Everyone has a favorite author. Some people read their favorite book every year while others fondly remember reading a certain author as a child. That’s why for the month of May, we are encouraging you to read a book by your favorite author. Some of us have more than one, and that’s fine too. 


J. R. R. Tolkein

For those who know me well, they know my favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien. I read The Hobbit every year in January. I always want to start my year with an adventure! I recently became a first-time mom, so I have been enjoying listening to the audiobook with my new baby. We will move on to The Lord of the Rings after that. Tolkien is my favorite author because of his ability to create a fantasy world that feels so real. His worldbuilding set the stage for the genre of fantasy and literature would not be the same without him.


Jennifer McMahon

Outside of the realm of fantasy, my other favorite author is Jennifer McMahon. She writes spooky thrillers and I absolutely love her storytelling. If you like stories about things that go bump in the night or a good ghost story that makes your skin crawl, she is the author for you. My favorite book by her is The Winter People, which is about a girl who lives in a farmhouse haunted by a mother and her daughter who died tragically a century before. McMahon’s last novel, The Invited, was about a young couple who decided to build their home on cursed land so they essentially built their own haunted house from scratch. I’m currently reading her latest book, The Drowning Kind, about a young woman whose sister mysteriously dies in the pool they played in as children which has a haunted history. I highly recommend Jennifer McMahon’s books for anyone who likes a good thriller and who likes to be a little scared while reading it.


F. Scott Fitzgerald

Lisa’s favorite authors are F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sylvia Plath, which most of us already knew! She just finished reading the graphic novel of The Great Gatsby, adapted by K. Woodman Maynard. She loved this experience because she felt that it really showcased the artistic prose of Fitzgerald’s words.


Sylvia Plath

Lisa also read The Bell Jar again by Sylvia Plath because it is one of her favorites. She also discovered a short story by Plath called Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom. Lisa is drawn to the glamour culture of the Roaring Twenties so these stories resonate with her. She also read some Edith Wharton and Anne Sexton.

It is always nice to revisit classics and favorites. As librarians, we fully condone the rereading of books! You always learn something new with each reading. Pick up your favorite author this month and remember why you enjoyed the experience in the first place!



-Shellie