I saw these questions over at The Diary of a Domestic Goddess, and thought I would answer them too!

1. Who is your all-time favourite author, and why?

My favourite all time author is Roald Dahl. I love his books. They gave me hours of entertainment when I was small, and now keep me entertained as an adult. I’m currently re-reading James and the Giant Peach, and I’m laughing, and I’m gripped, and I love the illustrations by Quentin Blake. I don’t think it is possible to be too old to enjoy Roald Dahl, I love him.

2. Who was your first favourite author, and why?  Do you still consider him or her among your favourites?

Enid Blyton. I loved everything of hers that I read. I loved The Magic Faraway Tree, and remember my Mum reading that to me and my brother – and the Secret Seven, the Famous Five, Mallory Towers…the list goes on. I loved them all! I always found myself wanting to live in those books! I haven’t read any of these books in a long time, but I really want to – I’m sure I would still love them. I think I would still put Enid Elyton as a favourite author because of the memories I have of reading her books and really enjoying them.

3. Who’s the most recent addition to your list of favourite authors, and why?

Sarah Dessen. I discovered her when I was blogging about young adult books. Every one of her books that I have read I have loved. I found her gripping, entertaining, touching, realistic and just fantastic. I read Just Listen first and it blew me away. I haven’t found a bad book by her yet – thankfully!

4. If someone asked you who your favourite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth?  Are there any you’d add on a moment of further reflection?

Terry Pratchett, CS Lewis, Sarah Dessen, Erica James, Wendy Virgo, Philippa Gregory, Roald Dahl. After some thought… Enid Blyton, Ben Elton, Dorothy Koomson, Beatrix Potter, A A Milne, Mark Driscoll, Debbie Macomber, Elizabeth Noble, Nicholas Sparks, Sophie Kinsella, Stephanie Meyer, JK Rowling, Andrew Wilson and Jane Austen I think.

5. Which “unknown” author do you recommend to people most often?

Probably Wendy Virgo. She writes theology books, mainly for women and I love her. I wrote a Recommended Author post about her. The books are easy to read, engaging and for me, life changing. I think everyone should read her books.

Amazon synopsis:

“To my side, all true Narnians! Would you wait till your new masters have killed you one by one?” A false Aslan is commanding all Narnians to work for the cruel Calormenes and striking terror into every heart. Jill and Eustace find themselves called into Narnia once more, this time to aid King Tirian in the mightiest of all battles This is the seventh adventure in the exciting Chronicles of Narnia.

This is the final book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. All seven books have been full of adventure and excitement, and all of Christian themes. This book fitted well into that. This book is full of deception and battles. This is an exciting book, and both children and adult.

Throughout the whole book there are clear parallels of what is written in Revelation. This didn’t spoil the book for me but it did make the ending more predictable.

There were a few things I didn’t like about this book:

- I didn’t like the ending and how Lewis set it up so no further books could be written

- For once, there were several characters I wasn’t keen on

- I missed Susan – the rest of the children returned to Narnia but she didn’t.

However, this was exciting and fun. I liked the battles and of course Aslan and the return of the children. This is my least favourite book but I did still enjoy it.

7/10

Amazon synopsis:

The Narnia Chronicles, first published in 1950, remain some of the most enduringly popular ever published. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has been translated into 29 languages! The illustrations in this book have been coloured by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. Now published with the original cover, as designed by Pauline Baynes. “We’ve got to go north,” said Edmund, “and reach the ruins of a giant city.” Prince Rilian, Caspian’s beloved son, has mysteriously disappeared, and Jill and Eustace are brought into Narnia by Aslan, the great Lion, to find him. But an evil enchantress has dire plans for the prince, and for Narnia…This is the sixth adventure in the exciting Chronicles of Narnia.

I enjoyed this book. It is the sixth book in The Chronicles of Narnia series and good fun. We met Eustace in the previous book and he has grown up and is more likable in this adventure. The children are on a mission to find the lost Prince, and as ever C.S. Lewis fills the story with all kinds of excitment and perils, such as the underground world and the giants city.

Even as an adult I enjoyed this book, and the series. They contain everything you could want – a good storyline, likable characters and well written verse. This is a fantasy adventure, and thoroughly worth reading. It is a gripping book, and I wanted to see how Lewis would complete this particular tale.

My favourite character is the Marshwiggle Puddlegum. He made me laugh – especially as he is so negative and yet believed he was the most upbeat of them all!

I would recommend this book to everyone – adults and children alike.

8/10