My top ten favorite books of all time

I used to read a lot...

Lately I havn't read as much as I would like. I've been too busy working on my own writing projects, raising kids, and keeping up with the house work. Still, when I have time, I like to sit down with a cup of hot tea, wrapped up in my favorite blanket, and fall into the fantasy world that lies between the pages of a good book.

I started writing short stories on post it notes when I just a little kid, but my true inspiration for writing came when I was rummaging through my mother's attic and found an old copy of the shining, By author Stephen King. Once I'd finished that book, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, a horror writer. Over the years I've read many other titles by many other writers, way too many to list. So, for this post, I'd like to list my top ten favorite books, and tell you a little bit about each of them. I'll try not to give too much away but there may be some spoilers ahead.

#10. The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. I first read this book in high school and I have to say, it really moved me. The story is heart-felt, the characters are likable, and the entire book will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's truly a coming of age story where the main character, Ponyboy, faces obstacles that ultimately change his life. It takes place in the 1960's and is geered more towards teenagers as the main character and his friends are all teens. This book is a real tear-jerker though so if you read it, keep a box of tissues close by.

#9. Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. This book is definitely more adult oriented as there are some graphic sexual scenes in it. It's a fun fantasy book though with magic, a Greek God, and lot of twists that you just won't see coming. The cool thing about this book is that it spans over several centuries, and portrays the lives of several main characters who all seem to tie in with each other by the close of the book. It's definitely an interesting read and I would recommend it for anyone that likes books that push the boundaries a bit.

#8. A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer. A Child Called It is an amazing story that chronicles one of the worst cases of child abuse in America. It's an autobiographical, non-fiction, where the author recounts his child hood abuse at the hands of his mentally ill mother. There are some parts of the book that will make you furious, and other parts that will make you cry. The most amazing part of this story is how the main character overcame the abuse and then went on to become a spokesperson for abused children. There are other books in this series that span over the course of the authors life. They are all great books, very heart-felt, and will really make you stop and think about what life is like for children who have grown up in abusive house holds.

#7. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. This book is a little different than the others I've already mentioned. This is the first horror story that I am going to mention. It was made into a movie in the 1970's and has terrified audiences for decades. It's a chilling tale of a young girl who becomes possessed and after going through countless doctors and psychiatrists, her mother finally turns to the catholic church for help in ridding her daughter of the invading spirits. If I ever do a top ten of my favorite movies, this will definitely be on the list but I wanted to also acknowledge that it is an excellent book that tells much more of the story than the movie actually does. 

#6. Lightning by Dean Koontz. This is an interesting tale of a woman whose life is cursed with bad luck. Thanks to the aide of a guardian angel who appears in a blast of lightning, the main character is saved time and time again. Her angel has a secret though, a secret that comes with hidden dangers. As the story unfolds, the reader is taken on an amazing adventure full of thrills, chills, and romance. It's an excellent read and not overly scary for those of you who don't really like horror, this book is tame enough for you to enjoy.

#5. Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice. This amazing book tells the tale of a young boy castrated to preserve his angelic singing voice so that he can attend a school for gifted singers. It takes place in eighteenth-century Italy and is more than just a book about music and art. This story keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout as it weaves a tale of romance, sex, and revenge. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone under eighteen years of age though as some of the content is very mature. But for adults who enjoy opera, mystery, and gay erotica, this book is definitely for you.

#4. The Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice. Another Anne Rice book that I just love is The Servant of the Bones.  This book is more fantasy than the last, and definitely has more of a horror story feel. There are some scenes of extreme violence in this book as the main character is cursed through a ritual of pure torture. I don't want to give a lot about this book away because it really is worth the read, but I will say that it has a huge paranormal and magical theme to it and some very thought provoking dialogue.

#3. Pet Semetery by Stephen King. Now, one of my all time favorite authors and the one who inspired me to write horror. Stephen King is by far a master of his art. I love almost everything he's ever written but as this is a top ten list I had to choose those that I liked particularly well. Number three on my list goes to Pet Semetery. It's about a cemetery that is built over an ancient Indian burial ground. The ground itself has been tainted by an evil spirit known as a Wendigo. Anyone or anything buried there comes back as a flesh eating monster, which is why the Indians stopped using it. When Luis Creed's daughters cat dies after being hit by a truck, the nice, elderly neighbor Jud Crandall, takes Luis to the graveyard and advises him to bury the cat before the little girl realizes that her beloved pet has died. What follows is a trail of blood, gore, and murder despite the warnings from a friendly though decomposing ghost.

#2. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. I know what you're thinking. If I love Stephen King so much, why are there more Anne Rice books listed here than Stephen King? Simple answer, they are my two favorite authors and to list all the King books that I love would take way too much time. Interview is my second favorite book of all time. I read it when I was in my sophomore year in high school, back when I developed my vampire obsession. I actually did a compare and contrast essay in college based on Interview and "King's" Salem's Lot (another vampire book). I chose to put Interview here as opposed to Salem's Lot because, while they are both excellent books, King's tends to stay with the older, Nosferatu, stereotype as Rice's Interview has a newer, more romantic, view of vampires giving them more of a count Dracula feel. In interview, the vampires pass easily for humans, are beautiful, elegant, and cultured. They do sleep in coffins but they do it in style and tend to live more lavish lifestyles. While Rice tends to stay away from the more common traits, King's version embraces them, such as needing to be invited into a living persons home, roses and garlic warding off vampires, and the age old belief that vampires bat like creatures which must sleep in the earth of their home land. Both stories are awesome but if you want something with more of a romantic feel where you relate more to the vampires then Interview is for you. If you relate more to the humans hunting vampires and see vampires as blood thirsty monsters then check out Salem's lot. 

Before I post my number one favorite book of all time, I want to take a moment to list a few books that I love that, unfortunately, didn't make the top ten list but or none the less great books. 

Carrie by Stephen King.
Anthem by Ayn Rand.
One Child by Torey Hayden.
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber.
The Stephanie Plum series by  Janet Evanovich.
The Vampire Lestat and the rest of the vampire Chronicals by Anne Rice.
The Witching hour books by Anne Rice.
The Vampire Diaries by L.J Smith.
The Twilight Series (Breaking Dawn is my favorite) by Stephanie Meyer.  
The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling.
The children of the corn by Stephen King.
The Stand by Stephen King.
Misery by Stephen King.
And my number one favorite book of all time...

#1. The Shining by Stephen King. 

In my opinion, one of the best books ever written.As I mentioned before, I found an old copy of this book in my mother's attic and it looked so good I just had to read it. I was maybe fifteen years old at the time and I just fell in love with this book. I had known by that point that I wanted to be a writer but after reading The Shining, I knew without a doubt that my passion was for writing horror. If you are unfamiliar with this story, it takes place during winter at a hotel that closes down until summer. The main character and his family move into the hotel over the winter when the husband is hired as the winter caretaker. The hotel though is home to more than just the caretaker and his family or the many guests that have come and gone. From an axe murdering former caretaker, his two murdered daughters, a decomposing corpse in a bath tub, and a fairly disturbing scene of fellatio preformed by a man in a dog suit, this book has it all...and then some. There is way more to this book then what can be seen in the movie (including more information on the fellatio scene) and should definitely be read before seeing the movie, or if you loved t he movie I totally recommend reading the book too. It explains so much that you probably missed in the movie. I've read this book a few times now and it never ceases to amaze me. Once you've read The Shining, you'll never look at REDRUM the same way again!