Authors I

The following is a list of authors and some of the books that they have written and I have read and enjoyed. Many of these authors have written a lot more books than I have listed. Many are unforgettable; the stories and the characters are still in my mind. I jump around a bit as to chronology; I list them as I think of them.

Frank Baum
I read all of the "Oz" stories. "The Wizard of Oz" was only the beginning; Baum created wonderful characters and places for the enjoyment of "children of all ages". I can still remember the library shelves at Washington School (grades k-6) and the row of books beautifully illustrated by W.W. Denslow who did the original1900 edition (Claudia found a calender for me that has Denslow illustrations). Claudia and Becca and a neighbor girl (Sherry Martin, I think) put on a play of the W of O when we lived in Denver. I have a small collection of Baum’s other "Oz"characters having adventures in the land of Oz.

Sam Clements\Mark Twain
Grandma Ross gave me "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn " when I was 10. I remember Becky Thatcher and Injin Joe and the cave with the gold and Tom’s "funeral". I remember when "Huck" and the escaping slave rafted down the river for a marvelous adventure. When I was in Quincy, Illinois, working for the FDIC we went to Hannibal, Mo., Clement’s home and visited the caves". A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court" was a fun read!

Kenneth Roberts
"Lydia Baily" was the best story he wrote; a love story and a very interesting adventure in Haiti during the time of the black uprising. I read of the general Tousaint for the first time. A young man discovers some letters and a portrait of a beautiful young woman. He is so enchanted, that he goes in search of her. He finds her in Haiti. I wish every one could read this story.

Henry Fieldling
"The History of Tom Jones"
Tom was a foundling who was raised by a wealthy landowner. He was fun loving and carefree and could not resist women. The novel carries Tom through his many raucous adventures his many love affairs (from bed to bed) and the serious trouble he got into. A great English novel!!

Jack London
"The Sea Wolf"
A ship and it’s crew captained by the cruel and ruthless Wolf Larson.
"White Fang"
A young man tames a wild dog/wolf in the Klondike. Great boys story

Grimms Fairy Tales
In my home in Elmhurst we had two beautifully illustrated volumes of Fairy Tales. "Rose Red", "Sleeping Beauty", "Beauty and The Beast" "The Little Tailor" (remember," seven at one blow!"), "The Tinder Box"; now, that one stuck in my mind. I enjoyed them all. Fairy tales are good.

H. Rider Haggard
What can I say, I have reread the same four novels at least 20 times; they were my "summer books" Haggard wrote marvelous adventures about Africa, the gold fields, the diamond fields, Zulu battles and fantastic places. My favorites are:
"She"
"Ayesha" (after "She" was supposed to have perished in the "rolling pillar of fire")
"King Salomon’s Mine"
"Alan Quartermain" (The threesome from " Salomon’s Mine" go on their last and greatest adventure.

Alexander Dumas
"The Three Musketeers"
"The Count De Monte Cristo"
"The Man In The Iron Mask"
Great boys stories! Hollywood made many movies based on these novels, some were pretty good but the dialogue and the descriptions in the books were what made the stories great, I think. I also read the "Classic Comics" versions. I do not knock the movies or comic books; people need to be exposed to these adventures.

Rafael Sabatini
Swashbuckling adventure, political and religious intrigues and damsels in distress. Chivalry and honor are always present.
"Captain Blood" Peter Blood, who has had enough of fighting and war and is complaisant in his life as a doctor, gets an early morning call from one Jeremy Pitt who tells Peter that he is needed to treat a severely wounded man, a revolutionist. He goes, of course, is captured as aiding the "enemy", is tried and found guilty and sentenced to hang. At that very moment, King James is persuaded that it is waste to hang men when they can be sold to the plantations as slaves so Blood and hundreds of others are sent to Barbados. He escapes during a pirate raid on the plantation; he and his fellow prisoners decide to become buccaneers. In a captured Spanish ship, he makes his way to Tortuga and joins other pirates and makes quite a name for himself. He is hunted by the Governor of Jamaica who was formerly the overseer of the plantation that Blood and his companions escaped from. Great adventure on the high seas.
Earl Flynn made his entry into film as Captain Blood.
"Scaramouche" A wonderful story; Andre, a young scholar and lawyer becomes involved in the political intrigues of the times and has to leave Paris. Before he leaves, his best friend, a young priest is killed in a duel by a nobleman whose skill is supposed to be legendary. Andre joins a traveling theater company and plays the role of "Scaramouche".He vows revenge for his friend and seeks out the sword master that taught the master that taught the master that taught the man that murdered his friend. He finally leaves the theater and gets back into the midst of politics. Grand story!
"The Sea Hawk" A seafaring man is betrayed by a jealous brother. He is forced to serve as a slave on a pirate galley - he is rescued by other pirates and joins them and uses the name Ske-el-Bahr "the hawk of the sea".

