Which Authors Specialize In Writing Light-Hearted Books?

I have a soft spot for the ‘old school’ digital pioneers. I’m thinking of people like Lora Leigh whose Breeds series (paranormal) used to be everywhere in the early 2000s. Or Shayla Black whose Wicked Lovers series is some of the best modern erotic romantic suspense out there. The smut in these books can feel a bit dated at times. The alpha males can be rather dominating in a somewhat less aware way to present days and the language can be rather more clinical and/or use more euphemisms but these authors are true foundations of the genre. Reading them is like watching a genre grow up. You can see the beginnings of modern consent discussions and of female agency as well. And yes, there is plenty of steamy sex in them too – often in creative and unusual scenarios. When I read these authors, I can see where contemporary romantic fiction is coming from. I can even see the seeds of contemporary discussions of consent, and women’s agency, and all of that – but mostly I am reading them for the steam, which is creative and very enjoyable. If you’re a completist, or you just want to read some historical fiction that helps to explain how we got from there to here – that is, from clandestine distribution of hardcover books to this amazing open smut market that we have today – reading some of the earlier specialists in this field is kind of fascinating.

I just adore Closed-door romances. They're one of my favorite genres to read within, which provide a sweet and emotional read. I just love Denise Hunter who has written not only The Convenient Groom but also Sweetbriar Cottage. Both of these novels are very emotional, real and additionally end up exposing the real emotional connection between two main characters. Rachel Hauck is another favorite of mine. In The Wedding Dress, Hauck expertly weaves together several past love stories and one present day story, all done so delicately. Her novels are uplifting and, so often, include a strong dose of faith which complements a romantic story perfectly. Another really good book for a contemporary setting is Bethany Turner’s The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck. It was very funny and sweet as Sarah got a second chance at love. The dialogue was witty and the character growth was very satisfying. This is a great example of how clean a romance can be and still be really good and engaging.

It is often the point of a serious work on absurdity to be humorous. Much humor in war literature comes from the obvious illogic of the system and the ways in which the unwise decisions of higher-ups lead to more horror. The famous Catch-22 circular reasoning that keeps Yossarian in combat is as funny as it is stupid. And the humor is the point of the comedy: in laughing at a joke we understand its stupidity. Thus the humor of a war story is usually closely aligned with the horror of the story as well.

This thread is so great that I need to go buy a fireproof safe for my books. Maybe I’ll even read through some of these again. Paranoia is real.

The quality of quantity in KU writing is just incredible. There are thousands of titles here. To make sure that every humor-seeker can find something that appeals to them, no matter how narrow or specific their humor is, there are lots of mainstream comics and bestsellers in the biggest categories for general humor. But the real depth of the long tail of content in KU means that in order to find the most peculiar, offbeat, funny book ever written, you have to plunge into the many lesser categories or search using very specific keywords. Humor is peculiar, and often even too weird for mainstream authors and even most mainstream published books. But often a book that is written specifically for you, even and especially in oddity, will be just too your cup of tea. You’ll have to be an adventurer with an open mind, but you will find it.

For the cutting-edge reader, Charles Petzold’s Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software is another viewpoint on the basic structure of computers. For web developers specifically, David Flanagan’s JavaScript: The Definitive Guide is another reference for them. The two authors provide a lot of explanation to stimulate curiosity. The material itself is quite technical but the authors write to make it an adventure into the subject matter.

Trigger warnings are one of those things that I kind of love and hate at the same time. The top dark romance authors are very particular about their trigger warnings and I think that’s really great because it gives readers some idea of what to expect and enables them to read accordingly. At the same time, it does create a kind of menu effect where people read dark romance because they want to read a particular dark trope and authors who are really clear about their content notes, who are really up front about the things that are going to happen in the book, earn a huge amount of trust with their readers.

After some consideration, I’d like to nominate John Green for this list. While his books are categorized as YA contemporary, especially The Fault in Our Stars, they are ultimately monumental love stories. The book has captured the hearts of a generation of readers and has made many people cry and swoon in equal measure. He’s one of the top male authors writing stories with love and relationships at their core. While much of his work is published in YA channels, his collaborative works with other authors are often deeply romantic in nature. So, while he may not be considered a “romance novelist” according to RWA guidelines, in many cultural contexts he is regarded as one of the top authors of romantic fiction. This distinction is significant, as the definition we use for the list changes dramatically. Are we talking about authors of bestselling books about love? Then there are many more authors who could be included on this list. Are we talking about authors whose primary career is writing category romance? Then the list shrinks dramatically.

Other books that capture a similar sense of positive energy in the midst of life’s ups and downs are Lauren Wolk’s Echo Mountain, which is quieter and also extremely powerful, and The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh. That book is chock full of recipes and finds a positive way to depict sisterhood and includes a big-hearted story at its core. All of these books take a look at life’s lemons and find a way to make them into something sweet.

While reading ‘Born in Blackness’, Howard W. French’s latest book on African history, I kept thinking of how this book would stick with me long after I finished reading it. As someone who has lived and worked in Africa for decades and written for some of the world’s leading publications, French has a unique vantage point for his history. And what he sets out to do with ‘Born in Blackness’ – to challenge the predominantly Eurocentric view of history and to show how Africa’s contributions to the world were actively suppressed and subsequently rewritten – he does with great depth and detail. Much like one would read a book by a well-traveled uncle who is sharing forbidden knowledge, French’s writing is intelligent and easily followed by the reader. The obvious intention of his book is for historical revision, in order to hold people accountable for their distortions of the past. After finishing the book, I look at the “world history” section of most bookstores with suspicion, wondering what other falsehoods are being perpetuated on the public.