(themes / subjects / etc)
:: I love a good romance, especially if the two main characters are reuniting after a long separation, or if something is standing in the way of them being together but they finally get past that obstacle. I also love a lot of flirting and sexual tension. I think that’s why I love the Regency-era romances so much — the main characters flirt with each other until you can’t stand it any more, and have to overcome the fact that they shouldn’t /can’t really be together, and then they finally give in to their love and it’s intense and satisfying ((that isn’t to say that all “good romances” have to involve sex, though — if there are some good make-out scenes, that’s enough to make me love it)). 
Some of my favorites: Gaelen Foley’s “Knight family” series (Regency-era); “The Mailbox” by Marybeth Whalen, “Losing the Moon” by Patti Callahan Henry, and “The Gazebo” by Emily Grayson.
:: I love mystery/suspense books that race from one place to the next, and especially ones that involve puzzles, codes, ciphers, and the like. Books that include some of the dialogue in Spanish or Italian usually really appeal to me, too. Some good examples of these would be: “The Overseer” by Jonathan Rabb, “The Genesis Code” by John Case, and Dan Brown’s popular titles, “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons“. All of these books involved chase scenes that raced through a foreign city, or jumped from one city to another, they interspersed a foreign language with the English, and there were puzzles/clues/ciphers to figure out.
:: I recently have really been enjoying the Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy books. I never thought I would, but Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga got me started, and now I’m devouring all I can find! LOL
I tend to prefer the books that feature both vampires, with some good romance thrown in (“romance” meaning anything flirting and make-out scenes, with or without it leading to the characters ‘having at it’). Favorites: the “Twilight” saga (obviously), the “House of Night” series by P.C. Cast, the “Immortals” series by Alyson Noël, the “Sookie Stackhouse” series by Charlaine Harris, Melissa Marr’s “faery” trilogy (“Wicked Lovely“, etc), and “Evernight” by Claudia Gray. I also enjoyed “Kiss of Midnight” by Lara Adrian, but that’s not technically a “young adult” title.
:: I adore Christian Living titles, especially if they’re “edgy” — not the usual type of sappy or preachy stuff that shoves a viewpoint down your throat, or makes you think that the author only believes their way is right, and everyone else’s is wrong. I love when the author “tells it like it is”, and doesn’t pussyfoot around the real-world issues that people face — even if writing about those issues is normally ‘taboo’ (for whatever reason) in traditional Christian evangelical circles. I loved books like “Velvet Elvis” by Rob Bell, “A Scandalous Freedom” by Steve Brown, “The Barbarian Way” by Erwin McManus, and “10 Things I Hate About Christianity” by Jason T. Berggren.
:: For memoirs, I’m pretty picky. I like Pregnancy memoirs that take you through the author’s 9 months and then shares her birth story — examples of ones I liked are “Great With Child” by Debra Rienstra, and “Chronicles of a Modern Midwife” by Peggy Vincent.
…I like Writing memoirs, where the author shares how he/she became a Writer, and gives tips on the craft — things they’ve learned through the years. Favorites: “My Twice-Lived Life” by Donald M. Murray, and “Making a Literary Life” by Carolyn See.
…And, I enjoy Dieting/Weight-Loss memoirs that tell of how the author managed to shed his/her excess weight naturally (without surgery), and how they completely changed their lifestyle for the better. Some of my favorites: “Secrets of a Former Fat Girl” by Lisa Delaney, “The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl” by Shauna Reid, “Half-Assed” by Jeanette Fulda, and “Never Say Diet” by Chantel Hobbs.
:: With Christian Fiction, I’m also pretty picky. You’ll see me jumping-for-joy and hear me raving endlessly about a book if it’s “edgy”, meaning it includes normally ‘taboo’ subjects like premarital pregnancy, drinking, affairs, or all of the above. I also love it when a book is labelled “Christian Fiction“, but there’s nothing in it that makes you hear “religion” — it’s just a good, clean read in which the characters have faith, but they don’t overtly advertise it, and there’s no swearing, no sex, and no violence. Examples: Julie Klassen’s books (“Lady of Milkweed Manor“, “The Silent Governess“), and Robin Parrish’s “Dominion” trilogy (“Relentless” | ”Fearless” | “Merciless“).
An overview of my LIKES:
- reunions / lost-loves found / thwarted love overcome
- challenges overcome / success despite obstacles, or objections, or dire odds
- believable happy endings
- non-preachy, non-legalistic, non-hypocritical
- truthful / true-to-life
- teen angst & romance (the adrenaline of the flirting, and the chase)
- books that inspire me to truly believe it’s possible to change my lifestyle, or that make me believe in myself and my abilities
- codes, ciphers, puzzles
- chases that race against time, or jump from place-to-place
- dialogue-driven narratives (NOT wordy, descriptive drivel)
- books written, preferrably, in the 3rd-person, not first-person (though, first-person is okay, if it’s done right)
- fast-moving… lots of action!
