eagle wrote:Back in junior high, I loved reading, but something flipped in high school and I quit reading. I didn't get back my love of reading until this year, more than 30 years later. So far this year I have read 6 books (Jurassic Park; a couple of Spenser novels; a Bosch novel; an essay called "As A Man Thinketh"; and a book called "Evangelpreneur.") It was probably junior high when I last read 6 books in a year, never mind doing that in less than 3 months.
In the queue now are -- in no particular order:
- Calico Joe
- Bosch 1 & 2 (The Black Echo, The Black Ice)
- Robert Ludlum's Bourne books
- The Leader Who Had No Title
- How To Win Friends & Influence People
- What Got You Here Won't Get You There
- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
I do think I'll start with Calico Joe. It's a quick read and, with baseball season upon us, it just seems like the right thing to do.
I've found that I really like Michael Crichton, Michael Connelly, Robert B Parker, and John Grisham. Are there any other authors I should consider adding to that list?
You're doing well there! Michael Crichton is one of my all time favorite authors. The cores of his books are so interesting and I really like what he focuses on. I think
Jurassic Park is a classic and those who know it only by the movies don't really know it at all.
I also like Dan Simmons. He's a genre jumper but everything I've read by him - horror, sci-fi, historical fiction - has been really good.
Hyperion is his sci-fi stand out and I also really enjoyed
Crook Factory.
Nelson DeMille is another,
Plum Island is a good intro.
David Morrell, the father of Rambo I enjoy as well. His first book,
First Blood, is a good start and, again, a bit different from the movie.
I'm a south Florida fan so these next two I really enjoy:
Randy Wayne White is kind of the heir to, or at least is aiming to be the heir to, John D. MacDonald. I enjoy his Doc Ford character - start with
Sanibel Flats.
Tom Corcoran is more of a personal fave, he's been in and around the Key West scene from back in the 70s and lived an interesting life - he was basically the center character of the book
Mile Marker Zero, a look at the 70s Key West scene. He served Jimmy Buffett his first beer on the island, co wrote a few songs with him and finally started writing books a few years ago.
The Mango Opera is the jumping off point.
I can't mention John D. MacDonald without, well, mentioning him. Our Founding Father, J.J., is a big fan, and would be able to tell you other books by him, but you can't go wrong with Doc Ford's inspiration, Travis McGee. The first book is
The Deep Blue Goodbye.
William Diehl is another,
Sharkey's Machine and
Primal Fear are standouts in a short, but very good, bibliography.
Allan Folsom's first novel,
The Day After Tomorrow, blew me away at the time.
If you want to try the Fantasy genre, while I love The
Lord of the Rings and have read it many times, Tolkien can be intimidating so I'd recommend David Edding's
Belgariad series, which I think is a bit more accessable and a classic in it's own right.
Philip Jose Farmer's
Riverworld series is an all time favorite of mine, another series I have read multiple times. Not fantasy, more sociological sci-fi with historical fiction elements ..... that's what happens when everyone who has ever lived is resurrected in a world encompassing river valley and Sir Richard Burton, Alice Hargreaves, Samuel Clemens, King John of England, Cyrano de Bergerac, Lothar von Richthofen, and Hermann Göring are main characters ....
I'll close out with a few different, but still favorite, entrys:
Mitch Albom -
Tuesdays with Morrie
Robert Fulghum -
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Neil Peart -
Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road
That should keep you busy!