Reading by candlelight is wonderfully relaxing for me.  I sit up late at night and read by the light of a small lamp and a stick of incense.  If I was allowed to have candles in my dorm room like I have at home then yes, it would be candlelight, but apparently there is a fear of burning down the dorm!  Oh well, here is a list of books and authors that are tops in my opinion.  If you have any suggestions, email me and I might post it too. :)

Ayn Rand - A lovely lady who came to America and published her first book at the age of twenty-one.  She preferred to think of herself as an European writer, not a Russian writer because she did not believe in the collectivism of the culture.  She believed Objectivism to be the ideal society to live in, and she wrote of her philosophy in Atlas Shrugged.  Ayn also placed the Individualism above collectivism and egoism over altruism.  The character of Roark, in The Fountainhead, embodies Rand's philosophy of objectivism, which encourages individuals to pursue their own rational  interests. According to Rand, human understanding and acceptance of reality form the basis of judgment and values. She believed that human beings must live for themselves, neither sacrificing any part of their natures or goals to other people, nor bending others' wills to their own. In this scheme, love is achieved fully only by those individuals who possess the highest self-esteem, which is exhibited in the form of clearly defined and uncompromising values. Rand was also a resolute atheist.  Because of the extremity of her views, she was criticized for what some saw as a view of the individual that was too simplistic and inflexible.

     If Roark were only real!

Agatha Christie - Born as Agatha Miller in England she married Col. Archibald Christie, an aviator in the Royal Flying Corps.  The pair had a daughter by the name of Rosalind, but divorced in 1928.  

Carole Nelson Douglas -  As a child she loved Sherlock Holmes stories, but the adult found something missing: strong women. Many of Douglas's novels have received awards and appeared on various bestseller lists.  She and her husband Sam Douglas live in Texas with seven felines.

Nick O'Donohoe -  This book had been lent to me in high school and I returned it so I will have to find it again and then type more info.  But its a great story if you love unicorns, griffins, veterinary medicine and magical worlds.

Margaret Ball - I'm reading No Earthly Sunne again.  I tend to read this book about once a year.  I like this book bunches!  It motivates me to follow my dream to sing.  I can't let pain, lack of confidence or fear hold me back.  I have to try hard, work hard and do my best!  I shall.  Nothing will stop me from reaching my goal.  Of course this book goes about reaching goals a different way.

Gael Baudino - Gael Baudino was raised in Los Angeles, and  is currently living in Denver. Gael is a minister of Dianic Wicca and a professional harp player. She has published eleven novels. She lives with her lover, Mirya.

Edgar Allan Poe - Known as the first master of the short-story.  Born in Boston, and orphaned in his early childhood he was raised by John Allan, a businessman in Richmond, Virginia. Taken to England at the age of six, and placed in a private school. When they returned to the United States in 1820, he continued to attend private schools. He attended the University of Virginia for a year, but in 1827 his foster father forced him to work as a clerk in order to pay off debts accumulated by gambling.  Disliking his new his new job greatly, left the job, thus estranging Mr. Allan. His first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827), was published anonymously in Boston. Shortly after Poe enlisted in the Army and served a two-years. In 1829 his second volume, Al Aaraaf, was published, and he reconciled with Allan.  His third book, Poems (1831).  In 1832 he moved to Baltimore to live with his aunt and his eleven year-old cousin.  In 1833 Poe's tale "A MS. Found in a Bottle" won a contest sponsored by the Baltimore Saturday Visitor. From 1835 to 1837 he was an editor of the Southern Literary Messenger. In 1836 he married his cousin, Virginia Clem. Throughout the next decade Poe worked as an editor in Philadelphia, and New York City. In 1847 Virginia died and Poe himself became ill; his addiction to liquor and his alleged use of drugs may have contributed to an early death.

Emily Dickinson -

Robert Frost -

I took a Fantasy Literature course at college.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  The professor was argumentative and engaging.  We read A Tolkien Reader, Lord of the Rings trilogy, and all five books that currently make up the Harry Potter series! 

J.R.R. Tolkien - 

     A Tolkien Reader - The "Tree and Leaf" essay is a great read!  Then read "Leaf by Niggle" and you will think you're almost reading What Dreams May Come.  The first essay is taken from a speech that Tolkien made in about 1937 to a group of fairy-story writers.  The essay speaks of how a fairy story has no real meaning that fairy tales are defined in the dictionary but not a fairy story, and that they are not the same thing.  A fairy story does not teach or preach but is for enjoyment and escape.  

  "Leaf by Niggle" is just a great story, you can read it in one sitting rather quickly but it really paints a picture in your mind!  You can't read this story without imagining what Niggle is painting, where he ends up and how he gets there.  

     Fellowship of the Ring - In the prologue it says that Tolkien did not set out to write this as an allegory.  He did not set out to parallel this tale to the events that might occur in the future or even while he is writing this tale.  Also not to portray any of the characters as if they were representing any biblical characters.  

J.K. Rowling - The Harry Potter Series is awesome, it starts out with a boy who finds out he's a wizard and his immediate family is trying to keep that fact from him.  

I'm currently taking History of the English Language from the same professor that taught the Fantasy Literature class. I still enjoy his teaching style and I can't wait to get further into the course! 

You are pink. You are in limbo. Not pure and manipulated like white, not impure and noble like red. You are unsure of your real identity, but whatever you chose it to be, you can be it. That is your power. You change everyone you touch, and everyone remembers you. In literature, pink represents the place between heaven and hell. You are the one we will never forget.