L is for L Authors

My Favourite Things: Authors Whose Last Name Begin with 'L'

Since I do run a book blog, and for a very good reason, I thought I would take the time and share some of my favourite authors whose last name begins with 'L'.  This is an eclectic list, but then so is my reading style, and most of the books I am going to mention are ones that encouraged me to read more by these authors.  Enjoy!



The Earthsea Trilogy is one of those series of books that I read

when I was older although I had heard quite a bit about Ursula K. Le Guin.  I just never seemed to get around to reading her until I was in university for whatever reason, but it certainly didn't take me long to get involved in the legend of Sparrowhawk and yearn to read every book I could lay my hands on by this author.  I still have all the books on my shelf downstairs and have been looking at them lately, wondering if it's time to do a re-read as I haven't touched them in years. The Earthsea Cycle led to the Hainish Cycle which led to Catwings, and I'm sure you get the picture.  If you haven't read her yet, you are in for a treat as she has a unique style with a powerful message that underlies all of her books.  Interesting stuff!!

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has certainly touched a lot of people in a lot of different ways, but this book was not the one I actually read first, it was The Voyage of the Dawntreader.  I actually read them out of order and I found they made more sense that way, at least for me.  I certainly couldn't go through the 'L' author category and not mention this author.  I have taught this novel to countless students over the years and I am always amazed at the differing viewpoints that everyone has over this book.  Quite interesting!  I know Lucy and Aslan were definitely part of my childhood fantasies for quite a long time, and I'm sure I'm not the first kid who was disappointed when they walked into closets and found that's exactly what they were, closets.

Robert Ludlum was probably the most influential for me when it came to

developing my adoration for political thrillers.  I pored over the The Bourne Identity, staying up late to finish, having to get up at 5:30 to get to my summer job the next day.  Didn't matter though, as I had to know who was the mole, then to discover you didn't find out until one of the later books.  Read through all of his books, but absolutely detested the movies.  I sat through half of the first movie before actually walking out and reading a book for the rest of the movie.  Don't even get me started on what was wrong with the movie.  My husband, on the other hand, loved it; he hasn't yet read the books. 

Lois Lowry's The Giver is one of my earlier attempts at reading dystopian literature. I first discovered dystopian through the works of John Wyndham but hadn't found enough of it that I liked, and Lowry fit that bill quite well.  I was pregnant with my first child when I read the book for a Master degree assignment and I remember my shock and outrage over some of the things in the novel.  I've introduced the book to my children and they both loved it as well; it was quite a lively topic of discussion for quite a few weeks in my household.  The movie is coming out soon and I am curious to see what they will do with it.

I discovered Stephen R. Lawhead in high school and have been a fan of his

work ever since.  I was just thinking that I haven't yet read any of his newer series and it's time to get going with that.  Taliesen was the book that set me on the path of this author and because I discovered him as he published his first novel, I always had to wait until he published his next one.  Taliesen is the first book in the Pendragon Cycle and that meant a surge of interest in the Roman era, including books by a slew of authors who specialized in that area, especially those who wrote about King Arthur such as T.H. White, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mary Stewart, Jack Whyte, and T.A. Barron.

A Perfect Spy was my first John Le Carre novel and I was hooked.  I went and found all the other ones he had published and still read everything that gets published today.  I loved the international espionage stuff and because I was enthralled with Robert Ludlum, this was another author in whom I could submerge myself and just enjoy the thrill and never-ending rush of action after action.  Fun stuff!!

I can just go on and on about some of my favourite authors that begin with 'L'.  Who are your?  Cheers, everyone!!