Top Ten Tuesday: Gateway Books and Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly Meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish blog.  This week's topic is the top ten books or authors that have served as a "gateway"  to a genre, to a new author etc....  I am going to be extremely lame this week and will likely not get anywhere near ten.  I plead crazy work schedule sucking up all of my brain's meager store of brain cells.  But I really thought the few that immediately popped in my head were worth mentioning so here goes.

1. Georgette Heyer

I hadn't picked up a romance book in years until I heard Nancy Pearl talking about the re-issue of one of her favorite author's huge catalog of books.  She mentioned that Heyer was considered by many to be the grand dame of Regency era romances.  She is in fact the author of a TON of truly delightful books and she totally whet my appetite to read more romance so that since then I've discovered other great authors from Julia Quinn, and Lisa Kleypas to Kresley Cole.  Thanks Georgette (and Nancy Pearl)!

2. Mary Roach

I credit Mary Roach for getting me excited about non-fiction.  I read her first book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers several years ago and it made me realize that by skipping the non-fiction aisles, I was missing out out on books that were not only fascinatingly educational but also great reads.

 3. The Fables Series by Bill Willingham

 I  set out purposely to try a graphic novel and agonized long and hard at where, amongst the many choices, to start.  I landed upon Bill Willingham's Fables series and I think it was a brilliant choice especially for someone like me who enjoys fairy tales.  The books are witty and clever, the artwork is stunning, there's adventure, romance, complex and intriguing characters and it was less intimidating then some of the super hero comics. It is also decidedly adult.  It was a huge win and a great introduction to the world of graphic novels. 

4. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling (do I even need to link this for more information?)

I credit the Harry Potter series for re-introducing me to the wide world of Young Adult fiction and showing me that it still has much to offer to an adult reader. 

And, embarrassingly, I think that is it for me this week.  I look forward to hearing about your most cherished gateways!

UPDATE! This is probably against the laws of nature, but I had to do a lot of solitary driving yesterday and I thought of a couple more that fits perfectly on this list.  So I'm editing and adding them.  Take that laws of nature and Top Ten Tuesday lists.

5. D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths by Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire

I was seriously obsessed with this book as a kid and it started a lifelong interest in Greek mythology as well as mythology in general.  I have since read all the classics  - Bulfinch's, Edith Hamilton's and Greece is pretty much number one on my places I'd like to travel list.

6. The Once and Future King by T.H. White

This book played a key gateway role in what has been a lifelong interest in the Arthurian mythology.  It's a great book to start with especially for young readers.  There are so many other books and movies to explore about these legends. 

Okay.  Now I'm really done.  Maybe.