Author of the Month, John Grisham

John Grisham is one of my favorite authors, and not just because he was born and raised in my favorite city. In fact, if truth be told, I went to high school with his baby brother, although we did not have any sort of connection.

But it is not John Grisham’s good old boy affiliation that has me devouring his books; rather it is his ability to world-build, pull me in, hook, line and sinker. For me, that is a sure sign of a good author. Ever since The Firm came out, I have been his fan. I ravaged Pelican Brief, A Time to Kill, and The Client, and enjoyed A Painted House the most. Why? Well, *small smile* my son who is an actor had a speaking role in the Lifetime movie!

Yes, his books made into movies have been shot in my hometown, and yes, that has a little to do with it, because who doesn’t want to see familiar places (and loved faces!) on the silver screen? But mostly, his word choice that makes me feel like I am there in his setting.

All in all, the realism placed in his books is what usually does it for me. I read to be taken away from my reality and put into someone else’s. He manages to do that and he does it so well he has elicited a lot of emotional response from readers.

In the end, plotlines that work, characters that grow larger than life, and the ease of stories being transferred to movies all work together to create (for me) an author to adore.

You can find out more about Mr. Grisham and his books here and they are readily available at all the usual haunts.

Tidbit: He usually signs his first editions at a little bookstore in Oxford, Mississippi (Home of Faulkner) where my daughter works.

See? My love for all things books and Grisham is being handed down!