Ross Lockridge
"Raintree County"
A most beautiful story about Middle America, the South, and the Civil War. Bill Mathiesen, dear friend and fellow "Fortnighter" gave me the novel. It is romantic, real, sentimental and lyrical with wonderfully drawn characters. Some have called it "the great American novel": if it is not it comes a close second. Everyone should read this one.

Margaret Mitchel
"Gone With The Wind"
The great southern novel of love and war, of Scarlet and Rhet and those wonderful southern characters that Ms Mitchel created.

Harper Lee
"To Kill a Mocking Bird" Becca liked the story so much that when she was expecting her baby - if it was a boy she was going to call him "Atticus" - it was a girl so we nicknamed her "Scout"

Truman Capote
"In Cold Blood"
His most famous novel; he spent a lot of time interviewing and trying to understand the killer.
Robert Ludlum
Spies, counter intelligence, and high adventure. I read the whole shelf at the Tullahoma library and enjoyed each taut thriller. Ludlum has been dead for a few years but they still publish novels using his notes and plots ( Kind of like how they took over the James Bond 007 stories after Ian Fleming died)
I read all of Fleming’s "James Bond" stories; wish I had kept them

Victor Hugo
"Les Miserables" I was very young when I read about Jean Val Jean who was sent to the galleys for 13 years for stealing a loaf of bread and his story after he was released and how he was hounded by Inspector Javert. Great action during the French revolution - I remember the trip through the sewers; Val Jean carrying the boy that his adopted daughter Cosette loved and finally Javert giving up the chase and placing his hat on the bank of the river and jumping in. I couldn’t believe it when they made a musical; a good one too!

"The Hunchback of NotreDame" The Disney cartoon is probably the only ‘Hunchback" that most folks will remember. The novel paints a vivid picture of the seedy part of Paris in those days and Hugo pulls no punches when he shows the lust that the priest feels for the dancing girl Esmeralda. Hollywood did two fair films with Lon Chaney and Charles Laughton showcasing the role of Quasimado but falling far short of the actual story that Hugo wanted to tell .
"Toilers of The Sea" I have a clear picture of the giant octopus attacking the man in the cave but I do not remember much more.
It was said that Hugo wrote the three to condemn society, religion and nature.

Alan Jacobson
"The Hunter"
"False Accusations"

Frank G Slaughter
Back in the 40's, Slaughter, a medical doctor and surgeon who graduated from Duke University Magna Cum Laude at 18 and Johns Hopkins at 22, took up his pen and wrote at least 30 novels. They dealt with hospitals and doctors and nurses, socialized medicine and medical schools; interesting yarns about people and places real and imaginary.. He also wrote about the South and the Civil War, He wrote historical\biblical novels and adventure novels. The first book I read was "In a Dark Garden" about the Civil War, I found it in a "rec" room at Chanute Air Force Base where I was going to "Weather Man School". Over the years I read every one of his stories. Some favorites:
"That None Should Die"
"Lorena"
"The Mapmaker"
"Devils Harvest"
Pilgrims in Paradise"
"The Curse of Jezebel"
I, very recently found one of his novels in a used book box; cost me a dollar but I am rereading "A Savage Place" and I will keep it on my bookshelf in case anyone wants to try him out.

