juat as few.

[Lyn]

Hi Theresa. I haven't read any of those authors but I do love mystery and romance too! On Monday my review of Mischief in Italy will appear on my blog. A great light romantic comedy of errors. http://www.LynCote.com

[Shaleen]

I like almost everything but every other book is romance. I need the happy endings to approach the darker or more serious books.

[Helen]

I like to change it about a bit too, Shaleen. I read mysteries along with my romances, but not usually anything too dark. I find that with movies as well. When I've watched a dark one I like something happy next.

[Melinda]

I love humor across genres!

[Melinda]

Kimberly wrote: "Humor and quirky characters get me hooked in any genre. I like light, fun, romantic comedies and contemporaries with a large cast of characters. I also love paranormals, from light to dark, but the..."

I agree with Kimberly - balance is key!

[Rosemary]

As well as books on other subjects I read a lot of historical fiction and non-fiction. With regard to the latter I only enjoy novels in which the author has obviously researched the period the novel is set in. My pet dislike are scenes that border on soft porn.

[Shaleen]

I agree with the humor too. I tend to find more humor in romances than anywhere else. Every time a book makes me laugh out loud it is a romance.

[Milou]

I love a book that makes me laugh out loud. They're very rare, though - I find maybe one or two a year. When I find one, I make sure most of my friends read it too!

Funny or not, quirky characters usually hook me in right away. I stay away from gore and most paranormal is just too dark for me, although I don't know why that bothers me, since I also love political and spy thrillers!

My favorite books are warm, human stories about decent people facing challenges, with happy endings. A particular favorite: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and one of my favorite authors ever - Nevil Shute

[Roxanne]

Milou, what are some of the books that have made you laugh in the last year or two? I really enjoy those, too.

I've never read Nevil Shute. I will have to check him out!

[Laura]

Milou wrote: "I love a book that makes me laugh out loud. They're very rare, though - I find maybe one or two a year. When I find one, I make sure most of my friends read it too!

Funny or not, quirky character..."

I love books that make me laugh and on the flip side I also like books that make me cry! I haven't read Nevil Shute either, may have to give him a try.

[R.M.]

I love romance, suspense, some paranormal, pretty much anything that grabs me and won't let me put it down.

I'll have to check out Nevil Shute too!

[Milou]

Fair warning - Nevil Shute was a British author and engineer who died in 1960, so he may not be everyone's cup of tea. (And while happy endings predominate in his books, they are not always guaranteed.) But people who liked his work absolutely love him!

Books that made me laugh ... 2012 was a bumper year, with three winners: Sophie Kinsella's I've Got Your Number; her The Undomestic Goddess; and The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. All three made me laugh out loud many times.

I finished another one today that made me laugh out loud as well, but it hasn't settled in my mind yet. I laughed, but the story was quite serious and sad in places: Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

Of those four, I guess only the Kinsella books are romances and they're at least PG/PG-13 rated, not G.

What books made you laugh? I'm always looking for more!

[Shaleen]

Maggie Osborne's romances were always touching and funny together.

[Milou]

Shaleen wrote: "Maggie Osborne's romances were always touching and funny together."

I've never read any of her books but it sounds like I should. She's got quite a number of them - which ones would you recommend I check out first?

[Helen]

Shaleen wrote: "Maggie Osborne's romances were always touching and funny together."

I've not read her. I'll have to check out her books.

[Shaleen]

Helen, I do I do I do is probably one of funniest, but I liked Prairie Moon and Promise of Jenny Jones characters the best.

[Milou]

Thanks Shaleen - I'm looking forward to reading these. There aren't enough funny books out there! Thanks for the recommendations.

[Helen]

Shaleen wrote: "Helen, I do I do I do is probably one of funniest, but I liked Prairie Moon and Promise of Jenny Jones characters the best."

Thanks for the recommendations. I do like books that make me laugh.

[Helen]

Joanne wrote: "I LOVED!! The Wives of Bowie Stone by Maggie Osborne. Not funny as such but a gorgeous read - picked it up on the freebie table at an RWA Conference and its on my keeper shelf."

Lovely when you have a surprise find like this, a story you absolutely love. That's happened to me a few times. I can't think of an example right now. My head is too full of other things!

[Teresa]

I like most genres. I'm not really into the paranormal but everything else is great. I rotate the type of books I read. One maybe Inspirational, the next Sweet Read, then a murder/mystery. It all depends on what mood I am in I guess.

[Ramla Zareen]

Hello everyone, my favourite genres to read are "Golden-Age" and "Cozy" Mystery, with "Historical Romance" following close behind. I also very much enjoy "Contemporary Romance", "RomCom/Chick-Lit" and "Classic RomCom".

While the books of some of my favourite "Romance" authors, like Judith McNaught, do contain some intimate scenes but usually I very much appreciate it when an author is able to maintain decency by exquisitely manipulating words to imply physical chemistry between the lead characters, without going into intimate details. For example,  Georgette Heyer and Sophie Kinsella. 

There is one more author that I have discovered who writes sweet and reasonably clean romances: Debbie Macomber. Actually, I had read few books by her before but the ones that I recently read and am currently reading have promoted her to my favourite list :-) Not only liked both the stories of "Married In Seattle" but also very much enjoying "My Sweet Valentine", the first story in "Be My Valentine" :-)

Guess I should also mention that I am not a fan of unresolved and bitter-sweet conclusions ..."Happy Endings" are a must for me! :-)

Well, looking forward to discussing books, getting great recommendations and making wonderful friends :-)

Happy Reading!  :-)
--Ramla Zareen

[C.]

Most genres, but in romance-love me some cowboys or western lawmen. Also enjoy Chick-lit. Do not like insta-love or triangles, and I like Historical romance/time slip-time travel,but prefer Contemporary, nothing over PG-13 Cleanliness.

[Josie]

I love all sweet romances, and a happily ever after is a must. Like Milou, the characters need to have a sense of humor and make me laugh. I also love a good, solid, believable conflict between the hero and heroine, although, if I love the author and his/her voice, I'll forgive almost anything.

[C.]

Josie wrote: "I love all sweet romances, and a happily ever after is a must. Like Milou, the characters need to have a sense of humor and make me laugh. I also love a good, solid, believable conflict between the..."

I so agree, with everything you said! :D

[Bella]

Hi Everyone, I personally like romance of any type/trope/genre. My favourite has to be series' where the second book features one of the characters from the first book, and so on. I don't usually like when you have to read the 2nd book to find out what happens to the main characters from the 1st book because it's their story is not over yet (although I love it when the appear in the subsequent books in the series)... I am reading Tess Thompson's Cliffside Bay series at the moment and am hooked on all the characters.

I write sweet romance, myself, and really like the genre, but don't mind sex scenes in the books I read as long as they actually make sense in the story line and are not just there so that the book has more words/pages. Do you know what I mean?

[Theresa]

I love reading Historical romance stories, especially from the Old West (Mail Order Brides, Orphan Trains, Oregon Trail, etc.) or Victorian romances. I also love to read books in a series where you're introduced to characters in one book that has main characters, and then characters you've been introduced to in a previous book become the main characters in they own book. I'm currently reading the Alphabet Mail Order Brides series and loving each one. You could probably read them out of order and they'd still make sense, but I love reading them in order from A to Z.