Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
(Groucho Marx)
Okay, so it's not so big yet -- but it's growing.
Each and every book listed here is one I've read, enjoyed, and think others would enjoy, too. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are those that I would not only recommend, but which I would buy (or have bought) for my friends simply because it's a book I feel they must read.
Slowly, I'm compiling some reviews for these books, too. Sorry, but right now they aren't in any particular order.
Remember, each of these books is available for sale in association with Amazon.com. So if you feel like buying books, you've found the right place!
Bride
of the Rat God
by
Barbara Hambly
Check
out my
review
of this book.
Burnt
Offerings
by
Laurell K. Hamilton
I've
done a
review
of this book, too.
The
Warrior's Apprentice*
by
Lois McMaster Bujold
The
first in a continuing series of adventures about young Miles
Vorkosigan, whose steel-trap mind is trapped in a fragile
body, and the heartless universe in which he triumphs.
Great
space opera. Other books in the series include:
- Shards
of Honor
- Barrayar
- Borders of Infinity
- The Vor Game
- Brothers in Arms
- Mirror Dance
- Cetaganda
- Memory
- Komarr (new this year and on my shopping list)
- Barrayar
Ken Follett Suspense
Eye
of the Needle*
This
is the first book Follett published under his own name. He
wrote it at the tender age of 28, and at age 14 I got my
hands on it and wouldn't let go until I read the final word.
It's wartime suspense at its best, a tightly-plotted
thriller that will enthrall you. What's more, it's worth
rereading -- a rarity in the genre.
The
Key to Rebecca
Another
fast-paced, well-plotted, and superbly-written suspense
novel set in Egypt during WWII. I've read this several times
just to enjoy the scene where Alex sets in motion a plot to
steal a briefcase from a bus.
Night
Over Water
This
one is just too much fun for words. Although it has a
variety of characters and a complex web of cross-plots,
Follett keeps the work on course and builds to a suspenseful
(what else?) conclusion. It also has one of the best last
lines I've ever read in any book. Read it and find out for
yourself ;-)
The Marvelous Kinky Friedman
Richard Kinky "Big Dick" Friedman has to be one of the most difficult authors to explain.
Who is he? One-time songwriter and lead singer of the Texas Jewboys (and, yes, Kinky is a Jew from Texas), he now writes urban parables, modern-day journeys into the soul of America. They are detective stories featuring Kinky himself as the amateur sleuth, but this does not begin to describe the work or the man.
Humorous, touching, bizarre, Friedman's tales lead you into the darkest and brightest places in our lives and in our souls. The true journey of the detective solves more than the crime; it solves and resolves the troublesome mundanities and perplexities of the modern world.
He's not for everyone; but I admit to lacking a total understanding of anyone who doesn't like the Kinkstah.
These are the books I've read by Kinky (so far):
- Elvis,
Jesus, and Coca-Cola*
- Armadillos and Old Lace
- God Bless John Wayne
- The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover
- Armadillos and Old Lace
Come back soon -- I'll be reading more Kinky as soon as I can get my hands on his latest book, Blast from the Past. There'll be more reviews, and an entire page on why everyone should visit the Discworld.
Check out My Favorite Book