Elinor Lipman - Adored Author

Elinor Lipman writes witty novels filled with vivid, memorable characters. Often my favorite is whatever novel she's most recently published.  Some of my favorites are: Ladies’ Man - A tale of three sisters, all spinsters and living together in Boston; Isabel’s Bed – A writer takes a ghost writing position for scandal queen; and When She Found Me - A shy teacher is sought out by her gregarious birth mother.  My Latest Grievance feels like a revisiting of some themes from her first novel: Then She Found Me. Namely, girl raised by conservative, quiet parents runs into a mother figure who is outrageous (in a Lipman way) and shakes up her life. And I'll always love The Inn at Lake Devine about a young girl who witnesses anti-Semitism from the Inn of the title who grows up and finds her life inextricably linked with that of the owners. Funny, romantic, meaningful.  Plus, I love the inside look at the great Jewish resorts of the Catskills.

Patrick Dennis - Adored Author

Of course, I completely adore Patrick Dennis's Auntie Mame.  It's witty and gay (no other word fits so well) tale featuring one of the most memorable and endearing characters of all time.  Of course, an amazing film starring Rosalind Russell.  But I think if I had to pick a desert island book out of his work, I might pick The Joyous Season.  In this novel, Dennis tells a vivid, comic tale of precocious children, wacky families, Christmas and divorce.  Why did no one make this into a movie yet?   So many beautifully cinematic, and completely hilarious scenes. I also love Tony, but at this point, Dennis's sharpness gets a little tough to take at times.  Still, there are so many scenes that stay with me for always.  Also, he's a fascinating character himself--check out Uncle Mame by Eric Myers for the full, weird story.

Lois Duncan - Adored Author

Lois Duncan is the mistress of horror for young adults. Even though her novels were written decades ago, they are barely dated at all and are still very chilling.  One of Duncan's great gifts is her skill in evoking the horror inherent in the helplessness of being a child/teen and being dependent on others for your safety.  Some of her outstanding novels include Gallows Hill, about a girl who moves from California to a small Indiana town and gets embroiled in doings that resemble the Salem witch trials.  To say any more would spoil the suspense that Duncan so wonderfully creates.  My all-time favorite of her novels is probably Stranger With My Face.   This is a great story of a teenage girl who lives on an isolated island with her family who starts getting mysterious visits from her long-lost (and far distant) sister. Amazing exploration of astral projection.  Well written, amazingly suspensefuly, not even a bit dated, and really should have been made into a equally chilling film.

Stephen King - Adored Author

Well, of course.  It's Stephen King.  One of the first authors of grownup books I remember reading, I can remember precisely on which shelf of my childhood library Carrie was located.  And I remember the cover perfectly and how I felt reading it.  If I had to pick an all-time favorite, it would probably be The Stand.   Incredibly long, but incredibly absorbing tale of a virus wiping out most of the world. I think of The Stand every time I'm in close quarters with a stranger with a hacking cough.  I also love his short stories collections like Night Shift, which contains the fabulously weird "The Mangler" and the never-leave-your-closet-door-even-slightly-ajar tale of "The Boogeyman."  Also love Skeleton Crew, which includes the wonderful novella "The Mist," as well as standout stories such as "The Monkey," "The Jaunt" and "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut."  And of course, there's It.  Still super scary, although I'm not exactly sure what happens at the end.  But eek.  Particularly if you have a deep and abiding fear of clowns. And who doesn't?  And then the more serious King, such as The Green Mile.  Not so much spooky as his other books, but genuinely good. Incredibly suspenseful, absorbing and touching.  And I adored On Writing , which is half autobiography, half writing guide. The only writing book I've ever actually finished. Great insight into the life and writing style of a popular author.

Vivian Vande Velde - Adored Author

Vivian Vande Velde writes funny and spooky stories and novels for children and teens.  Some of her best collections include Being Dead: Seven stories that are all wonderful and range from gently creepy to out-and-out horror. One story made me gasp aloud. The stories are definitely dark, but very good.  All Hallow's Eve, wonderfully weird Halloween short stories by the mistress of horror and humor for young adults. Some of the stories are genuinely chilling, some are lighter and funny, but all are delightful.  Two of her best YA novels include Heir Apparent, where a girl gets trapped in a virtual reality game and has to replay the game until she can win and escape, and Now You See It.  Wendy finds a pair of sunglasses on her front lawn and finds that she can see things beyond the normal world, including a doorway to another world, where she meets a variety of interesting characters including one of her own ancestors.  See also The Rumpelstiltskin Problem and Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird under Fairy Tales Retold.

Richard Matheson - Adored Author

A prolific contributor to the Twilight Zone tv series, Matheson writes stories that are part horror, part fantasy and completely compelling. Outstanding collections of Matheson's work include Third From the Sun and the Shock series.  See also Duel, a wonderful collection of short stories including the title story, a fabulous tale of road rage and craziness that is genuinely frightening. Makes you wonder how anybody makes it home alive after being out on the roads.

Armistead Maupin - Adored Author

I freaking love Tales of the City.  Originally published in serial form in the SF Chronicle, these six books follow the adventures of a group of friends from the 1970s through the 1980s. Incredibly addictive.  The first book was wonderfully adapted into a tv series, with great casting.  I love the Maupin continues to write about these characters, most recently in Michael Tolliver Lives and Mary Ann in Autumn.  I could read about these characters forever.  I also loved The Night Listener, an excellent novel involving a writer and a sick boy who corresponds with him. Extremely suspenseful and heartrending. (However, not very light.)

