Fiction
There's nothing like sitting down with a good book. It is not always easy to get a chance to do that these days, but I do try to make the time whenever I can. Here's some favorites of mine....and as always, your mileage may vary.
Stephen King, Master of Horror
I have been a huge fan of Stephen King since I read the first chapter of the first book of his that I check out of the library. That was over 25 years ago and I've been enjoying them ever since.
His novel Duma Key has been out for a while, but I finally had the chance to pick it up. An excellent read, and his first book set in Florida!
One of King's more recent books that I've read is Lisey's Story. I loved it.
His novel Duma Key has been out for a while but I've not had the chance to pick it up.
And no comments on Stephen King would be complete without mentioning his Dark Tower series. They kept me riveted over the course of last summer.
Before those, the most recent book of his that I read was From A Buick 8. It kept me pretty riveted during the late summer, and in my opinion it was one of his best lately.
To me, Stephen King is the epitome of the old New England story teller. When I sit down with one of his books, I always imagine myself in some quaint old New England living room, in front of the fire. Or perhaps I'm in the corner of an old Maine country store, by the stove, where the guys will normally discuss the fortunes of the Red Sox, until Steve comes in and starts to spin a yarn.
To learn more about him, visit stephenking.com.
J. R. R. Tolkien
Another huge favorite is J. R. R. Tolkien. I had to read The Hobbit in 8th grade English class. A few years later, a friend let me borrow The Fellowship of the Ring and I was hooked. I've read and re-read the trilogy many times over in the intervening years.
I still need to read The Silmarillion and one of these days I will get to it.
To learn more about him, visit this wikipedia article which will provide helpful hyperlinks to wherever you might want to travel.
Jack Aubrey Books by Patrick O'Brian
I enjoy these books. I had know of them before Russell Crowe's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World movie came out, but have never gotten too far in erading them.
I'm currently trying to get around to starting the fourth volume.
The first three volumes are:
More information on the late Patrick O'Brian can be found here.
Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy has always fascinted me. Where Stephen King lets you fill in a lot of the story from your own imagination, Clancy will describe in the minutest detail how things work. A different kind of writing, but one that has riveted me nonetheless.
A prolific author, Clancy has written both fiction and non-fiction, and his "Ryanverse" novels are well known, several of which have been made into movies. The last of these is The Teeth of the Tiger, which I read a while back. Too bad it was the last one because it was a fascinating series!
A pretty comprehensive site about Tom Clancy and his writing is clancyfaq.com.