Wilbor Smith
Smith created characters from and about South Africa (where he was born). He wrote about the people of South Africa, he wrote about the gold fields, the diamond fields, greed, lust, and love and sex. He created many family dynasties and would write a series about them. Some were sea faring folks others were bound to the land. Very prolific writer; I have read everything he has written.
I have two special novels that I reread frequently. "River God and a sequel "The Seventh Scroll". Picture the opulent Egyptian empire with it’s Pharaoh, his Queen, the people and the treasures. Political intrigues and an astounding eunuch slave called "Taita who is an artist extraordinary, an engineer, architect and all round genius. The main characters (aside from Taita) are Pharaoh Mamose, Queen Lostris and Tanus commander of the guards. The Hittites with their horses and chariots are expanding their lands and the Egyptions are no match for them so Mamose takes his whole empire and they move up the Nile into what is now Ethiopia. Pharaoh dies on the way. Tanus kind of takes over (he long before took over the beautiful queen Lostris) and the people kind of do a "Moses" thing in the wilderness while they train the army to use horses and chariots. Lostris has a son (she convinced the people that the dead king came to her to give her a son to lead the people (of course Tanus is the father) When the son gets older, he and Taita hunt for a suitable tomb for pharaoh and his treasures. After they entomb the body they go back to Egypt and deal with the enemy.
The follow up story "The Seventh Scroll" is a fascinating account of different people trying to find the secret of the location of the tomb through the scrolls that Taita hid in Queen Lostris tomb in Egypt. What a yarn! An evil sex crazed German industrialist, an angry and evil Hunting guide, a beautiful Egyptian archaeologist and several wealthy collectors. Marvelous puzzles and great adventure. The discovery of the tomb and the way they manage to enter it and the many traps and puzzles they encounter on their way inside the maze of the tomb is very fascinating, exciting and original. I Read these again and again!

James Michner
"Hawaii"
"Centennial"
"The Covenant"
"Chesapeake"
Wonderful historical novels; "The Covenant’ is about the settlement of South Africa by the Dutch and their religious, racial views. "Centennial" tells the Texas story and "Chesapeake", the history of Chesapeake Bay.

Frank Harris
"My life and Loves" The story of a rake and seducer of women - he was very good!
Thomas Harris
"The Red Dragon" (prequel to "Silence")
"The Silence of The Lambs" Both were first rate thrillers and they made good movies; Red Dragon came out the first time as "Man Hunter"
"Hannibal" (sequel to "Silence") was too heavy on gratuitous violence; almost pornographic. (The movie left out the big sex scene between Clarice and Dr. Lector and how they went off to South America together - of course, she was drugged - maybe Harris will do another book were Clarice comes to her senses.

Patrica Cornwell
The first novel I read was "All That Remains" this was, maybe, the third book she wrote. It was terrific! A forensic doctor/lawyer who rules the autopsy room as Chief Coroner. She solved the mysteries of death. I rushed to get her others and enjoyed them all. I bought every new novel and watched as her protagonist, Kay Scarpetti and fellow characters and her gay daughter, Lucy grew.
After the sixth or seventh" Scarpetta" novel, I felt that she was no longer trying. The stories lost their edge; the characters frequently acted like a dysfunctional family throughout the series they started yelling and acting irrationally. I still buy her books but I am disappointed
I recommend:
."Post Mortem"
"Body of Evidence"
"All That Remains"
‘Cruel and Unusual"
"The Body Farm"

Elizabeth Peters
I found her in a book store in Atlanta, Georgia. There was a "double novel" for $5.00; "The Mummy Case" since I will buy just about anything relating to ancient Egypt, I bought it and the other novel was "Crocodile on a Sun Bank" which was the first in the "Amelia Peabody" series.
She has written 14 so far in the series and I am waiting for the next one. The author graduated from the Chicago Oriental Institute with a PHD in Egyptology. I got Claudia hooked on her. When we go to the Oriental Institute or the Field Museum we talk about her. Claudia has met her at a book signing thing and I have written her a couple of letters about her novels ; The author and I share a common interest in the works of Rider Haggard and Conan Doyle. The series started with Amelia as a single lady traveling in Egypt with a companion where she met "Emerson"a meticulous Excavator of ancient sites. We have followed her many adventures and mysteries in Egypt over many years. We are just about getting to the time when Carter discovers Tutankhamun’s tomb.


