Posted on 08/04/2018 8:31:02 AM PDT by Eagles Field
Whats the best book youve read not written by a big name author? What famous author can you not stomach?
All Over But The Shoutin by Rick Bragg is my favorite. Hemingway is annoying.
For fiction, I think William Faulkner is the best author I've ever read. For not-so-famous authors, I'm not sure I can even think of a great book off the top of my head.
For non-fiction books, I'd recommend two in particular that are kind of industry-focused and are great narratives to help a reader understand how things work without getting bogged down in details: Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis (about his life working in the bond trading industry on Wall Street in the 1980s) and Uncommon Carriers by John McPhee (a "day-in-the-life" set of stories about different sectors in the freight transportation industry).
A Rive Runs Through It by Norman Maclean. A finely crafted love story about his family and doing things well.
Some writers are better than others.
For fiction, I’m a sucker for thriller mysteries, some of which have more character development than others. Authors: Elizabeth George, Elly Griffiths, David Baldacci and Karin Slaughter.
For non-fiction, my favorite author is Ross King, who writes about art history in a very readable way. He’s written about Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, Leonardo’s Last Supper, Monet’s waterlilies, and Canada’s Group of Seven. The last book I have not gotten to yet but the others are fascinating.
A book named “The Short End,” by Gene L. Coon. You might recognize the author from Star Trek; he wrote several episodes. The book is not sci-fi though. It is about GI’s in Korea. Pretty intense, a little maudlin, but a jagged sense of humor throughout as well. Think M.A.S.H. without the overt PC anti-war BS.
Military Sci-fi for those who have given up on Star Wars, the Galaxys Edge series by Nick Cole and Jason Anspach. Im reading the series for a second time.
Fight the Rooster by Nick Cole is my favorite book. Nice book about redemption.
Was a fan of Stephen King, but cant keep reading great writing with crap endings.
Ross Thomas. Chinaman’s Chance, Missionary Stew, Briarpatch and Ah, Treachery.
Some of the best fiction I’ve ever read. And Frank Muller’s narration makes the audiobook versions an extraordinary experience.
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni. A boy born with red eyes.
Jeff Wheeler the Kingfountain series is worth a go.
Favorites
Books and Battles: American Literature 1920-1930 by Irene and Allen Cherton (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1937) An overview of the literary scene in the 1920's.
An amazing and very important book that ALL Americans should read, especially High School children. It's just incredible what this man went through.
Thanks for the thread, always want to hear about what others are reading and to give their favorite authors a try!
The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn. I describe it as Lyrical Horror.
The Canterbury Papers by J.K. Healy. A medieval mystery set in the time of the Plantagenets.
The author I used to like but don't now is John Gresham.
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