A Favorite Author of Mine
/“I have a shelf of comfort books, which I read when the world closes in on me or something untoward happens”
Who is it? What book did you read that held your soul and delivered? Who is a must buy? Which author is taking over your Kindle Library?
I did a few babysitting jobs in my teens. Mostly for people my parents knew at church. A new couple were back from a state department job overseas. I didn’t know them well. The first time I babysat at their house, I peeked at the furniture in the more formal places downstairs. Gorgeous red colored dining room furniture with lush curves and a high shine. I wondered what else they had that was unusual?
Then I watched TV. Heaven. My parents were pretty strict on what we watched. I loved having cable to myself. My teenager heart turned on MTV. Later, after the little one was down, I found a box of books in the back work kitchen. I loved books. It was one thing I was good at. Digging through the box, I found a couple of Anne McCaffrey books.
“Tell a story! Don’t try to impress your reader with style or vocabulary or neatly turned phrases. Tell the story first!”
I’d never heard of her. Both my parents bought books. I think I remember my dad liking Louis L’amour. I could be wrong on that because I think my grandad liked them as well. My mom preferred romance. A fact I didn’t know until I was in my 20s. What I’m trying to say is if the librarians didn’t point me in a direction, I would walk an entire store’s aisles until a cover hooked me.
New to me books were precious. I never had enough. No matter how poor or not I have been as an adult, I have always found a way to get new stories. Books are life.
Once the couple returned home, I asked about the books. The husband said he’d read them but was giving them away. I asked if I could have the two I’d found, and he agreed.
That night I opened Dragonsong after I should have been in bed. I used one of the hurricane emergency kit flashlights and dragged myself under my comforter.
The main heroine Menolly believes she can’t have anything to do with music because it is a male only profession. Set in the Dragonriders of Pern universe, a story about an awkward girl who finds herself smack dab in the middle of a mess then finds her voice and makes good. It was like Anne McCaffrey wrote it just for me.
I took a nap the following day, then stayed up to read the next book. I tried to read slowly in order to make it last. The world building had me in another time and place. Once I finished that one, I asked my mom for a trip to the library. She grabbed my sack full of returns and off we went. At the library I discovered a gazillion books she’d written.
“That’s what writing is all about, after all, making others see what you have put down on the page and believing that it does, or could, exist and you want to go there.”
Dragonsong will remain my favorite. I can see myself curled up under my green comforter hoping that Menolly will make it. That first one remains vivid in my head. I’ve reread it probably once a year when I want to sink into an old friend.
The first runner-up for me is The Rowan. Another female heroine looking for a place to belong. Set in space in an alternate timeline where human brains are the most powerful force in the universe to push and pull things around. Fascinating. Plus, it’s a girl hero book.
After that, I would say one of her oldest books comes in at number two. A straight romance. Ring of Fear. Girl finding a place to belong, plus horses and thriller things. It’s a really early book, but you can see the good bones in the pages.
Dragons, space books and high fantasy remain genre favorites. I took part of my gaming handle from McCaffrey’s books. Not sure anyone realizes that, but if they ask, I tell them about an outstanding book. I never pass up an opportunity to advocate for readers.
Anne McCaffrey has passed away. I miss her mind and the places she created. But I can visit all the places she’s left behind.
