I have far too many of both to mention. My favorites are deeply entwined with happy memories that I have from my past. In junior high, I vividly remember “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury kicking my ass (in the best way possible of course). I remember reading “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” and feeling like my soul was killed and reborn all in one reading and devouring everything Maya Angelou ever wrote after that. I have a vivid memory of the magic of Shakespeare FINALLY kicking in in college when I read “The Taming Of The Shrew.” I remember getting lost in the phenomenon of the “Twilight” universe and thinking, “Whoa! A fellow mom wrote this? You go Stephenie Meyer!”

 

And really, I am in awe of any person who can take characters that didn't exist, put them in an imaginary universe all their own, and then tell a compelling story that keeps the reader locked in. Authors who have managed this, regardless of their genre, are all my heroes.