Which books & authors do I like to read?

As a general rule, I like books that make me smile. I guess I never outgrew fairy tales and happily-ever-after endings.

This page will probably be an eternal work-in-progress as I keep finding more writers I like.
Check back periodically for updates.
  And now, authors and books, in no particular order…
      
   
Everyone’s favorite western author. I prefer the older books that were published before he died, the books his estate keeps bringing out just aren’t as good, IMO. I am trying to get all of the older titles in the leatherette edition.
       
   
His books about the Navaho police and the Four Corners country are excellent. Believable characters, and a real talent for describing the country and the people. I buy his books in hardcover as soon as they hit the stands, one of the few writers that I like that well.

        
    Francis, Dick

!!NEWS FLASH!! Francis is writing again! His latest book – just released – is "Under Orders".
I love his fiction, his nonfiction is readable. Realistic plots & characters, and all of them touch on some aspect of horse racing. (Coincidently, this was my ex-father-in-law’s name. A great guy, but not a writer.) No longer writing, but worth watching for. Once again, I get the hardcovers.

       
   
Dead now, but his Travis Magee series will be around for a long time. He wrote a LOT of books, fiction and nonfiction, and they are all good.
        
   
Florida weird – like – prosthetic weed whackers?? Love his style! Offbeat humor and a skewed view of life. He is a Florida columnist and outspoken conservationist. Hardcovers preferred.
       
   
Action/adventure. Anything I have read of theirs, written together or separately, fiction or nonfiction, has been excellent.
       
   
Author of the Nero Wolfe series. Very dated now, but still the best of the classic mystery series. Prolific, but hard to find.
       
   
Spenser & Hawk in Boston, my two favorite characters of all time. Yep, I get the hardcovers
       
   
His characters are Evis Cole & Joe Pike, his stories take place in L.A. Anyone who has forward-facing red arrows tattooed on his shoulders can’t be all bad.
       
   
Another good adventure writer in the class of Preston & Child.
       
   
See Rollins, above.
       
             
    Reilly, Matthew
See Rollins, above. Scarecrow is a great character.
       
   
He spent many years in Alaska before, during, and after WWII. He wrote a host of magazine articles about his experiences as a trapper and as a war correspondent in the Aleutians that have been collected and published in book form. His books are scarce, but I try to collect them.
       
   
Arguably the best writer ever in the firearms field. He was the Gun Editor for Outdoor Life for many years, and his stuff is both educational and entertaining, I wish I could write as well as he did.
       
   
Local NW Montana author, and a great writer if you are interested in nature and people.
       
   
"Metzger’s Dog" is one of my all-time favorite action / suspense / humor novels. Spoiler – Dr, Henry metzger was the cat.
       
   
His older fiction, supposedly written for teenagers, is still better than 90% of the rest of the science fiction adventure genre. I don’t really like anything he wrote after "Time Enough For Love" though .
       
   
The Carl Hiassen of science fiction. My all-time favorite SF author. Hardcovers! "Dinner at Deviant’s Palace" & "The Anubis Gates" were his best books so far.
       
   
If you haven’t read him, you need to. His books about his travels are excellent, and his fiction is the most readable of the classics. I like the Reader’s Digest editions of his books. They aren’t condensed, and they are attractively bound to look nice on the shelves. In fact, all of the RD classics are well done.
       
   
"The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning "Huck Finn" style book. If you like great writing about the old west, this is a must-read. I like it better than "Lonesome Dove". "Journey to matecumbe" is also very good.
       
   
Bowen is a Montanan, and his Gabriel Du Pré "Montana Mystery" series is based in eastern Montana. Politically incorrect, very readable, and a real sleeper as authors go. I collect his books, though his Yellowstone Kelly series is not as good as the mysteries. Yes, I get them new in hardcover as they come out.
       
   
Her Stephanie Plum novels (One Is For.., Two Is For.., etc) are the funniest I have ever read. She does romance too, but I don’t, so you will have to ask someone else about them. I buy the hardcovers as they come out.
       
   
Her Miles Vorkosigan SF series is superb. Miles is a very human and very likeable hunchbacked hero who makes you smile a lot and worry a little as he maneuvers his way through some exciting situations.
       
             
   
Reclusive fantasy writer. His Xanth series appeals to me because of my love of puns and double meanings & humor, and the wholesome clean fun in his books. Great for kids or adults.
       
