B is for Booktastic Brilliance

A while back I wrote a post sharing the books that influenced my youth…

Now I’d like to honor some of my favorite MUST READ authors and why I absolutely adore them. To be fair, I won’t spend a ton of time talking about J.K. Rowling (mostly because everyone already knows her and gets her appeal). The ones I’d like to honor are the ones who haven’t yet had their books turned into movies. 😉

First, I’d like to recognize Lexi Blake/Sophie Oak.

Her Lexi Blake persona writes fabulously exciting spy BDSM romances and caused me to fall madly in love with one of my all time favorite book boyfriends, Ian “Big Tag” Taggart. Her heroines are feisty and smart. The heroes are snarky, sarcastic in the best possible way, and loyal to a fault.

Then there’s her Sophie Oak side. Ooh-la-la! In this universe, being quirky and different is embraced. Ménages of two guys and a girl (one series is bisexual males and their woman, the other is more best friends/brothers and their lady love) are considered normal and traditional, as is the D/s lifestyle. In the Bliss series, the womenfolk get to join the “I Killed A Son of a Bitch” club (the SOB’s are bad guys). Yeah. I want one of those t-shirts.

The one common thread she has through all of her books is the humor, sarcasm, and pure unabashed sense of fun! The dialogue will get you laughing out loud. And the heat level is scorch-your-undies HOT!

Next is Terry Goodkind. I fell in love with his books and characters when I discovered The Sword of Truth series. His wizards are so far removed from Harry, Ron, and Hermione that it would be impossible to compare them. They’re badass, fight with swords, and the women? Take your pick of powerhouses who can fight, steal your magic, take control of your mind, body, and soul, work their own magic, or see your future. Sorceresses, Mord Sith, Confessors….

His message through the whole series? There’s definitely good and evil in the world, but evil acts don’t always make evil people. Kindness and compassion can go a long way to changing a person’s heart and soul if they’re open and willing to make a change. And finally, don’t let the bad things that happen in your life change who you are at the core. It’s truly the only way evil can gain a foothold and win. I actually believe that to be true about everyday life, as well.

Have you ever heard of Cherise Sinclair? She writes about the most amazing BDSM clubs. The Shadowlands (owned by Master Z, and based in Tampa) and Dark Haven (owned and run in San Francisco by My Liege aka Xavier Leduc). To be clear, those places are fantasy, not real world…but she sure does a great job making you wish they existed. She also writes some awesome shifter erotic romances.

What I love about her writing is the conscious effort she makes to educate about the many different aspects of the BDSM lifestyle, both safe and unsafe. The importance of education, safe words, trust….all without being preachy. And you can sense in the way that she writes, the immense respect she has for the honesty, vulnerability, and strength it takes to be a submissive. Her Doms don’t like wimps. They prefer real individuals of character who are willing to give up the reins to Alphas like them who cherish their gift, admire their strength, and seek to build them up and empower them. And hey, the fact that the subs have a smart, bratty streak every now and again is just icing on the cake!

These are all terrific authors with fabulous books to share…. But as I got to thinking, the book that’s impacted my adult life most (besides The Bible, of course) is a book by Brian Tracy called Eat That Frog. This book has given me a ton of tips that I use daily to maximize my productivity, to manage my time, and ways to help other people around me become more efficient as well!

So what about you? Who are your must buy authors of your adulthood? Why do they appeal to you? What book has most impacted your adult life (either personally or professionally)? I’d love to hear what revs your engine!