Since we got back home, we’ve been having ridiculously high temperatures where I live so I’ve been enjoying the air conditioning and had my nose stuck in a book. I should preface this post with, I’m a little crazy obsessive when it comes to books. So…

Last week,  the latest book in the Ghostwalkers series by Christine Feehan came out and I’m a huge fan of the series so I immediately fan-girl squealed, downloaded it onto my Nook and was so excited to read it, but I haven’t touched it yet. It’s still sitting hrere with the ‘new’ banner across the top of it in my library. Why you ask? Because I’m a bit odd and wanted to re-read the series, from the beginning so I was fresh in the story and knew what was going on. So here I am, a week after it came out, on book 6 of the series with 3 more books to go before I can read Samurai Game.

Sure I could have simply re-read the last book, to refresh my mind where everything left off, but then I think of all the storylines from the first few books, the moments when characters met, fought or fell in love and I had to start at the beginning. The more I thought about it, the more I realized, I do this all the time. I NEVER read a book out of order. I NEVER start a series in the middle, then backtrack. I NEVER read the last book then pick up the newest one. Even when I’m re-reading, I never just jump to book 3 and read, I start at one and get to 3.

So it made me wonder, does anyone else do this too? Or am I the only neurotic, OCD person when it comes to reading a book series? There have to be more people like me out there.

All this talk of books has me thinking about what I love to read so here are a few favorite series of mine:

Black Dagger Brotherhood- JR Ward

Immortals After Dark- Kresley Cole

Ghostwalkers, Drake sisters and Carapathian Series- Christine Feehan

Lords of the Underworld- Gena Showalter

Stephanie Plum Series- Janet Evanovich

Vampire Academy/Bloodlines – Richelle Mead

Harry Potter – JK Rowling

Dark Hunters, League Series – Sherrilyn Kenyon

The Wilderness Series – Sara Donati

Outlander- Diana Gabaldon

The Bridgertons – Julia Quinn

Virgin River Series – Robyn Carr

I really could keep going on and on and on with books I love to read. But those are some of my favorites. Hopefully you are having a great summer and enjoying time with your families like I am. I’m always looking for new books to read so if you have something you love- tell me about it.

There’s nothing like a great book!

My question on the day is: If you could take 5 books with you to read on a deserted island what would they be and why would you choose them?

Now that I’ve asked the question, I suppose I have to answer and it’s a much harder question than I thought initially because I love books and choosing only one (especially from a  favorite series say) is so difficult. But I’ll try.

First book I take – Dark Lover by JR Ward because anyone who knows me knows I enjoy the BDB books more than I can say and Wrath and I go way back, so he’s the first of my five. I think its a great start to an amazing series but I can only take one… so Dark Lover it is.

Second book I take- One for the Money by Janet Evanovich because she makes me laugh until my sides hurt and heavens knows if I am trapped on some deserted island I will need that. Her characters are so lively, entertaining and Morelli… is another personal favorite of mine. Team CUPCAKE all the way, baby. I think she has a great wit to her writing and enjoy this book more than I can so, so One of the Money is next in the bag and will have me laughing out loud.

Third book I would take – Dark Magic by Christine Feehan. Paranormal romance where she creates an amazing world and huge cast of characters that overlap into other books and pull you into their dark and brooding world. The dynamic between the main characters – Gregory a centuries old Carapathian male and the most powerful healer among them and the young, modern woman who loves her independence and refuses to follow blindly or be bound to someone as unyielding as Gregory. Angst, drama, love.

Fourth Book I would take- Now here is where it gets tricky…. I guess I would take Outlander by Diana Gabaldon because I loved this book the most in the series… and it’s nice and long to keep me occupied. BUT… if you’ve read the series you know at the end of book one, you MUST have book two to read and I don’t know if my heart could take it. Jamie and Claire- their story is epic and makes you happy yet breaks your heart all at the same time. Excellent read I say. I’d just need to find a copy of it with a snippet of book 2 in the back of it

Fifth book- IMPOSSIBLE to choose. I pulled out my Nook and looked through my titles and realized I have no Lori Foster on this list yet, no Gena Showalter, no Kresley Cole, no Sherrilyn Kenyon, no Karen Marie Moning or none of the Circle Trilogy books which I fell in love with this week.

What does this little exercise tell me about myself? First, I’m never going to a deserted island – that goes without saying since I don’t do well in the great outdoors – ask anyone. Second, I’m a romance book junkie. I admit it. And if I’m trapped on an island, I don’t want something depressing to read… I want fun. But I also love mysteries like Mary Higgins Clarke and darker, creepy books like Dean R Koontz but alone in the dark, at night, they might scare me even more than whatever furry little creatures are running around on this island at night, so forget them. Third thing I learned is, I love my Nook because it allows me to take everything including the ‘kitchen sink’ of my books with me in my purse every day.

So the bottom line is, if I was going to a deserted island, it better darn well have a hotel with indoor plumbing, a chef, and electricity so I can charge my Nook and have all my favorite titles at my fingertips, daily.

Hope you’re all catching up on a little summer reading and taking a few minutes out of your busy schedules to relax and have a good read by the pool, on the deck, or curled up on your couch.

Share with the class: what you would take. I love hearing about new books, series and titles that people are passionate about. There’s always room on my To Be Read list for more books

Happy Reading!