My list of books for the Book Challenge, in no particular order, except for the first! I have cheated and instead of just books, I have included authors and sometimes whole genres, but this is my list, so I can do what I want. I have also tried to write a couple of lines about why I like these books, hopefully that would be of interest. 1. The Sherlock Holmes books - Conan Doyle This would be no surprise to anyone who knows me well. These books have been a huge influence right from my school days and I continue to dip into them. They are my comfort food! 2. P G Wodehouse For sheer effortless prose and ability to bring a smile on my face, Wodehouse is unparalleled. Be it the wisdom of Jeeves, the good natured foolishness of Bertie or the idyliic environs of Blandings, I love them all. 3. Science fiction as a category in general, but if I have to pick someone it would be Isaac Asimov. There have been many great science fiction writers, but none so prolific as Asimov. His 3 laws of Robotics continue to be drawn upon even today. A close second would be Arthur C. Clarke. 4. Douglas Adams Probably the most quoted books in the universe! What can I say, froody! Unless you think I am referring only to the Guide canon, his Dirk Gently books are equally good. 5. Detective fiction as a category I love detective fiction and the rich possibilities that the genre offers. P D James, Ian Rankin, Colin Dexter, Ed McBain, Ruth Rendell, Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, where do I stop ? 6. Bill Bryson For non-fiction travelogues, there is hardly anyone to touch Bill Bryson. Notes from a Small Island is but one of his classics. Apart from that he has produced the remarkable A Short History of Nearly Everything - an amazing compilation. 7. John Le Carre The master stands alone, though Graham Greene and Len Deighton come close. His Smiley books are examples of masterful writing. If you want to know what tradecraft is, then look no further! 8. Godel, Escher, Bach and Metamagical Themas - Douglas Hofstadter I havent put these in just to sound erudite. I would be the first to admit that I have probably not understood 75% of the books, however if the criteria for a book is to expand your mind, then these two will do so like no other. 9. Keigo Higashino A little known (in the English literary world) Japanese author. The reason he is little known is that only a few of his books have been translated into English. I have read only three of his books, The Devotion of Suspect X, Salvation of a Saint and Naoko, of which Naoko made a huge impact on me when I read it, to the extent that I had to take breaks during my reading just to get my mind around it. 10. Bridget Jones Diary - Helen Fielding Yes, a surprise at number 10, but the sheer lack of inhibition and honesty in Bridget is something that I have not come across in any other book. Worthy of rounding out my top 10!
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 14:25:32 +0000
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