This month, I wanted to feature the author who started my love of all things romance. The author who could get me hooked on reading because nothing had ever done it before. I read lots of Babysitter’s Club books, The Sweet Valley High books but I wasn’t turned into an avid reader because I read those books. Nope, reading Judith McNaught had me going to the bookstore, more and more to find the latest great romance to read.
Judith McNaught had me going online to find others to discuss my love of JM heroes with. I found all of that on the JMBB, many many moons ago and it was on these bulletin boards where I met some of the best friends I’ll ever have. Some of my bestest friends right now.
So, as you can see…I’ve got lots to be thankful to Judith McNaught for. So this month, I’m going to remind all of you JM lovers just how great JM really is…and hopefully, get those of you who haven’t tried a JM to pick one up and read them, you won’t be sorry.
Judith McNaught really is a magician with words.
Book List: A Kingdom of Dreams; Whitney, My Love; Until You; Almost Heaven; Something Wonderful; Once & Always; Miracles; Paradise; Perfect; Double Standards; Tender Triumph; Remember When; Double Exposure; Night Whispers; Someone to Watch Over Me; Every Breath You Take, Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.
Bio from McNaughtized.com: Regarded as one of the most beloved writers of all time in popular fiction, Judith McNaught is the author of thirteen novels with more than 30 million copies in print. The last eight of her novels have been international bestsellers and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, most recently NIGHT WHISPERS, which debuted at #1.
The press has had glowing praise for Ms. McNaught’s work. USA Today has said, “When it comes to writing romance, Judith McNaught is in a class by herself.” The Chicago Tribune said “Judith McNaught comes close to an Edith Wharton Edge,” and The Houston Chronicle wrote “Judith McNaught’s novels transcend all boundaries of the romance genre.”
Ms. McNaught’s first book, WHITNEY MY LOVE, was published as a paperback original in 1985, and won the Romantic Times Award for Best New Historical, becoming an instant classic. DOUBLE STANDARDS and TENDER TRIUMPH, which had been published prior to WHITNEY MY LOVE, were immediately re-issued upon the tremendous success of that book. DOUBLE STANDARDS was Ms. McNaught’s first contemporary romance, and TENDER TRIUMPH was selected as the Romantic Times Critic’s Choice Award for Best SuperRomance.
In 1987, Judith McNaught published ONCE AND ALWAYS, which was selected as Good Housekeeping’s “Novel of the Month” (January 1987), won the Affaire de Couer Golden Pen Certificate, and was the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Historical Romance.
Ms. Naught achieved her first #1 New York Times bestseller in 1988 with SOMETHING WONDERFUL. Each novel that followed has hit the New York Times bestseller list; they include: KINGDOM OF DREAMS (1989); ALMOST HEAVEN (1990); PARADISE (1991), which was a thirteen-week New York Times bestseller, and the first romance novel ever selected by Book-of-the-Month Club as a main selection; PERFECT (1993), with which Ms. McNaught began her campaign for literacy, to which she remains committed; UNTIL YOU (1994); REMEMBER WHEN (1996); and NIGHT WHISPERS (1990 which marked Judith McNaught’s entre into writing romantic suspense and appeared at #1 on the New York Times paperback bestseller list.
In the August 1999, the beloved favorite WHITNEY MY LOVE was published for the first time in hardcover. SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, Judith McNaught’s new novel, was published by Atria Books on February 18, 2003.
Prior to her career as a writer, Ms. McNaught enjoyed success in the fields of radio, motion pictures and finance. Among her varied experience, she was the first female executive producer at a CBS radio station, assistant director of a film crew, a comptroller of a major trucking company, president of a temporary employment agency and president of an executive search firm.
Judith McNaught lives in Houston, Texas.
The poll questions will follow throughout the month, so stay tuned for those….but let’s get ready for some great Judith McNaught fun to last throughout the month of June! =)
Happy times!
Paradise
Perfect
Kingdom of Dreams
…. *sigh*
My sadness? I don’t like her romantic suspense 🙁
I absolutely LOVE McNaught!!! LOVE her books… I just reread Paradise as I tend to do at least once a year. I heart that book immensely.
Rowena,
I love, love, love Judith McNaught. Perfect was one of the first romance novels I ever read and I have been hooked ever since!
Tiffany
I love reading Judith McNaught’s books especially Something Wonderful. It is one of the most emotional, romantic, funny and poignant romance novels I have ever read! 🙂
I have re-read Kingdom of Dreams too many times to count! One of the best historical romances ever!
JM was my first love. My all time favorites is Kingdom of Dreams and Paradise ( so if the battle comes down to Matt or Royce, I will be completely torn.)
But JM is like Disney fairytales to me. I know the plot, I know how it’ll end, I know I’ll cry buckets over hearbreaking yet predictable lines but I can’t help it. Some things you never want to give up.
mph
p.s. I wonder if her hero is mirror after someone specific(husband, maybe) because I feel they are very consistant in character and temperament and I think, all 6’3″!
You’re speaking to me, Rowena. It is because of Judith McNaught that this one non-romance reader now writes romances. I absolutely adore her. I cannot count how many times I’ve re-read W,ML, Paradise, Once & Always (Jason *sigh*), and all her wonderful books.
I’ve been a part of the JMBB since 2001 and have met some of my very best friends there. So excited that June is JM month on The Book Binge!
Rowena, while I love all of her historicals, I find that her romantic suspense just doesn’t grab me. Double Standards wasn’t horrible *waving to Farrah* but it wasn’t something to write home about either, IMO.
Night Whispers was competent but unremarkable, again IMO. Someone to Watch Over Me was a bit better, but again nothing extraordinary.
And Tender Triumph (or, as I think of it, stereotypes by the bunch) is a book that raises my hackles to an unhealthy degree *chuckle*
Yeah, I’m insane, what do you want from me? 😉
The only one I have no opinion on, ’cause I haven’t read it, is Every Breath You Take.
AL,
I like most all of JM’s work, there’s a few that just didn’t grab me at all …which ones do you not like by her?
Anne,
Oh me too, Matt Farrell and all of his talk about jumping in and taking risks just about makes me want to swoon, I choose him!! haha.
Tiffany,
JM was my first romance author too, she’s just too great for words!
Brat,
SW is one of my most favorites by JM, so frickin’ good!
Sorry, azteclady, if I am being too familiar but from reading your comments in on this site, I can safely tell you that you are much better off not reading Every Breath You Take.
I heart JM but that book was just exasperating to me; I chuckle to think how you would react.
mph
😀 mph, isn’t that why we hang around here? To get to know each other?
And see, that’s why I haven’t even looked at Every Breath You Take–just the blurb makes me grind my teeth.
lol – just as I suspected!
mph
OMG I just saw this..I adore Judith McNaught! And I totally agree with the first paragraph..JM was the one who got me stuck on romance novels, and I read most of the babysitter and sweet valley high novels! 🙂