I was at the library today reserving a copy of a book I haven’t read in a while and started thinking about the books that, despite being innundated with new material all the time, I read religiously every year.

So, here are Nikki’s 13 “Read-it-every-year” books:

1. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. – This one just never gets old for me. I still have the copy I bought at a book fair in the 3rd grade, and I read it at least once a year. I can’t wait to share it with my cousin Christopher (he’s 5).

2. The Elenium by David Eddings – I was an idiot in 1988 and passed up the opportunity to buy The Diamond Throne new in hardcover, because for some reason I had decided I would hate it. By the time I read it and fell in love with it (It’s my *favorite* David Eddings book), it was only in paperback. I eventually loaned that copy to my brother and got it back with the spine doctored in masking tape. By coincidence, after reading news of David Eddings’ passing I was able to find a hardcover copy in a used bookstore in great condition. I admit to being pleased about this find on two levels – one, this copy should hold up much better than the paperback, and now I have the entire Elenium and The Tamuli in hardcover so they match.

3. The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha by Lloyd Alexander – My elementary librarian recommended this to me, and it’s one of my favorites. I love the adventures they take, and the impact it has on the characters in the end.

4. Practice to Deceive by Patricia Veryan – This is the book I went to reserve today. It was out of print by the time I read it the first time, and for some reason I have never made a serious attempt to find a used copy. Even though I am no longer reading historicals as a rule, I am drawn to this book over and over again. The Golden Chronicles series is good, but Practice to Deceive is my favorite.

5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Another book I discovered in elementary school that I still get the itch to at least once a year.

6. Divided in Death by J. D. Robb – I am past the phase where I would read the In Death series from start to finish and then start over again, but I still love them, and Divided in Death is my favorite. I love it when Eve and Roarke’s relationship works, but really enjoy watching them struggle to come to a meeting of minds and hearts in this book.

7. Running Scared and Moving Target by Elizabeth Lowell. Well, the truth is I probably read my entire Elizabeth Lowell collection at least once a year, but these two are probably the ones I pick up the most frequently. I love the characters and the stories.

8. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J. R. Ward – I read these last year for the first time, and I am completely hooked. I can’t believe I almost didn’t even reserve them at the library when Amazon recommended them to me. (It’s amazing what they think you like when you start buying a ton of Sherrilyn Kenyon, lol). The universe is so engaging, and the characters suck me in every single time. Love these books.

9. Ransom by Julie Garwood – I am not the Julie Garwood fan right now that I was back in the day, but I still love Ransom. It has all the essence of a good Julie Garwood historical, without being too much.

10. Roselynde by Roberta Gellis – I think Alinor was actually the first romance novel I was ever brave enough to check out and take home (on a 6th grade field trip to the library, no less) but Roselynde was the book I found at Goodwill for $1, and I love it just as much. Every now and then I reserve the whole series in a fit of nostalgia.

11. All right, it has to be said – The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter and Meredith Gentry series by Laurell K Hamilton. I read Merry more often, but I do read both series a couple of times a year.

12. Anything by Jayne Ann Krentz, Amanda Quick, or Jayne Castle – Like Elizabeth Lowell, this is another author where I get on a kick and I just read it all in a big bunch, at least once a year. So nice to have so many variations on a theme 🙂

13. The Tairen Soul series by C. L. Wilson. I just finished Queen of Song and Souls and am now forced to wait until the 5th book comes out to see how she wraps everything up. Best random-book-at-the-library surprise in the last couple of years. I’ll be reading this for a long time. I love how Rain and Elysetta interact, and how their relationship is built over the books. Just lovely.

Heaven knows there are a ton of others I could have listed here, lol, but I’m limiting myself to 13.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!