   
Good, and technically accurate, adventure books by an ex-USN seal. Extreme "adult language" warning, though.
        
   
Love Harry Potter! Those who criticize the books have usually never read them. Hardcovers forever!
       
   
The "Phule" series and the "Myth" series. Great fantasy, great characters.
       
   
Artemis Fowl. The crime lord’s son versus the World of Faerie. It’s a draw!
       
   
Anyone that ventures into wilderness should read his true books on bears, bear attacks, and wilderness survival. Accurately and vividly written.
       
   
Ignore the controversy – he writes good action novels, and "Da Vinci Code" was not the best. I preferred "Angels and Demons".
       
    Cussler, Clive
Anything of his is a good fast-moving read. Dirk Pitt is a great protagonist. His co-authors are good too.
       
    Brown, Lillian J.
Her "Cat Who…" books are little too cute sometimes, but still fun.
       
    Capstick, Peter
Anything he wrote or edited is good, if you like African hunting & adventure.
       
    Butcher, Jim
Excellent, tho a bit dark, fantasy series.
       
    Smith, Wilbur
His books vary, but I really like some of them, particularly "Gold Mine", "Hungry as the Sea", "The Leopard Hunts In Darkness" and "The Seventh Scroll". All of his books are at least okay.
       
    Cook, Glen
I love his "Garrett" series – a great combination of Sam-Spade style private eye and a dead alien partner operating in a dark world of magic.
        
    Green, Simon
His Nightside series with mystery-man John Taylor is high on my list of favorites too.
       
    Gould, Steven
"Jumpers", "Wildside" & "Blind Waves" are all different and all outstandingly good.
       
    Burke, James Lee
An excellent writer, a part-time Montana resident, he does several series. I particularily liked the Dave Robicheux series, but find them to be a little too dark and a little too much like real life for me at times.
       
    Hamilton, Donald
His Matt Helm series has long been a favorite of mine, and his westerns were all top-notch.
       
    Hall, James V.
Another good Florida author. I read his whenever I spot a new one.
       
    Sandford, John
The Prey series is good, but I am getting burned out on them. That seems to happen to me when a series goes on too long.
       
    Sanders, Lawrence
I like the McNally books, even the ones that are being written now that Sanders is dead. I don’t care for his other books.
       
             
    Westlake, Donald
His Dortmunder series has great characters and fun plots. His other series is a lot darker, but still good.
       
    Block, Lawrence
I can identify with his "The Burglar Who…" series, about a used book dealer who has trouble making ends meet. Funny. Like Westlake, he has another, darker, series I don’t like as well..
        
    Jance, J. A.
She has two main series. J.P. Beaumont is a Seattle detective, Joanna Brady is an Arizona sheriff. Being sexist, I like the Seattle series with it’s male protagonist best. Jance is an excellent writer.
       
    Emerson, Earl
A couple of Seattle-area series and a few non-series books are in his lineup. All of them are good. Emerson is a former Seattle Fireman.
       
    Gaiman, Neil
Comics, books, artwork, he has done it all, and "Neverwhere", "American Gods", and "Stardust" are close to the top of my list of all-time favorite books. "He is listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern writers, and is a prolific creator of works of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics, and drama." Despite this, his books are good. smilie
        
    Lynde, Stan
Best known as the creator of Rick O’Shay & Latigo, he never draws a poor picture or writes a poor story. If you like clean, easy-reading, and historically accurate Westerns he is the writer to look for.
       
    Ruark, Robert "The Old Man and the Boy", its sequel, "The Old Man’s Boy Grows Older" and the other "The Old Man and the Boy" columns he wrote for Field & Stream are possibly the best outdoor writing ever done. I was a teenager when I first encountered them, and forty years later I find them to be as well written and memorable as anything I have ever read. I re-read them every few years and own them in first editions.        
    Dorsey, Tim Another of the "Florida Weird" genre. His main character, Serge, is insane, literally. Not as good as Hiaasen, but still, he appeals to me.        
    Andrews, Ilona Kate Daniels rates right up there with John Taylor, Eddie Drood or Harry Dresden. She is a Righter of Wrongs in a world turned crazy        
    Child, Lee
The hero is Jack Reacher, ex-military cop. Tons of macho action& pretty good plots. A little weak on the technical firearms stuff, but overall pretty well researched & well-written.