Elin Gregory

Today is my birthday 😀 I’m sure you’ll allow me to gloss over exactly how old I am but the date means that I have been a Kindle owner for a whole year [and a ereader owner for 3 years]. I thought it might be fun to look back through my files.

I’m a bit shocked at how many books I have in my archive, and I am by NO means as fast a reader as some of my mates. Altogether it comes to approx 650 separate titles – assuming a mean average of one centimetre per book that would mean double shelving my two largest book cases to the peril of my floor. Some of the books have been sexy, some bizarre, some glorious, and some very few had their good parts but, for reasons due more to me than any lack of skill on the author’s part, left me cold. No names no pack drill for those, but I do want to say thank you to some writers who have been an inspiration, whose characters have become dear old friends I greet with delight each time there’s a new episode of their adventures, or revisit between times to tide me over.

PLEASE NOTE: This list is by no means complete and if you’re not on it it’s because my train of thought is taking a very complicated route

The first book on my old Sony ereader [still kept charged just in case] is The Charioteer by Mary Renault, followed by the whole of the rest of her ouevre, then the Brits in a big way with books by dear friends like Charlie Cochrane, Clare London, Erastes, and Alex Beecroft. Alex led me to Lee Rowan, Lee to Donald Hardy, Donald to Josh Lanyon and Josh to Harper Fox. Jordan Castillo Price! Aleksandr Voinov, on his own and with L A Witt! L A Witt on her own too! Tamara Allen! Sue Roebuck! Dianne Hartsock! Amazing authors who were giving their work away for free, or for pennies, like M Chandler, Bruin Fisher, Sam Starbuck, and Rolf and Ranger. Amazing authors whose work I read through my fingers, like Lisa Henry and Amelia Gormley. Authors who make me howl with laughter like Jo Myles and J L Merrow. Sci fi writers like Anna Butler and Angel Martinez. Fantastic contemporary romance writers like R J Scott, Lisa Worrall and Sue Brown. Historical writers like J P Kenwood, Parhelion, S A Meade, Sarah Granger and Joanna Chambers. Blokes who write sweet or sexy romance like Damon Suede, Alan Chin, Ben Thomas, Jon Michaelsen, Liam Livings, Adam Fitzroy, Hans Hirschi, Chris Delyani, Larry Benjamin, Ulysses Dietz, Neil Plakcy, Greg Hogben and OMG Edmond Manning! Ladies writing about ladies like Stevie Carroll, Shira Glassman and Jean Earhardt. Newbie blokes like Emmett Skipper and Rafe Haze, veteran writers with oodles of experience like Dorien Grey and Elliott Mackle. The wild and wacky but oh so good like K J Charles, Jordan L Hawke, Charlie Cochet, Sarah Madison and Kay Berrisford. The folk who move effortlessly from one genre to another like Chris Quinton and Julie Bozza. Oh and let’s not forget the grphic novel writers/artists like Joe Glass, Tab Kimpton, Alex Woolfson and Dale Lazarov!

And there are new and wonderful things to be discovered every day. Just this week I have read ‘new to me authors’ N R Walker, Diana Copland and OMG Alexis Hall.

So no specific recommendations this week, just a heartfelt THANK YOU to all the authors who have made the last few years so much fun and have kept me company on dark nights and cold days. You lot really are the best.