Author's Bookshelf
Favorite Fiction Books
Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Art Of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Archer by Abigail Roux
The Girl With the Golden Earring by Sylvia Francis Chan
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Scriveners Tale by Fiona McIntosh
The Short Timers by Gustav Hasford
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Your Republic is Calling You by Young-Ha Kim
The Art Of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Archer by Abigail Roux
The Girl With the Golden Earring by Sylvia Francis Chan
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Scriveners Tale by Fiona McIntosh
The Short Timers by Gustav Hasford
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Your Republic is Calling You by Young-Ha Kim
Favorite Nonfiction Books
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, by Erik Larson
Dog Sense by John Bradshaw
One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson
Spy Catcher, by Peter Wright
The Billion Dollar Spy, by David E.Hoffman
The Boys In The Boat, by Daniel James Brown
Dog Sense by John Bradshaw
One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson
Spy Catcher, by Peter Wright
The Billion Dollar Spy, by David E.Hoffman
The Boys In The Boat, by Daniel James Brown
Favorite Authors
Tony Hillerman: For more than 30 years, Hillerman, who died in 2008, wrote about the adventures of Navajo policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. His mystery novels rate as classics because of his ability to mix Native American culture with a modern police procedural. Also, with each book, the lives of Leaphorn and Chee continued to evolve, providing each one of his books with depth rarely seen in mysteries.
John LeCarre: The most literary of spy novelists, LeCarre’s elegant writing style sets him apart. He melds character and place in a most effective manner. All of his characters, even the most minor, are richly drawn as if each one had been put on a pedestal for a momentary place in the sun. In his most recent novels, a persistent anti-American streak can be perceived. That might offend readers with a strong nationalistic bent. From where LeCarre sits, I’m sure he has his reasons.
Paul Theroux: A master of both fiction and nonfiction, Theroux brings a unique perspective to just about anything he writes. His wry observations are filled with wit and irony. Anyone who manages to trash Mother Teresa in a novel needs to be read. Never dull.
Alexander McCall Smith: The impoverished African nation of Botswana provides the most unusual locale of Smith’s highly-entertaining First Ladies Detective Agency mystery series. The cases Precious Ramotswe must solve are usually quite different that those usually found in a detective story. Most of the cases center on African life and Smith’s series provide keen insight into African culture and values. Good stuff.
Martin Cruz Smith: Best known for the series of mystery novels featuring sardonic Russian police detective Arkady Renko, Smith is another writer who has mastered the ability to convey time and place in a highly-entertaining manner. Not all of his novels center on modern-day Russia, but all his books have strong plots, solid characters and feature a writing style that just carries the reader along.
John LeCarre: The most literary of spy novelists, LeCarre’s elegant writing style sets him apart. He melds character and place in a most effective manner. All of his characters, even the most minor, are richly drawn as if each one had been put on a pedestal for a momentary place in the sun. In his most recent novels, a persistent anti-American streak can be perceived. That might offend readers with a strong nationalistic bent. From where LeCarre sits, I’m sure he has his reasons.
Paul Theroux: A master of both fiction and nonfiction, Theroux brings a unique perspective to just about anything he writes. His wry observations are filled with wit and irony. Anyone who manages to trash Mother Teresa in a novel needs to be read. Never dull.
Alexander McCall Smith: The impoverished African nation of Botswana provides the most unusual locale of Smith’s highly-entertaining First Ladies Detective Agency mystery series. The cases Precious Ramotswe must solve are usually quite different that those usually found in a detective story. Most of the cases center on African life and Smith’s series provide keen insight into African culture and values. Good stuff.
Martin Cruz Smith: Best known for the series of mystery novels featuring sardonic Russian police detective Arkady Renko, Smith is another writer who has mastered the ability to convey time and place in a highly-entertaining manner. Not all of his novels center on modern-day Russia, but all his books have strong plots, solid characters and feature a writing style that just carries the reader along.