The Wizard of Literature

I love reading romantic comedy, romance, chick lit, women's fiction, and mystery. Occasionally, I'll read literature or general fiction, and sometimes science fiction or fantasy. One fantasy book I've read is The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin, which I quite enjoyed. And my goodness, HOW impressive that Le Guin kicked butt in such a male-dominated genre! Ursula Le Guin just died yesterday, peacefully at her home in Portland, Oregon, and gosh it makes me sad to see her go. But how did someone like me, so steeped in romance and women's fiction, even stumble upon the peerless Le Guin in the first place, you ask? Women's fiction led me to her. In Karen Joy Fowler's wonderful book The Jane Austen Book Club, Jocelyn gets Grigg to read Jane Austen, and after much patience, Grigg gets Jocelyn to read Ursula Le Guin-- and Jocelyn LOVES it! And, well, Grigg got me to read Ursula Le Guin, too. Have you ever read any of her books? If not, a great, unexplored author waits on your horizon. The L.A. Times pays tribute to her.