John Mortimer
I read all of the "Rumpole of The Baily" books. The wonderful characters in chambers, Claud Erskin Brown who is always getting in trouble with his wife the former "Portia of chambers" and now a judge, senile Uncle Tom and then there is Rumpole’s wife, Hilda (She who must be obeyed)
Susan Slone
"Act of God"
"Guilt By Association"
"An Isolated Incident"

Daniel Silva
My first was"The Unlikely Spy". Very interesting; our protagonist Gabriel Allon is a classical art restorer who would just as soon do his art work but he is pressed into service by the Massod. I have read all of Silva’s novels and I recommend them all!
"The Mark of The Assassin"
"The Marching Season"
"The Kill Artist"
"The English Assassin"
"The Confessor" (wow!)
"A Death In Vienna"
"Prince of Fire"

David Baldacci
He has written about 11 best sellers: I have read most; I like the following best
"Absolute Power"
"Total Control"
"The Simple Truth"
"Split Second"
"The Camel Club"

Ann Rice
"The Vampire Lastad"
"Interview With a Vampire"
"Cry To Heaven" A fascinating and disturbing story about the lives of choir boys, and one in particular, who were chosen to sing for the church and castrated so they would keep their beautiful child like voices.
She wrote many dark stories about vampires living in ancient times as far back as Egyptian times to those living in modern times. I have read most of them.

Alice Borchard (Ann Rice’s sister)
"The Wolf King"
"The Silver Wolf"
"Night of The Wolf"
"The Dragon Queen"
Werewolves!! Very well done; she knows her animals!

Braham Stoker
"Dracula" This was a favorite scary story that Claudia, Rebecca and I shared. We even read the "Classic Comics" edition. I have all the movies.

Mary Shelly
"Frankenstein" It is really too bad that Hollywood ever got hold of this. The original story makes one feel pity and compassion for the creature that Dr. Frankenstein created. Wonderful !

Duncan
"The River Why" Lovely story; thanks ,Ms Mickie

Alex Kava
A strong woman writer who can be counted on to tell a great tale.
"The Soul Catcher"
"A perfect Evil"
"Split Second" (Not to be confused with Baldacci’s secret service story)
"One False Move"

Dan Brown
"The Da Vinci Code"
"Angels and Demons"
"Digital Fortress"
"Deception Point"
Very popular writer; has been on the "best seller list for the last couple of years, He is very controversial due to the subject matter of "Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" a lot has been written about his books in protest and in argument or agreement. I find it interesting that many authors are taking up the questioning of the gospels in their novels as part of their plots.

Andrew Greely
A priest, a scholar, writer. lecturer and psychologist. An interesting man with interesting views regarding religion and the church. When he wrote "Cardinal Sin" and other novels that showed priests with human failings I do not think he endeared himself to the church. I read him for his "Bishop Blackie" stories. Blackie is a Chicago priest who assists the Arch Bishop as a "trouble shooter" he travels around Chicago, of course, and to Italy and wherever there is a situation his boss Cardinal Cronin has an interest in. Delightful tales with warm and human characters.
I also read his "Irish" series about an Irish folk singer Nuala Anne McGrail who solves mysteries. Greely always emphasizes love interests in his novels and is kind of hung up on breasts and nipples.
He tells interesting stories and has a long list to his credit.

C.S. Lewis
Lewis, a friend of Tolkien , is probably best known for the Narnia Series. I loved "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" and was delighted when they made a movie that hopefully will get people to read the book..
There is a wonderful movie about C.S. Lewis which stars Anthony Hopkins; it recalls when Lewis was briefly married to a Jewish American woman. "Shadowland"; see the movie and cry a little.

