Last fall sometime, I told you that I was looking for some good books to read. I received some nice responses.
Then I nodded off for four or five months — forgetting to share some great suggestions with other readers of moorandmore.
Sorry. I’m now done reading “The Book of Joe,” about how manager Joe Maddon almost single-handedly won the World Series for the Cubs (OK, maybe he wasn’t that arrogant), and I’m now ready to take on some of the good books listed below.
And I’m always up for other suggestions, especially ones on how someone can speed up his reading. My wife goes through 50 pages a night to my three. Oh, well. On to better readers than me:
From Scott Dunham:
I gave up reading fiction years ago. But “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry is the best book I’ve ever read, and I am not a fan of westerns.
Non-fiction wise, anything by Erik Larson is good, especially “Devil in the White City,” “The Splendid and the Vile,” and “Isaac’s Storm.” Carl Bernstein’s “Chasing History” is a great journalism read. Bill Bryson is my favorite author. “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid” is laugh-out- loud funny. “At Home,” “A Walk in the Woods,” and “One Summer” might also be good for you.
“Freeze Frame” by Marjorie Dorner is a good mystery. It may be out of print, but I own a copy (so it must be good)
For me, non-fiction is better than most fiction. I can only read so many mystery novels.
From Tuck Langland:
I recorded a Dinner and Book show with Gail Martin, and we did “Sing For Your Life,” by Daniel Bergner, which chronicles Ryan Speedo Green, a rough black kid in a poor neighborhood, with a violent family, fights, threats to kill and so on. Ryan spent a long time in a cement box in juvenile detention, threw a desk at one of his teachers (who, it turned out, believed in him and turned his life around) and then someone once heard him sing.
This book about Ryan Speedo Green is a true story of a rise from the depths of society to the top peaks, and it is wonderful. I recommend it highly.
From Terry McBride:
Jodie Picoult – anything by her, but especially “Small Great Things.”
Kristin Hannah — most everything, but especially “The Nightingale” and “The Four Winds” and “The Great Alone.”
Elin Hilderbrand — “beach reads” but very enjoyable
And although written by a male, I really recommend “Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger. The Easter Sunday sermon (in the book) is amazing!
From Jane Bruce:
David Baldacci — You didn’t list him but he is one of our favorite authors. If you haven’t read the Camel Club series, you must. His latest is “The 6:20 Man.” It is very good.
Other good authors: Brad Taylor, Ben Coes, Ronald Balson, Ron Chernow, Jeffery Archer, Jack Higgins
Some good women authors are: Catherine Coulter and her FBI series, Sara Paretsky, “Private Eye in Chicago,” and Kristen Hannah
My husband Gene (a career Army officer) recommends these books: Ty Seidel’s “Robert E. Lee and Me,” Sean Parnell’s “Outlaw Platoon,” Gayle Zemach’s “Ashley’s War,” and Clinton Romeshaw’s “Red Platoon.”
From Dave Dosmann:
Here are a few book suggestions you might want to try — all fiction. Anthony Doerr’s “All the Light We Cannot See” and “Cloud Cuckoo Land,” Sara Gruen’s “Water for Elephants,” and Richard Powers’ “The Overstory.”
Great to know Larry McMurtry is a top author for you. “Lonesome Dove” is one novel that I consider my all-time favorite.
I’m sure partial to Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch escapades, too.
From George Efta:
ll heartily recommend a wonderful series set in the Dordogne region of France. The author is Martin Walker and the series is about a small town police chief named Bruno.
Start at the beginning so you can learn about the characters, food and way of life in this rural part of France. Plus there’s lots of good mystery and history. I read some and also listen to some while I work. Both ways are great.
I introduced my friend Carol Ann Nash to this series and she blew through 14 books in less than three months. Now she’s waiting for a new release in the series. He also wrote a stand alone mystery about the Lascaux caves with the paintings found around World War II, which are thousands of years old.
From Mary Lou Deardorff:
My friend Richard Fair recommended books by Allen Eskens to me. I read one and liked it and would read more. He is a crime writer and sets the stories in a small community. No fantasy stuff, more real life.