Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Wonderful Wednesdays #7 (Favourite Authors)


Wonderful Wednesdays is a meme about spotlighting and recommending some of our most loved books, even if we haven't read them recently.  Each week will have a different genre or theme.

This weeks theme is favourite authors.


Usually I choose books based on their individual themes and reviews, rather than based on who wrote them.  Even if I love a book written by a certain author, I don't usually seek out that author's other books.  But there are particular authors I make exceptions for, particular authors I will read anything by and get ridiculously excited if anything new comes out.

My first choice is Philip Pullman.  I became a fan as a teenager with the His Dark Materials trilogy, books that I have read many times and will read many more.  I love the world building, the characters, the quirky daemons and the fact that deeper topics are considered too.  I'm also a big fan of the Sally Lockhart Mysteries, set in Victorian England.

And then earlier this year, I finally got my hands on The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, which I found to be a thoughtful examination on the difference between Jesus and the Christian church.  These books are from different genres and age ranges, which is the main reason why I love Pullman - he is so versatile.

My second choice is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  My first introduction to her work was Half of a Yellow Sun, a powerful and epic tale of Nigerian civil war.  This led me on to Purple Hibiscus, about a family living in the shadow of their abusive father, known as an upstanding Christian man in his own community.

And sitting on my shelf upstairs is a copy of her short story collection That Thing Around Your Neck, which I've been saving for my week off work next week.  I love Adichie for the simple but powerful writing, the way she writes about Nigeria and her characters.


How about you?
I want to hear all about your favourite authors, whatever genre they come from.  Grab the image above, make a blog post and then sign up to the linky below so we can all hop between blogs.  Thanks to those that do take part.


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12 comments:

  1. Jo @ Booklover Book Reviews19 October 2011 at 00:48

    I have not come across these authors before. I am finding myself drawn to books set in or written by authors from the African continent lately...

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  2. Mystica19 October 2011 at 02:56

    This meme is going to throw up wonderful answers this week.

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  3. Sabrina19 October 2011 at 10:33

    I love Aidichie! I read the books in the same order as you though they were published the other way round. I think Half the Yellow Sun was much stronger already. One could really feel Aidichie's voice growing. I am curious about any of her future novels.

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  4. Maria Grazia19 October 2011 at 16:32

    Well, I've just posted about my favourite authors. But it is always interesting to read other bloggers' posts: my TBR list grows and grows endlessly! Thanks for this new occasion of sharing, Sam. I've taken notes of your suggestions. BTW, loved the Sally Lockhart Mysteries on TV but I have never read the books the series is based on.

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  5. Sam (Tiny Library)19 October 2011 at 20:28

    Joanna, if you enjoy reading about Africa, Adichie is the author for you! I would recommend starting with Half of a Yellow Sun.

    Mystica, it has turned out well. Austen has cropped up a lot!

    Sabrina, I agree, Half of a Yellow Sun was better, just on a grander scale. I do hope she publishes more novels in the future.

    Maria, thnaks for the post and the support, as always :)

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  6. Jo19 October 2011 at 20:44

    I thought I would join in this and then it became difficult to decide who was favourite.

    But it has thrown up lots of books I now want to read.

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  7. Trish20 October 2011 at 01:31

    I've been curious about Half of a Yellow Sun. I'll have to look out for a copy and give this author a try. The only author I've been coming back to again and again so far is Barbara Kingsolver.

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  8. Unknown20 October 2011 at 01:36

    I read Adichie for the first time just this last month, and plan to at least one of her novels next year.

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  9. O.20 October 2011 at 03:41

    Half of a Yellow Sun was one of the books discussed on BBC World Book Club and it sounds very interesting. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie seemed very nice too and that made the interview that much more enjoyable. I'll need to check out her books.

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  10. Darlyn (Your Move, Dickens)20 October 2011 at 08:26

    Great post. I have copies of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, but I still haven't touched them for some reason. This post makes me want to move the books up my TBR pile. I really must find out if the trilogy is as great as everybody says it is. :)

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  11. Sam (Tiny Library)20 October 2011 at 20:59

    Jo, it was hard for me to decide too. I'm glad you got some recommendations from the meme :)

    Trish, I completely forgot Kingsolver! I loved both The Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna.

    Jenny, Purple Hibiscus is a great read, but if you haven't read it yet, go for Hald of a Yellow Sun.

    Olga, I need to look up the BBC World Book Club, I've heard from lots of people their picks are good. Hope you enjoy Half Of A Yellow Sun!

    Darlyn, I love the trilogy but I was a YA myself when I read it. I don't know if that might make a difference?

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  12. Elizabeth20 October 2011 at 23:48

    My favorite author is Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

    Author of: SHADOW OF THE WIND

    Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

    Elizabeth

    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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