Jane Austen - Adored Author

There's a reason that about every other book coming out is based on Jane Austen's work.  Love Austen.  Pride and Prejudice:  The gold standard for all romantic comedy novels. Much more fun than you may remember!  Filmed a number of times--the best with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.  Also love Persuasion,  which is angsty and poignant and delicious.  Also a great film with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root.  And of course, Emma, basis of my senior thesis.  Mr. Knightley is a close second to Mr. Darcy in the Great Romantic Hero competition.  Love!

Maud Hart Lovelace - Adored Author

I completely adore the Betsy-Tacy series of books by Lovelace, which follows Betsy and her friends from age six to adulthood and marriage. Written for her daughter, the books follow Betsy in age--little chapter books to begin with, then over to the young adult section for the grown Betsy books: high school and college.  I completely remember jumping from children's to young adult to read the next one in the series.  Beautifully illustrated by Lois Lenski, then Vera Neville, the entire series is consistently wonderful (except for the last book wherein independent Betsy gets married and turns a little neurotic).  I especially love Betsy and the Great World, where Betsy takes a year to travel and heads home as WWI breaks out.  So romantic!

Maeve Binchy - Adored Author

Maeve Binchy writes sweet, Irish tales people with heaps of memorable characters. Like a big, cozy quilt in book form. I love all of her books, but can't always remember exactly what they were about after reading them.  I adore This Year It Will Be Different: the best Christmas short story collection ever. These stories have a definite edge and are infused with dark humor. Mothers who feel that their hard holiday work goes unappreciated should definitely check this collection out.  Other outstanding Binchy novels include Circle of Friends, Evening Class, Tara Road, and, especially, Night of Rain and Stars, which is set on a Greek island and revolves around four tourists from England, America, Germany and, of course, Ireland. After a tragedy occurs on the island, the four find themselves caught up in island life and reluctant to leave. Love blossoms, family troubles spark and are resolved, colorful island folk add their two cents and the whole novel is just delightful.

Alison Lurie - Adored Author

I adore Alison Lurie. She takes what could be the dryest subjects--like Truth and Consequences, about an academic administrator and her injured but philandering professor husband--and makes them fascinating with her strong characters and her excellent insights into relationships and character.  Foreign Affairs is about a fifty-four year old English professor traveling to London to study children's playground rhymes.  Lurie is a master of social comedy, and her books have a very Austen feel.  Vinnie Miner is such a complex and fascinating character, and I adore all of her insights into life as a older, unmarried woman.   See also Women and Ghosts, a collection of vivid, spooky tales, each featuring a woman and a ghost. And Don’t Tell the Grown-ups:  The Subversive Nature of Children’s Literature-you’ll never look at Peter Pan or Kate Greenaway the same way again.

Ellen Conford - Adored Author

Though Ellen Conford's books are contemporary, they are sadly out-of-print. Featuring endearing characters and funny but realistic situations, all of her books are recommended, especially:  Seven Days to a Brand-New Me: Hilarious story of a high school girl who tries to jazz up her life through a combination of self-help and romance books.  The Alfred G. Graebner Memorial High School Handbook of Rules and Regulations, an excellent high school tale. Witty and realistic, as are all Conford books.  And Hail, Hail Camp Timberwood, the best of all summer camp YA novels. Conford deserves to be in print for decades to come. Her books are not remotely dated, despite being written twenty to thirty years ago.

Sarah Dessen - Adored Author

A fabulous young adult author, Sarah Dessen creates incredibly vivid characters with complex, realistic relationships. There are no easy answers, no unrealistically dramatic scenes--every bit just feels so much like real (young adult) life.  All of her books are wonderful, and interestingly enough, hard to condense in only a few words.  I think the one that stays with me the most is The Truth About Forever - Macy's boyfriend is going away to Brain Camp for the summer, so she gets a job with a catering company and meets Wes--one of the realistically dreamy ya romantic interests ever.  Other great Dessens include Dreamland, Just Listen, Keeping the Moon, That Summer,  This Lullaby and whatever new one she's just written.

Shirley Jackson - Adored Author

I love pretty much everything Jackson has written.  I adore her short stories, and one of the best is Just an Ordinary Day, which varies between chilling horror tales and regular, domestic fiction.  You don't know which the story is until the end so a hint of menace clouds the whole book in a delicious way. Also love her novels like The Haunting of Hill House, which is probably the best haunted house story ever; and We Have Always Lived in the Castle about Merricat, her sister and her uncle who live in fairly cheerful isolation far from suspicious neighbors and townsfolk. Why? Read it and find out. Deliciously creepy.  One more great story collection is Come Along With Me, which includes a few excellent essays on writing and a fascinating essay on the public's response to her short story The Lottery.

Anne Tyler - Adored Author

I pretty much always adore Tyler's work.  She writes wonderful novels set in Baltimore with incredibly vivid (and usually eccentric) characters.  One in particular I loved was The Amateur Marriage.  Unfolding over chapters that peek in on Pauline and Michael at different times in their marriage, this novel is quiet and compelling, and provides real insight not only into the life and marriage of this couple, but into the universal issues that people face as they age. Some of my other Tyler favorites are Accidental Tourist, Ladder of Years, Patchwork Planet, Saint Maybe, and Earthly Possessions. 

Helene Hanff - Adored Author

Adore all of Hanff's works, starting with 84 Charing Cross Road, a series of letters between Hanff and the proprietor of the London bookshop of the title. Charming for any lover of books. Hanff's books are all genius, especially for anyone who loves books, reading, London or New York City.  The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street is all about Hanff's first (eventual) trip to London.  Other outstanding Hanff works include Underfoot in Show Business, The Apple of My Eye (about New York City) and Q's Legacy, a sequel to 84 Charing Cross Road.