Louise Rennison

I do not like this assignment one bit. Asking me my favorite author is like asking me to choose between Queen, The Temptations, and Stevie Wonder. Impossible. Especially because I don't really read according to author; I feel like there are too many books to read, so why focus on just a few favorite authors? I'd rather expand my horizons. Granted, I haven't read that many non-fiction books, which is something I tried to work on this summer. The problem with non-fiction for me is that I read to take a break from everything, so I don't particularly want to spend my free time learning something when I'm forced to learn (not that I don't enjoy it) seven hours, five days a week.
Which brings me, vaguely, to my current favorite author. Louise Rennison writes fiction novels in the form of a diary of a teenage British girl. My favorite thing about her books is that they are hilarious and provide an excellent break from the drudgery of daily life. Her writing is funnier than half the people I know. Seriously, my sides are hurting just thinking about it. The other thing I like about her writing is that it's very realistic. Many books written for teenage girls are often over-dramatized. The characters in Rennison's books do get into some crazy shenanigans which may be hard to believe, but the books aren't sappy or cliche like most teen novels. In terms of the actual writing style, the tone is very colloquial (I hope I'm using that correctly). She almost creates her own language, which adds to the, sometimes crude, humor.
I would not necessarily call Rennison my friend. To me, the book isn't about the author- it's about the story. And I don't really read by authors, counting down the minutes until their next book comes out, so it's hard to develop a friendship when you're more of a freelance reader.