Paul Eardman
Now here is an interesting person. Paul Eardman is an economist, lecturer and writer. He got his Doctorate (suma cum laude) from University of Basel, Switzerland. The novels I read dealt with International finance and intrigue. He wrote about manipulation of the stock market, cornering the gold market, fixing banks and making the oil fields dirty from a bomb.....Some of his plots may, yet, come true the way our world is going.
"The Billion Dollar Sure Thing"
"The Silver Bears"
"The Panic of ‘89"
"Swiss Account"
"The Crash of ‘79"
I still have some paperbacks of a few of these stored away someplace. A "must read" for bankers and folks in the world of finance.

Jack Higgins
Higgins has written at least 32 novels; I have read about 20 of them. "The Eagle Has Landed" published in 1975 was the one that caught the attention of readers. Hitler was going to kidnap Winston Churchill and kill him; Liam Devlin, an ex-IRA fighter, was called in to stop the plot. Higgins went on to write a series of "Devlin" novels and then he had a protagonist called Sean Dillon. Drama and action; everyone should sample Higgins.

J.R.R. Tolkien
"The Hobbit"
"The Lord of The Ring Trilogy"
Wonderful novels and Peter Jackson did splendid work when he made the three movies. In the novel, Frodo always called Aragorn "Strider". I loved the series in print and on the screen; I would say that the greatest hero of the epic was Sam Wise. In the movie, the fairy Arwin was lovely but Eowyn was my heart throb.

Steve Berry
"The Amber Room" an 11 foot square hall walled in Amber; a present from Prussia to Peter the Great in Russia. It disappeared in 1941. A treasure of a treasure hunt and a real thriller; moves fast and was well researched.

"The Romanov Prophecy" Mystery and history. Can or should Russia return to a monarchy? Is there a living descendant of Nicholas 2nd ? Well written and researched. Intrigue....
""The Third Secret" The Lady of Fatima passed on a message to three peasant girls that contained three secrets, the third of which was supposed to have considerable bearing on church doctrine and it was suppressed. The novel searches for the third secret.
Berry puts together some thought provoking tales. I am surprised that he is not as well known as Dan Brown, he should be. He has a new one coming out that I am waiting for..

Arturo Perez Reverto
"The Fencing Master" I found this on Claudia’s bookshelf, I read it and wanted more. Reverto is a Spanish writer who, after the somewhat dark but exciting "Fencing Master," created a new character:
"Captain Alatriste" Set in 17th century Madrid , Alastriste is a kind of mercenary with a doubtful past that you are not sure you like very well at first . He has "lived" a lot and is somewhat cynical and cantankerous but when he gets into a mission (for money) he is a pretty interesting guy.
"Purity of Blood" The second in the series; Alatriste is off to save a damsel in distress. A wicked and powerful priest has taken a girl in a convent and is using her as his personal concubine. He has threatened to reveal that the girl’s father is a Jew and destroy the family name. Alastriste has his work cut out. Do not miss the poems at the end of the book!! "Lascivious Padre, salacious and promiscuous - Would it not serve you better to be religious? "......"Must you skewer every ewe among your flock? That sacred staff of yours, your treasure You must find raw, abraded beyond measure......"

Alessandro Baricco
Lyrical, satirical, a little strange but compelling; I look for more of his works. Ms Mickie and I have been following him together and Claudia has also read "Silk", a beautiful love story and "Without Blood", a story of war, of love, revenge and redemption. I have read "City" but I am still chewing on it; it is very funny and very tragic and moves like a steam engine going off and on the track. Also read "The Ocean Sea" and I just about understand all the characters. Baricco is someone you have to revisit.

Alexandria LaPierre
"Artemisia" The life of one of the first, great, woman artists. Her paintings of "Judith" are famous. Her father Orazio Gentileschi was a painter and trained her in her early years but Artemisia was better than her father. Claudia lent me the book; I have a DVD that gives a version of her life that is very interesting.

