Top 5 Sundays #31 - Books/Series You Have Read More Than Once!

There are always books you go back to, books where the characters are like old friends, the world a familiar safe haven, and the events a well worn path. Books in and of themselves are escapes, but these books are more than just escapes - they're like visits to your favourite vacations spots, where every scene is a different sort of salve for whatever your mood might require.

So, without further ado, here are Calliope's Domain's Top 5 (although, believe me when I say there are more - many, many, many more!) Books/Series I Have Read More Than Once! Enjoy.

#5 - Black Jewel Trilogy by Anne Bishop

Three books that chronicle the life of a world's saviour as she grows from childhood to womanhood through the eyes of the family that loves her. It has angst, pain, tragedy, suffering, light, happiness, love, devotion - it runs the gamut back and forth over and over again yet somehow still finds it way to a happy ending. What's not to love about that?

#4 - Betsy Taylor, Vampire Queen series by Maryjanice Davidson

These books are hilarious. Betsy is a self-centered, shoe-obsessed, foul-mouthed, tried-and-true dumb blonde who, after an unfortunate run-in with a Aztec and a series of unfortunate events, finds herself the vampire queen of the dead. Somehow, in between all the sarcasm and comic relief, there's an actual story that unfolds that dances the line between the dramatic and the wacky.

#3 - Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

I love Kate's journey. In the beginning, she's a tough and miserable loner. As the books progress, however, she became more open, more caring and dedicated to the people in her life; heck, she even fell in love. And each step along that path is another nugget of emotional drama as comforting and familiar as a warm blanket on a cold day.

#2 - Guild Hunters series by Nalini Singh

Alright, so the first books were a little rocky but once Elena finds some closure on her past in the second book, the subsequent stories have been phenomenal. Not to mention the depth and intricacies involved in the emotional development going on in these pages. Oh, but, honestly, who am I kidding? These are books about strong, powerful men - men so powerful, so intimidating that they not only top the charts, they blow it into a whole new scale. And these books give you a front row seat as these scary-as-sin-and-twice-as-hot heroes finds themselves vulnerable to the love of the right woman. Cue the dreamy sigh here.

#1 - The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning

To quote Belle, this book has it all - far-off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince (if you're flexible with the definition that is) in disguise - and enough drama to keep a drama vampire like myself sated for a decade! Mac is the perfect narrator; she starts off naive and ignorant and over the course of the subsequent books not only grows in both physical and mental strength, but knowledge too. Through Mac readers are introduced to a world that gets darker, larger and weirder with every page. And Barrons and V'lane don't hurt either!

Top 5 Sundays #25 - Books I Would Love to Get Signed by the Author!

This week's Top 5 theme is books I would love to get signed by the author. I think it goes without saying that I wouldn't turn down an author's offer to sign one of their books - what sort of crazy person would? However, I also think it goes without saying (but I'm going to say it anyway) that there are some books that, for one reason or another, have come to mean something more to you than the words on their pages. These are the books that have gotten themselves tangled up in your emotions, in your memories, in your affections. These are the books that you turn to for comfort not only because of their stories and familiarity, but because they've come to be associated with so much more. Having the author sign these books...well, it's almost like a validation, like a recognition of all that book has come to mean to you. With the creator's name scrawled within, it's like the book's personal importance to you has been given a stamp of approval.

And what's not to love about that?

So, without further ado, I present this week's (belated) Top 5 Books I Would Love to Get Signed by the Author! Enjoy.

#5 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Okay, be honest, what person growing up with Harry Potter wouldn't sell their little brother whole for J.K. Rowling's name scrawled by the lady herself inside their copy of any one of the Harry Potter books? The last one, the first one, the fifth one - I wouldn't care which, just so long as whichever one it was got to come home with me at the end of the day. Hell, I might even toss in my sister just for the heck of it.

#4 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

What can I say? My favourite contemporary authors might all be tied to the vamps, weres, witches, demons and magic filling their stories but when it comes to the classics, it's Pride and Prejudice all the way. I blame Mr. Darcy - man knows how to bounce back from a really botched proposal like nobody else. Unfortunately, considering that there's a finite number of signed copies in existence (at least until the zombie apocalypse) getting one of these puppies really would require I resort to human trafficking.

#3 - Witches of Eileanan by Kate Forsyth

For my thirteenth birthday, one of my friends gave me a gift card for Chapters. I remember going with my grandfather to pick out the book and being worried that I was taking to long and boring my poor grandpa. I ended up taking home Witches of Eileanan - mostly because of the awesome cover (it has a dragon - what's not cool about that?) - and my library was begun. Getting this book signed would be just another way of highlighting the significance it holds for me.

#2 - The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

Now, truth be told, I started reading the Vampire Chronicles because of the film adaptation of Queen of the Damned and, as is usually the case, quickly discovered the books to be better. The Vampire Lestat, though the second book in the series, holds particular importance being as its the first book where Lestat narrates. Having Anne Rice sign any one of her books would be amazing - like receiving a personal letter from Johnny Depp amazing - but having her sign the copy I actually read - the copy I lost myself in over and over again - that would just be phenomenal.

#1 - The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop

I adore this series. If this series was a person, I would marry it. I own a lot of books - hundreds, no question - but of them all the books in this series are hands down the ones most read. And reread. Whatever mood I'm feeling, I can find a passage, a scene, a chapter - or ten - in these books to suit. I own - and have read - everything that Anne Bishop has ever written but these series - and specifically these three books - they're my literary equivalent to comfort food. Getting them signed...that would just floor me.

And there you have it! Until next week, boils and ghouls, I bid you adieu!