Let's Talk: Authors I Have To Read

Let's Talk is a weekly meme hosted by Melissa at i swim for oceans. Each week, there's a new topic to discuss. 

This week, let's talk about Authors You Can't Help But Be Loyal To.

Do you ever read books simply because they're from an author you love, rather than because of the book itself?  

Oh yes, yes indeed. There are a couple of authors who I can't help but buy their books, but the number of those are very few, and lucky I'm always interested in the book. For example, I read everything Marian Keyes publishes, and I own most of her books. I've been reading her novels since I was in 7th grade. So, every time I hear/see that a new Marian Keyes novel is being released, I know I have to buy it. It has to sit on my bookshelf with the rest of my collection. Luckily, I'm always interested in the book.

Another good example is Louise Rennison. I read her Georgia Nicholson series when I was younger and absolutely loved it. So when I discovered her latest series, Misadventures of Tallulah Casey, I had to buy it. I even went so far as to buy the second and third novel before I'd even read the first one, because they were by Louise Rennison. I don't think this series is as good as the Georgia Nicholson series, but I'll read it all.

There are a couple of authors who I've only discovered in the past couple of years who I know I'll read again. Michelle Hodkin, Laini Taylor, Marissa Meyer, Veronica Roth, A.G Howard are some, just to name a few. I might not be completely sold on the book, but since I've already read novels by them and thought they were amazing, it's pretty darn likely that I'll read and enjoy whatever they write. 

So in answer to the question, yes, I read book purely because of the author, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. If you've had a good experience with their novels in the past, it's almost always a safe bet that you'll enjoy their next book.

Let's Talk: Halloween Reads

Let's Talk is a weekly meme hosted by Melissa at i swim for oceans. Each week, there's a new topic to discuss. 

This week, let's talk about Halloween Reads.

With Halloween being next week, what are your favourite creepy/spooky books? 

To be honest, I don't read much horror fiction. This year, so far I think the only thing classed as horror that I've read has been Anna Dressed in Blood, and I didn't even find it that scary. If we consider some creepy books, then I think the Mara Dyer series qualifies. Seriously weird stuff going on there. But it's also sooo good, seriously, if you aren't reading the Mara Dyer series then you really need to.

When I was younger, I was very much into the Goosebumps series (as I think almost every kid was). I remember they used to spook me real good, and so did the TV show that was based off the books. I vividly remember one episode where a boy finds a ventriloquists doll at a garage sale, but it turns out the doll is evil and turns the boy to wood, making him effectively a ventriloquists doll too. Downright creepy stuff there, espeically for my 8 year-old self. 

But besides that, horror isn't generally a genre I can do. I'm not big on scarying myself, espeically since I tend to read a lot right before bed.

What about you? Are you a fan of the horror genre? If so, any recommendations?