I love reading, but there are some books that I lie about reading. This dates back to high school when I would rather gouge my eyes out with a dull knife than read another word of The Grapes of Wrath. Now? It's more about lying about what I HAVEN'T read. 

No, I don't still read YA. I mean come on, I'm an adult, not an adventure craving teenager.

Literary fiction? What am I eighty?

Here are just a few of the books I lie about reading one way or another.

1. The Grapes of Wrath - This one is obvious. To me, it is actually painful to read. I didn't read it in high school when it counted as part of my grade and I sure as hell have no intention of picking it up now.

2. Lolita - This is actually one of my favorite books, but not something you want to admit to. How to explain that it isn't the relationship between the pedophile and a young girl that kept me turning the page, but the changes that Delores went through.

3. Sidartha - Again, I just couldn't force myself through it. I know it's great literature, but I'd rather have my teeth drilled.

4. The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - I read this right after my daughter was born and it still sits on my shelf today. Maybe it was because of the time in my life I chose to read it or because I think all women have "best friends" that we miss as we grow older. This book though, is more a staple of older-hat wearing-men hating-mother blaming women, not exactly required reading for a paranormal romance author.

5. The Secret Lives of Bees - I just didn't get all the hype over this book. It was SO BORING!

What books do you lie about?

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As a paranormal romance author, I am constantly reading. Sometimes it's straight horror, other times it's something with romantic elements, and sometimes it's something completely off in left field. Today I thought I'd share the 10 dark and creepy writers I can't get enough of...

10. Felicity Heaton - I love her Vampires Realm series and her Eternal Mates series. Her stories pull you in and I've spent hours reading passages again and again. You can learn more about her and her books at www.felicityheaton.co.uk.

9. Kami Garcia - I am a sucker for long, epic stories and Kami Garcia co-authored one of my favorites with Beautiful Creatures. I've added her new books Unbreakable and Unmarked to my TBR list! You can find out more about her and her current projects at www.kamigarcia.com.

8. Deborah Harkness - I love stories about witches and her All Souls Trilogy had me hooked from the start. It pulled me in and kept me guessing all the way through. You can read more about Deborah Harkness and her books at www.deborahharkness.com.

7. J.R. Ward - I fell in love with Immortal: A Novel of the Fallen Angels and have now started devouring her other books. Her work is dark and almost poetic, something most books lack today. You can learn more about her and purchase her books at Amazon.com.

6. J.D. Horn - I am so in love with his Witching Savannah series! Amazing stories, believable characters...Just Wow! So why is he only #6...Because I wish there were more books of his to devoure! You can find out more about him and these AMAZING books over at www.witchingsavannah.com.

5. Carrie Ann Ryan - I fell in love with the Redwood Pack when the first book came out and I've been a fan of the author's ever since. Not only does she write amazing (and hot) stories, but she keeps them coming. I'm into her Dante's Circle series now and I'm loving it just as much. You can learn more about the author and her impressive list of books at www.carrieannryan.com.

4. V.C. Andrews - I'm going to show my age here and admit to reading her Dollanganger series when I was in high school. Yes, rather than reading John Steinbeck, I was reading about incest and children locked in an attic. What can I say? I liked dark and creepy even then! V.C. Andrews sadly passed away and her work has been taken over by a ghost writer, but you can still learn more over at www.completevca.com.

3. Stephen King - No list is complete without the master! I remember reading his books back in the sixth grade and scaring myself so badly I couldn't sleep at night. I thing my very favorite (this week) is Delores Claiborne, but next week it may be different. He has an amazing site at www.stephenking.com.

(And I love the guitar with the spiders!)

2. Anne Rice - Anne Rice has long been one of my favorite authors. I loved the vampire chronicles and her Lives of the Mayfair Witches books are some of my favorite books ever. My copy of The Witching Hour has been read and re-read so many times that it has pages falling out! Anne has a great site over at annerice.com , but she connects with her readers almost daily over on her Facebook Page.

1. Bella Forrest - This should come as no big shock to those that follow my blog or keep up with me on Facebook. I began reading A Shade of Vampire over fall break this year and I am a complete Shaddict now! A perfect mix of darkness and romance, a sweeping story...Okay, I have to stop or I'm going to go all fangirl. Anyway, the author keeps the story going and instead of dwindling out over time, it just keeps getting better! You can read more about her and her books over at www.bellaforrest.net.

I love books, but there are a few things that when they occur in a book, mark it down as a total fail in my opinion. 

1. Instalove: Is there anything more annoying? The characters just meet and talk about how deeply in love they are. #Seriously? You just met two paragraphs ago!

2. Stalker Love: This was huge with Edward in Twilight. A guy sneaking into a woman's room at night to watch her sleep is not sweet, it's creepy!

3. Perfection: I understand that no one wants to read about ugly characters, but do all the characters have to be goodlooking, wealthy, and have a delightful personality? Let them have one flaw at least! A temper, a cowlick, something!

4. All Sex and No Story: I'm no prude, but instasex ranks right up there with instlove. Throw it in with instalove and it's a complete recipie for disaster! Can you at least describe the characters first? Or at least mix it in? 

5. Predictable: If I can already guess the ending by the end of chapter one, it is a total fail. Even if I hope the hero and herroine get together, I want the to be challenges along the way to keep me interested.

6. Too Short: I hate it when a story feels rushed and hurried. This is a book, not a trip to McDonalds.

7. Too Long: On the opposite side of #6 are books that are too long. Please don't take three pages to describe one article of clothing.

8. It's All A Dream Ending: Okay, this wasn't a good idea when the original Dallas did it with Bobby Ewing's death and it still sucks.

9. Cliff Hangers: These are fine when leading from one book to another in a series, but when it happens in s stand alone...It's just annoying.

Do you have any total book fails you would like to add?

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