Author I Want to Read: Joan Aiken

Do you have an author that has been on your list for years and years that you just never get around to reading?  I have several!  I am not sure why I never read them, sometimes I am afraid that the book I want to read most won't be as good as I expect or that the books in general don't stand the test of time.  At any rate, I am starting this new series on my blog with Joan Aiken.  Here's the book that always, always captures my attention:

For some reason I love this cover.  It looks desolate, and gothic.  And the synopsis is so gothic is practically screams:

Wicked wolves and a grim governess threaten Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia when Bonnie's parents leave Willoughby Chase for a sea voyage. Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture is sold, and Bonnie and Sylvia are sent to a prison-like orphan school. It seems as if the endless hours of drudgery will never cease.

With the help of Simon the gooseboy and his flock, they escape. But how will they ever get Willoughby Chase free from the clutches of the evil Miss Slighcarp?

What I didn't realize is that The Wolves of Willoughby Chaseis the first book in a series of 12 books called The Wolf Chronicles.  How did I not read these as a child?!  I loved Bellairs and these books seem so similar to those.  In fact, she has written around 60 books!  Here is a lovely interview with her on IndieBound.  She was still writing late into her life but she passed away in 2004.

Every year I check this book out from whatever library I am working at because I always plan to give it a go.  And every year it gets pushed aside for newer and shinier.  This summer, when it is hot out and I am tired of sweating all day long, I vow to give this one a try!

What about you, do you have an author you really want to read?  Have you ever read Joan Aiken?  What do you think?