Enduring Favorites
It's hard to pick a list from the hundreds of books I have loved and enjoyed, not to mention the dozens of authors whose books I look forward to, but here are a few contemporary novels that remain my all-time favorites:
Handling Sin by Michael Malone
Flat out one of the best novels I have ever read. It has everything: great characters, great writing, great plot all thrown together in a book that is laugh-out-loud funny on most every page and ultimately moving at the end. Malone says he based the book's structure on Don Quixote.
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
I love all of Kingsolver's work and this book is, in my opinion, her masterpiece.
Carter Beats the Devil by Ron Gold
This is one of those old-fashioned good reads with a rich setting, wonderful characters, and a rip-roaring plot. More than that, the novel has heart.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
A stunning book with an utterly engaging voice, an edge of the seat plot, and an unforgettable ending.
The Soloist by Mark Salzman
This is a gentle story of a cellist who has lost his way, specifically lost his ability to distinguish pitch, but the novel brims over with the compassion, humanity, and hope that is Salzman's trademark. It opens with a terrific, intriguing first sentence: "I'll be thirty-six years old this spring which is young for a retired concert soloist but old for a virgin."
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
I love everything Willis writes but this still is one of my favorites.
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
When I first picked up this book and found myself moved to tears at the end of the first chapter, I suspected it would be a great read and I wasn't disappointed. This novel sold over a hundred thousand copies in hardback mostly through word of mouth.
Declare by Tim Powers
Powers adds an element of fantasy to a suspenseful, meticulously researched tale set during the cold war in the sixties that includes an account of Kim Philby, the British spy. But, as always is the case with Powers, the book is brilliant both in language and the scope of the material.
Handling Sin by Michael Malone
Flat out one of the best novels I have ever read. It has everything: great characters, great writing, great plot all thrown together in a book that is laugh-out-loud funny on most every page and ultimately moving at the end. Malone says he based the book's structure on Don Quixote.
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
I love all of Kingsolver's work and this book is, in my opinion, her masterpiece.
Carter Beats the Devil by Ron Gold
This is one of those old-fashioned good reads with a rich setting, wonderful characters, and a rip-roaring plot. More than that, the novel has heart.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
A stunning book with an utterly engaging voice, an edge of the seat plot, and an unforgettable ending.
The Soloist by Mark Salzman
This is a gentle story of a cellist who has lost his way, specifically lost his ability to distinguish pitch, but the novel brims over with the compassion, humanity, and hope that is Salzman's trademark. It opens with a terrific, intriguing first sentence: "I'll be thirty-six years old this spring which is young for a retired concert soloist but old for a virgin."
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
I love everything Willis writes but this still is one of my favorites.
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
When I first picked up this book and found myself moved to tears at the end of the first chapter, I suspected it would be a great read and I wasn't disappointed. This novel sold over a hundred thousand copies in hardback mostly through word of mouth.
Declare by Tim Powers
Powers adds an element of fantasy to a suspenseful, meticulously researched tale set during the cold war in the sixties that includes an account of Kim Philby, the British spy. But, as always is the case with Powers, the book is brilliant both in language and the scope of the material.