Top Ten Tuesday: Gateway Authors in My Reading Journey

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Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

This week at TTT, we are talking about our Gateway authors or in my case, Authors that influenced my reading and (at some point) my life.

Francine Pascal – Sweet Valley

The Sweet Valley Series was perhaps the first contemporary teen book that I read that got me into reading…voraciously.  I started with Kids, Twins, High, University, and even read the Sweet Valley Saga (both books). I literally grew up with this series and I found that I upgraded my reading level based on my age (well, I started reading SVU when I was in 6th grade LOL).  It has been years since I picked up and read any Sweet Valley book but I still remember it with fond memories.  I had quite a collection back then and used to save my lunch money so I could buy the books.

Carolyn Keene – Nancy Drew & Franklin W. Dixon – Hardy Boys

Even though there wasn’t a “real” Carolyn Keene, “she” was the first author that introduced me to GIRL detectives.  I was in fourth grade when I started reading this series and I loved it!  I also had quite a collection of her books in hardbound.  Lurch, one of my friends, had quite a collections, too and we used to swap books and gush about the adventures of our favorite sleuth.  I also have to mention Franklin W. Dixon and the Hardy Boys because I read this series at about the same time I began reading Nancy Drew.  Because I am a fan of Nancy Drew, I have played some of the Nancy Drew computer games and saw versions of Nancy Drew on TV.  Yes, both were a disappointment but the books are awesome.  They still are.

Michael Crichton – Modern Sci-Fi

Jurassic Park blew me away.  The Lost World cemented my love for Michael Crichton.  And this was not because I saw the movies first!  I started reading his books in 5th grade and despite not understanding a lot of the techie jargon, I understood his books!  I have read Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Sphere, Congo, The Andromeda Strain, Timeline, and A Case of Need.  I actually stopped reading him in High School because my interests went the other way and these books were very serious for someone in high school.

Jules Verne – Classic Sci-Fi

One word – AMAZING!  I can just go on and on about Jules Verne!  He has created one of the greatest villains of all time (Captain Nemo) and unique characters and forward-thinking ideas.  Now, I have to admit that I only have read three of his books (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in 80 Days) but they made me love the Sci-Fi genre.  These books were read when I was in middle school, too.

Edgar Allan Poe – Weird & Horror

I read a few of Edgar Allan Poe’s poems and shorts.  His writings are the only horror books that I read because I HATE reading horror.  He was introduced to me by my dad in 6th grade (I think).

Madeleine L’Engle – A Wrinkle in Time

Despite reading ONLY one book: A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle was the first author I read that introduced me to the sci-fi & young adult genre.

Kat Martin –  Historical Romance

Kat Martin was not the first Historical Romance author that I read but she was the first one who opened my eyes to historical romance.  Before that, I was reading Harlequin and despite liking the books, I did not find love them.  My first long Historical Romance book that I read was Secret Ways by Kat Martin and because of here, I have read and LOVED a lot of Historical Romance authors.  Plus, this is the primary genre that I read now.

J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter

A list should never be complete without mentioning the great J.K. Rowling.  I read her books in college (well, because I was in college when her books were published) and totally fell in love with her world and her characters.  Her books remain one of my most beloved books and the Harry Potter series is the only series of books that I have that I carted with me from the Philippines to the US.  Plus, I have reread these books multiple times already and I am planning to read them again this year (wish me luck).

Jess Michaels – Erotic Historical Romance

Yes, I read Erotic Romance but since the book, Fifty Shades came out, there have been a lot of really ugly undeserving not well written HORRIBLE erotic romance books that have been published.  I have read (and not finished) a lot of these books and I was about to stop reading this sub-genre but then I read The Sweetest Sin by Jess Michaels and I was blown away.  It is an Erotic Historical Romance with all the steam AND a story!  My faith in the genre was restored and up till today, I am pretty picky when it comes to this genre.  I have stayed clear from Contemporary Erotic Romance because I have read quite a lot of horrible ones.

 Jessica Zafra – Filipino Columnist

I just have to add her.  Jessica Zafra is a Filipino Columnist in one of the Philippine newspapers and her writings are snarky and sarcastic.  She published a compilation of her work and I bought it and fell in love with her work.  This led me to read Bob Ong who is another Filipino writer.

Let’s Discuss

Do you have any gateway books/authors that influenced your life and reading style?

Share them below in the comments.

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