Only five? I
have lots of favorites! A tough assignment, but here goes.
Terry
Prachett is my favorite author, and Going
Postal is my favorite of his many novels set in his imaginary Discworld, an
alternate universe created by Sir Terry to spoof human foolishness. In Going
Postal, a con man, given a second chance, must save the derelict postal
service of Ank-Morpork. There is
romance, true danger, and an amazing satire on computers. I am in awe of the way that Pratchett can mix
comedy, drama, humor, and pathos all in one book. That’s what I strive for in my own novels.
Georgette
Heyer is known as the creator of the Regency romance genre. Her witty dialog and intricate plots take
comedy of errors to the next level. In
my favorite book, The Foundling, the
young Duke of Sale escapes his overprotective household, has adventures, and
proves himself. Heyer handles her many
characters very skillfully, and I appreciate her dry and subtle comments on
their foibles.
I
discovered Dorothy Sayers in my college library and became very fond of her
hero detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, especially in Murder Must Advertize. In
this adventure, Lord Peter goes undercover in an advertizing agency to solve the
murder of one of the employees. I was
immediately drawn into the world of upper class bon vivant Wimsey. Again, I love dialogue, and Lord Peter never
stops talking.
Jasper Fforde is an author whose work defies
description. Mystery, fantasy, time travel,
and delightful humor and invention are only a few of the things you can find in
his many novels. My favorite is The Big Over Easy. Jack Spratt and Mary Mary of the Nursery
Crime Division investigate the death of Humpty Dumpty. Did he fall or was he pushed? Add the evil Goliath Corporation, friendly
aliens, and the All of Fforde’s books, including the Thursday Next series, and
the amazing Shades of Grey (not to be
confused with Fifty Shades of Gray!),
in which the characters’ social status depends on what color they can see, are
filled with enough literary references, wordplay, and dazzling imagination to
please any English major, including myself.
And
finally, The Fantastic Flying Books of
Mr. Morris Lessmore, by William Joyce, illustrated by William Joyce and Joe
Bluhm. As a former elementary school
librarian, I love picture books, and even though I’m retired, I still like to
read them. It’s been a long time since a
book affected me so. Morris Lessmore’s
house and all his books are blown away in a storm, and a cheerful book invites
him to come live with him and hundreds of other little living books. The pictures are evocative and amusing, and
the story made me cry. So that’s a good
book!
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Jane Tesh is a retired media specialist
and pianist for the Andy Griffith Playhouse in Mt. Airy, NC, the real Mayberry.
She is the author of the Madeline Maclin Series, A Case of Imagination, A Hard Bargain, A Little Learning, and A Bad
Reputation, featuring former beauty
queen, Madeline “Mac” Maclin and her con man husband, Jerry Fairweather. Stolen
Hearts is the first in the Grace Street Mystery Series, featuring PI David
Randall, his psychic friend, Camden, Randall’s love interest, Kary Ingram, and
Cam’s career-driven girlfriend, Ellin Belton, as well as an ever-changing
assortment of Cam’s tenants. Mixed Signals is the second in the series, followed by Now You See It and Just You Wait. Jane’s mysteries are all published by Poisoned Pen
Press, located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Butterfly
Waltz is her first published fantasy novel from Silver Leaf Books. All of
Jane’s books are on the light side with humor and romance.
Visit Jane’s website at www.janetesh.com and her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/GraceStreetMysterySeries. You can also find her on Goodreads, Amazon’s
Author Central www.amazon.com/author/janetesh,
and www.twitter.com/janetesh.
Her blog is www.janetesh.wordpress.com
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