Chapter 30 - The Best of the Backlist

Like everyone I have favorite authors and I don't always get a chance to read their latest and greatest. Sometimes it is because by the time the author's next book is published I have moved on to another author. Other times it is because a book doesn't take off as well as the publisher thought so it gets little publicity. Often I will be out browsing in a thrift or consignment store and find an favorite author's book that somehow I have missed. I then try to fit that book into my TBR pile. When I read these books mostly I realize why I loved the author to begin with.

This happened recently with a book by Anna Quindlen. I loved her books One True Thing, Black and Blue, and Blessings but somehow missed Every Last One. Then I started thinking about all the backlists of my favorite authors I've picked up and read. Below are some of my favorites.

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen - This would be a good book club book. Mary Beth Latham and her husband have worked hard to raise their three teenage children. When one of her twin boys becomes depressed Mary Beth focuses on this problem working to get him the care he needs. A shockingly violent event in their lives forces Mary Beth to learn how to survive and grow in spite of it.

All the Little Live Things by Wallace Stegner - Stegner is one of my favorite American authors. I first met him with his Pulitzer Prize winning book Angle of Repose. In this novel Stegner's protagonist, Joe Allston and his wife have take a retreat to California. There they meet a few characters who change their lives.

The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear - I've been a fan of Jacqueline Winspear for a long time and love her Maisie Dobbs series. In The White Lady, Winspear tells the story of Elinor White, a former Special Operations Executive agent who has come to live in a quiet place after her World War II service to Britain. She sees one of her neighbors being treated brutally and decides to see if she can help. The book goes back and forth between the events in Elinor's life which have led her to where she is today.

The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel - Harmel is known for her wonderful World War II books. This one takes place in Paris in 1938. Ruby is married to Marcel, a distant and secretive French man. When he is killed, Ruby finds out his secret and is determined to join the French Resistance in his place. First she starts hiding pilots whose planes have been shot down and then begins concealing her 12 year old neighbor, Charlotte. Charlotte's parents have been rounded up by the German authorities. This is a true page turner.

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler - I first read this book in 1985 when it was published but I (who can remember books read in childhood) had no clear recollection of it. I've always enjoyed Anne Tyler's work and it must have started somewhere. Macon and Sarah separate a year after the senseless death of their son. After an accident Macon goes to live with his sister and brothers, all with significant quirks to their own personalities. A chance meeting with a dog trainer named Muriel sets Macon on a different path and turns his life into something worth living. A word of warning - although this book was written in the 80's, it is really timeless. Not so the movie, which is okay but dated.

Are there any favorite authors who have books you've missed? Let me know!