All the books I love-This is an ongoing and growing list...

My first love. Years by LaVyrle Spencer. I've read this book so many times I can quote it. I was transported to the Midwest in 1917 and I loved it.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver another novel that took me to a place I've never been. The southern range of the Appalachia, of course I loved it. I was happy to hike along with Deanna to try and find the elusive coyote, or farm beside Lusa, I cheered for her when she found a way to make it. The old cronies fighting was lovely, salty old farts stuck in their own ways. It does preach a bit about the state of our natural world but it does so in a lyrical and fine way that I loved.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey. Pushed into reading this by my 'other-mother' I didn't think I'd like science fiction. I'm so glad I was wrong. I'd live on Pern and fly a dragon if I wasn't so afraid of heights. If you've never read Anne, I encourage you to do so. She's magnificent.

Where You'll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova By Ty Gagne.

I don't usually find non-fiction fascinating, but delving into the 'why' we make the decisions we make was an interesting read and even though I knew the final fate for Kate, the getting there had me in tears. Both for her and the responders that were tasked with recovering her.

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel. I love the whole series but I think this one is the best. The young girl Ayla, the trials of her life being an Other among the 'flat-heads'. The story of our evolving earth and the idea that there is no 'missing-link' because we are two different species. I love an author that can make a world so real you can feel the wind or smell the smoke from the fire.

A Place to Call Home by Deborah Smith. This is the first of her books that I read, it's rich family dynamic, it's witty banter between the grandmothers and the soft and gentle telling of a tragic love story with a happy ending made for some great reading. While I find her other books to be a repeat of the same story told with different characters, this one is the best.