Favorite Books

The following is the criteria I used for selecting my favorite books: I have to have read them at least twice, I have had to recommend them to someone else. And they have to have impacted my world view. And I really enjoyed them.

1. “The Stand” by Stephen King. He is at his best, great story, great characters, great setting.

2. “Sweet Thursday” by John Steinbeck. I love the characters, the voice, and the place. A simple story that captures the human condition.

3. “History of the English Speaking People” volume I-IV by Winston Churchill. He won a Nobel in Literature for these books. I have read all 4 volumes, twice. They tell how we got to be who we are. The History of WWII by Churchill is also great.

4. “The Sacket Brand” by Louis L’amoure I loved the William Tell Sacket character. He was the first hero I read about. He set the standards for all future heroes. I read every L’Amoure novel. Someone once said that these books were the male version of the romance novel. And I agreed, which shocked her.

5. “Farmers Freehold” by Robert Heinlein. I loved all of Heinlein’s books, but this one was more impactful. A man seeing what needed to be done and to hell with those who did not see it. The ultimate in self reliance.

6. “Alas Babylon” by Pat Franks. The first dystopian novel I read. The idea of normal people trying to survive a non-normal situation. Simple but deep.

7. “Lucifer’s Hammer” by Larry Niven. Again end of the world, but based upon science. The characters are intelligent, the situations real. A great “what if” Scenario.

8. “Guns, Germs, and Steel” by William McNeil. Where Churchill explained, the rise of the west from the Roman times forward. This explains the rise from hunter gathers to the rise of the Romans.

9. “Deathly Hallows” by J.K. Rowling. Sharing the Harry Potter series with my family has been a great joy. This final installment did a great job of bringing closure. I especially liked the epilogue.

10. “Grey Seas Under” by Farley Mowat. This book about a tug boat in the Canadian Maritime Provinces came the closes to capturing my life while I was serving on Coast Guard Cutters in Alaska. It really talked to me.