[edit] Books I’ve read recently are here
I am Legend
– Don’t be put off by the Will Smith film. This is a minimalist classic by Richard Matheson is right out of the Twilight Zone school
Master and Margarita
– very readable quirky tale by Bulgakov – and Jagger’s inspiration for Sympathy for the Devil
– My favourite writer; vivid characters, wonderful stories and funnier than Wilde Lady in the Lake or the Big Sleep
– Raymond Chandler didn’t write many books, but they were uniformly fantastic. Every single page contains a killer line. Example: “He looked at me like a horse looks over a fence” The Woman in White
– Wilkie Collins wrote four fantastic novels (the others are No Name, Armadale and Moonstone). They all have weaving, teasing plots and were sensations of the time. He pretty much invented the detective novel, and added a whiff of the supernatural too. The Great Gatsby
– A fairly short story and just beautifully written. A 1920s decadent bloodbath. American Tabloid
– well pretty much anything by James Ellroy. Staccato, machine gun sentences and convoluted, near reality plots. Quite shockingly violent at times.
The Strange Tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde
– One of those books that we all know, but rarely read (along with Frankenstein). Thankfully, it’s an excellent, warped story and very well told
– Russel Hoban’s novel is unlike any I’ve ever read. I don’t want to reveal any of the plot, but it’s steeped in myth, imagination and history. Takes a little effort to get into the style, but pays back in spades. Ten Little N-words
– Most of the Agatha Christie books are better than you’d imagine. Of course, they were so influential that echoes of her ideas and plots continue to be recycled today, so what might have been wildly original in 1925 is all-but expected today. This book is as good as any of them, though the title is quite shocking to today’s eyes, so you may wish to seek out a re-titled version such as Ten Little Indians. Lee Child
– My favourite escapist thriller writer. I’ve read all of them, and with the single exception of “Die Trying”, they’re excellent. Think a wandering Die Hard
A Study in Scarlet
– Again, all of the Sherlock Holmes books are great, but this – the first – is arguably the most interesting. Not only does it introduce the world’s most famous detective, but the structure of the book is both original and engaging.
