Ive been tagged by Nick Schiano to list ten books or series that have stayed with me all my life. Rules: dont think too long or hard about it, they dont have to be the right books or great works of literature. Just books that have affected you in some way. Then tag at least 10 friends, including me so I can see your list. Distilling this list down to ten books was incredibly difficult. Even just picking ten authors is hard. But here goes, presented in no particular order: 1. Beat to Quarters/Ship of the Line/Flying Colours (CS Forester). The original volumes in Foresters Horatio Hornblower saga. (OK, Im cheating a little bit by lumping three books into one here, but theyre an integral set, so deal with it.) For those of you unfamiliar with the series, HH is a fictional officer in the British Navy in the Napoleonic era, when Britains naval supremacy literally saved England (and the world) from Napoleons domination. In spite of the protagonists somewhat comical name, these are serious, well-written works that entertain while teaching the history of the period. Forester wrote another ten or so books chronicling HHs entire naval career, from young midshipman through Admiral. Wonderful reads that clearly portray commitment to duty as a virtue, and courage not as an absence of fear, but doing what must be done in spite of fear. Great lessons. 2. Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain). Maybe the first book I ever read cover to cover. Made me want to read more. nuff said. 3. Animal Farm (George Orwell). A scathing allegorical indictment of Soviet Communism. We would all do well to (re)read this book today, and heed its lessons. (OK, enough political commentary.) 4. The Puppet Masters (Robert Heinlein). Arguably not his finest novel, but the first science fiction novel I ever read, which led me to the rest of Heinleins formidable body of work, and made me a fan of science fiction. 5. 2001:A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke). Science fiction as art and metaphor, from the man who invented the communications satellite. (Tough call whether to include Clarke here or Isaac Asimov. I didnt have room for both. Coin toss.) 6. Chesapeake (James Michener). I read this when I first moved to Washington DC in the 80s (and began to sail the Chesapeake out of Annapolis). My appreciation for the Chesapeake Bay was much the richer as a result. Michener is absolutely the master of historical fiction, weaving fictional characters into historical settings and events. If hes written a book about where you live or a place youre traveling to, read it. 7. The Killer Angels (Michael Shaara). A riveting, exceptionally well-written narrative of the Battle of Gettysburg, from the perspectives of the Generals on both sides and a (fictional) Union Army lieutenant colonel, in its full historical and strategic context. If youve ever visited Gettysburg, you must read this book. If you plan to visit Gettysburg, read this book first. If youre a student of history, and especially of the Civil War, read this book. If you want to read a book nonstop because you cant put it down, read this book. Then read his other books. Then read his son Jeffs books -- that apple fell very near the tree, luckily for us. 8. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum). Im a huge fan of Ludlums early works, not so much his later ones (which became formulaic and all too predictable). The quintessential everyman-as-hero spy thrillers. He wrote Bourne toward the end of his early phase, and I think it was Ludlum at his best. Many of his books that preceded it were nearly as good, but those that followed suffered by comparison. I cant count the hours of entertainment Mr Ludlum has given me. 9. The Hunt for Red October (Tom Clancy). Clancys first book, an amazingly good read, with enough technical accuracy that it scared the crap out of the Navy - they thought a lot of the stuff Clancy wrote was deeply classified, but he did all his research with unclassified reference materials. To this day, if the movie (which is pretty true to the book) comes on, Ill watch. And I have read every word Clancy subsequently published, and enjoyed every moment. (Where is our real-world Jack Ryan?) And, last but not least,,, 10. Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett). Unbelievably good historical fiction, set in the early 1300s, from an author who previously had been known for his suspenseful contemporary spy thrillers. The plot is simple: Tom Builder wants to build a cathedral. Sounds dull as dirt, but the complexity of the resulting story, and the vividness with which Follett portrays the characters and the realities of daily life during that period, are nothing short of magnificent. A masterwork, with plenty of time to enjoy it because its a long read (~1000 pages!). Theres a sequel too, which is almost as good. So there you have it. It pains me to have left out so many more of my favorite authors - Nelson Demille, Stephen King, Michael Connelly, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens, Jack London, Herman Melville, Aldous Huxley, Herman Wouk, JD Salinger, WEB Griffin, Vince Flynn, Lee Child, David Baldacci, Bernard Cornwell, Poul Anderson, RL Stevenson, Ian Fleming, Larry Niven, Edgar Rice Burroughs, JK Rowling - the list goes on and on. Like I said, narrowing to ten was tough...
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 13:53:50 +0000
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