Clive Cussler
I have read all of the "Dirk Pitt" and "Kurt Austin" novels that Cussler has written - he is predictable but so much fun. The world will be saved, the girls are all beautiful, super bright and sexy. There really is a NUMA; National Underwater Marine Agency which looks for underwater wrecks and does salvage, it was founded by Cussler. In the "Dirk Pitt" stories, Cussler always writes himself in as an old miner or a grizzled desert rat who is on hand to help Dirk get out of trouble.
I have some favorites.
"Inca Gold"
"Cyclops"
"Sahara"
"Valhalla Rising"

Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston
What a duo! These men are smart; Preston worked for the Museum of Natural History and taught at Princeton and Childs was a book editor and a systems analyst. Together they wrote and I had the very great pleasure of reading:
"Relic" (They did a movie on this using the Chicago Museum of Natural History)
"Mount Dragon"
"Reliquary" (A sequel to "Relic") (Pendergast)
"Riptide" (Did you ever hear of Oak Island and the pirate treasure that is supposed to be is buried there?)
"Thunderhead" (One of Claudia’s favorites about the Anastazi and a lost city)
"‘The Cabinet of Curiosities" ( The original museums were call this) Claudia and I reread this one!
"The Ice Limit"
"Still Life With Crows" (Pendergast)
"Brimstone" (Pendergast)
"Dance of Death" (Pendergast)
Douglas Preston wrote on his own: "Codex" and "Tyrannosaur Canyon" You gotta read these guys!

Thomas Wheeler
"The Arcanum"
A brilliant story of the supernatural where the author brings together Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, H.P. Lovecraft (vampire like and bazar stories "The Dunwich Horror"), and Marie Laveau (voodo Queen) to solve a mystery. Wonderful action, humor and interplay between the characters. Has a special place on my shelf.

Clive Egleton
"The Honey Trap"
"Blood Money"
"Warning Shot"

John Sanford
I liked the first few "Prey" stories very much and I bought them but I lost interest after six or seven novels.

Richard Paul Evans
Evans is a philosopher; he writes splendid, warm stories about love and loyalty and life and hope. His books have quotes before each chapter which purports to be from the journal or diary of one of the characters in the story ie: ."I have learned that simple acts of kindness may have profound consequences, though more likely for the giver than the recipient" Evans appeals to my "squishy romanticism" They are nice stories and I enjoy them; do I feel a tear?
"The Looking Glass"
"The Locket"
"The Carousel"

Michael Palmer
"Fatal"
"Silent Treatment"
"The Patient"
"Miracle Cure"
"Natural Causes"
"Extreme Measures"
The world of medicine and medical research - good stories

Robin Cook
Medical thrillers; he wrote about 20 and still going strong. I have read most but the one I liked best veered completely away from the medical field it was called "Sphinx" A fascinating story about heretofore unseen relics which appear to be from the Seti II time showing up on the black market. Where did they come from and are there more of themwhat else is there? A mystery set in modern day Egypt a suspenseful story with a plausible ending . Cook also wrote:
"Coma"
"Outbreak"
" Shock"
And the list goes on

Michael Connely
The "Harry Bosh" series about a tough detective.
William Hefferman
"Beulah Hill" A murder of a white man on land that belongs to the only remaining black family in the community - an erotic thriller about the south and an old slave cabin and the land surrounding it; interesting history. A must read.


Robert Crais
"Hostage"
"Demolition Angel"
Val McDermed
"Killing Shadows"
A Place of Execution"

Richard Sherbaniuk
"The Fifth Horseman"

Jeffery Deaver
I have read everything he wrote and I follow him as new novels are published. I particularly enjoy the "Lincoln Ryme and Amelia Sachs" series; Lincoln is a quad paraplegic and former police inspector he solves crimes and mysteries with computers and forensic tools. Amelia, (a love interest(?) I have not figured out how) walks the grid and reports the scene.. Very well done. They made a movie of "The Bone Collector"; I have the DVD. Jeffery’s, earlier, scary suspense tales are also very good; I read the shelf.

