“Books are humanity in print.” - Barbara W. Tuchman

I love books. <3

There's so much knowledge in them. I also like the feeling of a book in my hand. While I want a Kindle or E-reader they could never replace the feeling of holding a book in my hands and escaping to the place that I am reading about. I am going to tell you about some of my favorite books.

First and foremost, The Bible. Even if you're not religious there are some really great stories in there. David and Goliath, Sodom and Sodom and Gomorrah, Judgement of Solomon, Just to name a few. It's also a guide to those of us who do believe. A guide to right and wrong. A guide on love and support. A guide to the Fathers undying and just love.

Next on my list is "A Child Called It - Dave Pelzer". I read this while studying for my GED. I have read A LOT of books in my life time. Some I couldn't even tell you the names of. This one has stuck with me for the last 10 years. It's a powerful and true story about a little boy's struggle with his abusive mother and abandonment of his father. This is a true story with a story book ending. I would suggest this book to anyone. I do however think it should have a "This will make you sick and make you cry" warning label on it though.

The Odd Thomas Series by Dean Koontz. I just recently discovered that there are now two more books in the series bringing it to a total of Five. This is not your typical ghost story. It's also more than a story about a man who see's ghosts. Odd is a simple yet interesting fellow who has a best friend and a one true love. The love story between Odd and Stormy is far from cliche but more than beautiful. If you're into a good story line with a lot of drama, a little romance and a touch of super natural (okay more than a touch) then I highly recommend picking this series up and giving it a try.

The Harry Potter series - JK Rowling. Seven books. Seven wonderful books. While a lot of people view this as a magic filled "sinners" book I got soo much more out of this series than that. I also learned about true friendship. Loss. Finding your place in this world. I believe that allowing children to read these books allows them to stretch imagination and learn about hard ships and love. There is a lot of reading to be done here but I promise, once you start you won't be able to stop.

The Dragonlance series - Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman. This is quite an extensive series but I am not talking about the whole series. Just 3. Soulforge, Brothers In Arms and Dragons of Autumn Twilight. The characters are easy to fall in love with while you hate some of them at the same time. The descriptions are so rich that you feel as though you are there actually IN the story. It is well thought out and smartly written. Very easy to follow and not because it is dumbed down but because you simply MUST know what comes next for the wide myriad of characters. Follow these characters as they journey across a world in peril.
(Description co written by Jeremy Shaffer)

Detour for Emmy by Marilyn Reynolds is a quick but powerful read about a girl who had everything going for her until she got pregnant in high school. She struggles with being a teen mom with very little help from the baby's father or her family.

If you have read any of these let me know your opinion. If there are any books that you think I should read post it here and I will try to read them and let you know what I think.