Ten Authors From Before My Lifetime

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I've long been a fan of classic literature, so this list was easy to compile. These days I don't read as many older books as I did when I was in my teens and twenties, but I still enjoy it when I make time to add it to my current reading.

Jane Austen
Jane has had a huge impact on my life—not just her wonderful stories, but also the friends I've made who share an appreciation for her works!
Favorite Austen hero: Mr. Knightley
Favorite Austen heroine: Elinor Dashwood


L.M. Montgomery
This Canadian writer gave us several dozen stories full of imagination and wonder.
Favorite Montgomery novel: Any of the Anne of Green Gables books, but if I had to pick one: Rilla of Ingleside


Elizabeth Gaskell
This Victorian author brought us wonderful heroes and heroines that still delight us today.
Favorite Gaskell novel: North and South


Louisa May Alcott
One of the foremost American female authors! Also one of two on this list whose homes I have visited.
Favorite Alcott novel: Little Women


Charlotte Bronte
From a trio of famous author sisters, Charlotte's works have been adored for generations.
Favorite Bronte novel: Jane Eyre


Laura Ingalls Wilder
Who didn't grow up dreaming of prairie days with Laura, Mary, Pa, Ma, and Carrie?
Favorite Wilder novel: I can't pick, so I'm going with all of them. 💛


Charles Dickens
This prolific author brought us many, many classics. Do you have a favorite?
Favorite Dickens novel: A Christmas Carol


Gene Stratton-Porter
This author was a favorite of my grandmother, and my first introduction to these stories was her reading them aloud to me. 💚
Favorite Stratton-Porter novel: A Girl of the Limberlost


Maud Hart Lovelace
I haven't read as much of this author as I would like, but her childrens and young adult stories are full of whimsy and inspiration.
Favorite Lovelace novel: Emily of Deep Valley


Lloyd C. Douglas
He wrote Christian fiction and Biblical fiction in the 1920s-1940s, long before those were recognized as their own genres.
Favorite Douglas novel: The Robe

Find more Top Ten Tuesday posts at That Artsy Reader Girl.

"Court of Swans" by Melanie Dickerson

Melanie Dickerson, author of the beloved Hagenheim fairy tale tellings, has started a new medieval series for her young adult readers. 

Lady Delia Dericott enjoys her life with her father and seven brothers. But after her father remarries, things quickly go downhill. Before long, all seven of her brothers are arrested on suspicion of murdering a coroner in a nearby town. Delia is outraged and scared, because her youngest brother is only ten years old. There's no way he could have plotted to murder anyone, nor is murder anything her brothers would have done in the first place.

Traveling to London, Delia poses as a seamstress in order to stay close to her brothers and try to help them. Will the trial clear their name? Who has anything to gain by getting rid of all seven of her brothers?

I felt like this story started strong, but it lagged some in the second half. The way things unfolded required more suspension of disbelief than I prefer, and the characters were not relatable to me. I did enjoy the book, and Dickerson sets up several storylines which I can't wait to see unfold throughout the series. I would recommend this book for fans of YA medieval romance.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.