Five Books Everyone Should Read: Author Shannon Stacey

Five Books Everyone Should Read is a feature we’re running in 2015. We’ve asked some of our favorite authors, readers and bloggers to share five books that touched them or have stayed with them throughout the years.

Today we have contemporary romance author Shannon Stacey here to share her list of Five(ish) Books. I love how diverse her list is (and I love that it features some of my own – long forgotten – favorites).

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In my younger and early teen years, I went through genres in chunks. First was fantasy, with the Shannara series from Terry Brooks being particularly memorable. I transitioned into science fiction (the Stainless Steel Rat), horror (a short-lived journey, with the exception of Stephen King) and then moving into the incredible westerns of Louis L’Amour. It was through the romance in his novels such as Conagher and the Sackett series that I developed a strong desire for more of that and, as luck would have it, my mom had some romance novels on her nightstand.

1) Little House on the Prairie (series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder 

A family travels from the big woods of Wisconsin to a new home on the prairie, where they build a house, meet neighboring Indians, build a well, and fight a fire. Includes a detailed account of how the novel was written and published.

I don’t really have a strong argument for why everybody should read this autobiographical(-ish) series from Laura Ingalls Wilder, other than my enduring love for it. I was very young when I read These Happy Golden Years (the first time I read a series out of order, which I’ve tried never to do again), and not only did I love the stories of the Ingalls family (and Almanzo Wilder, of course), but I realized real people wrote books and the dream was born. (Yes, I cheated by using a series. I’m not the first, though!)

2) Needful Things by Stephen King.

YOU’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE….

A wonderful new store has opened in the little town of Castle Rock, Maine. Whatever your heart’s secret desire—sexual pleasure, wealth, power, or even more precious things—it’s for sale. And even though every item has a nerve-shattering price, the owner is always ready to make a bargain.

In this chilling novel by one of the most potent imaginations of our time, evil is on a shopping spree and out to scare you witless.

With all due respect to The Stand, which I’ve DNFed more times than I can count despite being a long-time fan of Stephen King, Needful Things is my favorite of his books. While there is an antagonist in human form, it’s really a horror tale born in the darkest places of small town human nature, with neighbor so easily turning on neighbor to achieve their hearts’ desires, and it’s one of the few books I’ve read to tatters.

3) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

Being a long-time Stephen King fan and (at the time) aspiring author, I couldn’t miss his part-memoir, part-how to book. It’s a fascinating look into his life and his process and, despite the fact Mr. King and I disagree on a few things here and there, his focus on natural storytelling isn’t to be missed by either writers or fans.

4) A Knight In Shining Armor
by Jude Deveraux (with the original ending) 

Once upon a time . . . as a fair maiden lay weeping upon a cold tombstone, her heartfelt desire was suddenly made real before her: tall, broad of shoulder, attired in gleaming silver and gold, her knight in shining armor had come to rescue his damsel in distress. . . .

A Knight in Shining Armor

Hailed worldwide as one of the most romantic novels of all time, Jude Deveraux’s dazzling bestseller “will capture your heart—and hold it” (Daily Herald, Chicago) with its breathtaking tale of lovely Dougless Montgomery; her savior knight, Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck; and the timeless adventure of passion and memory, danger and desire that sweeps them into each other’s arms.

You’re yelling at me right now, aren’t you? I bet you at least gave me the eyebrow. I was seventeen or so when I read AKISA and I loved it. Madly. The banter! The humor! Romance that made me swoon! And then…the ending. THAT ending. I’m forty-three now, so I’ve spent almost three decades feeling conflicted about this book. So why do I want everybody to read it? Mostly I just don’t like suffering alone.

5) Northern Lights by Nora Roberts

Lunacy was Nate Burke’s last chance. As a Baltimore cop, he’d watched his partner die on the street-and the guilt still haunts him. With nowhere else to go, he accepts the job as Chief of Police in this tiny, remote Alaskan town. Aside from sorting out a run-in between a couple of motor vehicles and a moose, he finds his first weeks on the job are relatively quiet. But just as he wonders whether this has been all a big mistake, an unexpected kiss on New Year’s Eve under the brilliant Northern Lights of the Alaska sky lifts his spirit and convinces him to stay just a little longer.

Meg Galloway, born and raised in Lunacy, is used to being alone. She was a young girl when her father disappeared, and she has learned to be independent, flying her small plane, living on the outskirts of town with just her huskies for company. After her New Year’s kiss with the Chief of Police, she allows herself to give in to passion-while remaining determined to keep things as simple as possible. But there’s something about Nate’s sad eyes that gets under her skin and warms her frozen heart.

And now, things in Lunacy are heating up. Years ago, on one of the majestic mountains shadowing the town, a crime occurred that is unsolved to this day-and Nate suspects that a killer still walks the snowy streets. His investigation will unearth the secrets and suspicions that lurk beneath the placid surface, as well as bring out the big-city survival instincts that made him a cop in the first place. And his discovery will threaten the new life-and the new love-that he has finally found for himself.

I think everybody should try Nora Roberts and this is one of my favorites. I almost used Montana Sky for the relationships, but the setting and suspense element of Northern Lights won out. (Just, whatever you do, don’t watch the movie.) But now I’m wondering if I should have picked Carnal Innocence  because, oh my goodness, Tucker Longstreet is one of those romance heroes that sticks with you. Okay, just read ALL the Nora, okay?

About Shannon:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and riding her four-wheeler. From May to November, the Stacey family spends their weekends on their ATVs, making loads of muddy laundry to keep Shannon busy when she’s not at her computer. She prefers writing to laundry, however, and considers herself lucky she got to be an author when she grew up.

You can contact Shannon through her website, where she maintains an almost daily blog, or visit her on Twitter, her Facebook page, or email her at shannon@shannonstacey.com.

Check out Shannon’s latest release:

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