I've discovered who I am as a writer: a reader.

"If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write," Stephen King says in On Writing, and that was a boot to the head I needed at the time. As the mom of two young kids, a maniacally devoted church lady, PTO volunteer, and newly published author, I realized I'd been reading less and less, and the books I crammed into my sleepy head in the last grabby moments of my waking day were mostly research or writing/publishing how to books. Then Joan Drury, the wise woman who edited my second novel (she was "Joanie the Greater" and I "Joni the Lesser" a la Biblical distinctions) pointed out to me one day that a person who's never written a break-out bestseller is ill-equipped to tell others how it's done, and a writer is much better advised to read books that restore the love of language and refresh the joy of story, which is what drew us into the world of books to begin with. She gave me an "assigned if the spirit moves you" reading list that took me back to my reading roots, and sure enough, it totally re-energized me as a writer.

So here are a few books on my "assigned if the spirit moves you" (so as not to feel home-worky) list of books that might remind you why you write. The list ranges from classic Camus (The Stranger) to classic camp (Valley of the Dolls -- oh, yeah, that's right, I said it!) and includes favorites from way back when and right up to now. Read. Reconnect. Enjoy. And please hop in and share your list of Books That Made Me Want to Write.