James Patterson
He is one of Becca’s favorites. From "Along Came a Spider"and "Kiss the Girls" to" London Bridges", The Alex Cross mysteries should not be missed.. Others we liked:
"Cradle and All"
"When The Wind Blows"
"The Lake House"
"See How They Run"

Edmond Rostand
His wonderful play "Cyrano De Bergerac" about a swordsman, poet, soldier; who thinks himself ugly because of his huge nose. He soothes his unrequited love by acting as a writer of love letters for Christian a young soldier in his regiment who loves Cyrano’s love, Roxanne. The dialogue and poetry is wonderful. Cyrano and Christian go to war and Cyrano continues to write letters to Roxanne every day and risks death to post them. Christian is killed in battle and Roxanne goes to a convent.I recently found a French DVD which tells the story fairly.
Touching part when Cyrano, mortally wounded, reads Christian’s last letter "Tonight I die" to Roxanne and she realizes who actually wrote all those letters.

Lillian Jackson Braun
While her books titled "The Cat Who.............." are very readable, you must get the John Guidell readings on "Books on Tape". No one could do it better than that old pro; he reads all of them and when you hear him you will be enchanted by the tales of Moose County with Qwilleran, KoKo, and Yum yum the two Siamese cats and all of the funny folk he interacts with. Ms Braun keeps on writing..

Erik Larson
"The Devil in The White City" A killer who preys on women in Chicago at the time of the Columbian Exposition. Chicago has won the contest against New York City to hold the Worlds Fair. It is a growing city with it’s very rich and it’s very poor: the evil person takes advantage of the chaos in the
South Side of Chicago. Interesting to read about people and places that are a part of Chicago history.

Isiac Asimov
He was the master of science fiction; a professor of chemistry and physics, it was he that first created robots and the "Law of Robotics", hyper drive for inter stellar travel and many other "tools’ that all the other science fiction writers use in their craft.
I read all the "Robot" series I would like to read them again but they are hard to find; ‘Pebble In The Sky", the classic "Foundation" series, and "The End of Eternity"were the ones I enjoyed most.

Colleen McCullough
"The Thorn Birds"
Called by some "The Australian Gone with The Wind", it tells the story of The land, Drogheda the station, a self serving priest, Ralph DeBricasirt, the Cleary family and Meggie.. I reread this one: I love Meggie but I hate her selfishness. McCullough has many, many books to her credit: I have only read this one.

Nevil Schute
"A Town Called Alice", An English girl goes to Malaya to build a well for the people; The Japanese occupy the land and force a group of women and children to walk to a concentration camp. She meets a man named "Joe" who comes from a town called "Alice" which is in Australia. After the war she goes to find Joe. A love story.
"On The Beach" The "A" Bomb has been dropped !! Folks are living their last days! A chilling story set in Australia.

Richard Burton
"Arabian Nights " The tales of Scheherezade; Jeanne introduced me to Burton and later I found another translator who claims that his version is closer to the original collection - who cares!, the stories in both are fantastic. I prefer Burton because he includes "Sinbad The Sailor", "Aladdin and The Lamp" and several other very funny stories. Read "How AbuBen Adiem Brake Wind"

Conan Doyle
I guess everyone has read his collection of Sherlock Holmes. I always liked "The Hound of The Baskervilles". When I write Elizabeth Peters fan mail I always remind her that, I too, am a fan of Conan Doyle because she is a great fan.
They made some fine movies about Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson with Basel Rathbone in the staring role.

Steven Saylor
"Roman Blood"
Gordianus, a kind of Roman detective, is hired by Cicero to investigate a murder. A very interesting view of Roman life , it’s politics and intrigues.
"Catalina’s Riddle"
Catalina was a political rival of Cicero; Gordanius is hired to discover more about Catalina and why he was disgraced.

Plutarchs Lives
I did not stay with it very long; I learned about "Lycurgus" of Sparta, "Pericles" the orator and supposed builder of Athens and "Alexander the Great" of Macedonia. "Lives" is a source book for me.

Beowolf
He was a great swimmer and fighter of monsters. First Grendel and then Grendel’s mother. The old English poem was difficult to read. Michael Crichton made a very interesting movie loosely based on the story called "Eaters of The Dead" "The 13th Warrior. I have the DVD.

Michael Crichton
"Congo" Intelligent Apes
"Timeline" Time travel; well researched and very well done!
"Jurassic Park"
"The Andromeda Strain"
"Sphere"
He did a bunch; "Congo" and "Timeline are my favorites