Many of my favourites already mentioned. Would add Christopher Brookmyre.. Always amusing, always pertinent, always insightful. Lots to choose from... Favourites.. Early stuff.. 'Quite ugly one morning' Mid stuff.. 'The sacred are of stealing' Recent stuff.. 'Fallen Angel'
For crime stuff, DCI Banks series by Peter Robinson are in a class of their own. Great plot twists and really strong writing. Favourite author of any genre is A.M. Homes. She writes quirky stuff that leaves me astonished with its quality. As a half-successful writer her work just makes me want to give up. "This Book Will Save Your Life" is a great one to start with. Unfortunately, because I am a sports fan, I will be getting lots of ghost-written biographies of sporting icons this Xmas. People don't seem to get that much as I love, say, Mick Channon, his story is pretty dull!
Laurie Lee´s trilogy Cider with Rosie As I walked out one midsummer morning A Moment of War And if you go to a Christmas fete, there might be a Ben Elton novel. They are quite funny, and if stuck in a snow drift, then it will relieve the boredom.
Was really impressed recently with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The book is very different from what you'd expect, and the monster is awesome; very intelligent and articulate. The way popular culture has morphed him into a growling bolt-necked zombie is unreal, and a real shame. As a bonus, Mary Shelley's own personal life is almost as f*cked up as the book itself (suicides and deaths aplenty), so make sure to research that too. And to think she was only 19 years old when she wrote it f*cking blows my mind.
Likewise. Try ‘I Am The Messenger’ - it’s different but as good. His new one is good too, but not quite there with these ones.
David Baldacci Lee Childs Jeffery Archer Jeffrey Deaver Ben Elton Guilty pleasures (Comes from living with 2 women): Sophie Kinsella Marian Keyes A few one offs as well Love Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny for instance
There’s a fourth Laurie Lee novel in that series called “A Rose for Winter”, about him returning to Spain 15 years after the Civil War, in the depths of the Franco era. Every word Lee writes in any format is a piece of heaven, but how he deals with the tragedy of Spain is heartbreakingly beautiful.
There is an Author Called James Jackson who comes through the Train station I work at. He is a lovely guy and both him and his twin brother went blind at a young age. Anyway I always give him a bit of cheek when he comes through and he always threatened to give me one of his novels. Well recently he did and he told me to read what he had hand written on the first page. He put to Marvin bugger off James Jackson. Now as I said he is blind and he had the book the wrong way round and he has written it upside down on the last page of the story. I'm looking forward to reading it when I get the time. The book is called Treason.
Terry Pratchett of course, rip. Also I read a Sci fi series by an author called Pierce Brown which was really good.
Indeed, let's unsticky this distraction. These days I pretty much read only reference/factual material. Even at work I'm reading the great Desmond Morris book from the early 1970s, Intimate Behaviour. But I always preferred that anyway. I do have an enormous collection of abridged/unabridged audiobooks, audio drama and comedy series, and isolated plays and comedies. Plus, loads of audio documentaries. Why do I do this? Because it's a way to distract me from the tinnitus at bedtime, and because it's way better than TV. Currently into an entire vat of P.G Woodhouse material, plus loads of interviews from prominent scientists and engineers.
Richard Adams, mainly for Watership Down Chris Brookmyre fav is "A Big Boy did it and Ran Away Neil Gaiman - American Gods is amazing Pratchett of course Clive Barker - Weaveworld is a splendid read Stephen King - The Stand, Hearts in Atlantis, most of what he did really bar Tommy knockers, Pet Cemetery and one or two others that just didn't cut it IMHO. Stephen Donaldson - The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever W P Kinsella - wrote the books that the film Field of Dreams was based on. Julian May Tim Powers... I could just go on and on
Read all of James Herbert's loved them all. Robert Ludlum and Larry Bond are other favourites of mine, as well as Clive Cussler. All time favorite book , On the Beach by Nevil Shute.
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