Book Recommendations

What kind of writer would I be if I weren’t also a reader?

A terrible one. What a dumb question.

And on that note, here are some books I think are pretty special.

Sci-Fi

• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch // This book consumed my every waking thought from start to finish.
• Congo by Michael Crichton // He has so many good books, but I would say read this one first. If you don’t like it, you probably won’t like anything he wrote. (And there might be something wrong with you.)
• Armada by Ernest Cline // This book is about as fun as science fiction can be. If you like video games, wars fought in space, and character driven story–look no further.
• Saturn Run by John Sandford & Ctein // The US and the Chinese find proof of intelligence in the universe–then fight over it. Great characters. Lots of “hard” science and math. This book is smart, brave, funny, sexy, serious, political, philosophical, has some great unexpected turns, and finishes strong. You’ll love it.
• Artemis by Andy Weir // I thought, Wow, this guy is never gonna top The Martian. Then he wrote Artemis. It’s science fiction. Heavy on the science. In the future, the moon becomes a tourist destination. A young woman, a bit of an outcast, gets caught up in a scheme that involves an eccentric billionaire, the mob, the local law enforcement, politicians, and…muuuuurrrrrrrderrrrrrrrrr! It’s so good.

Not Sci-Fi

• The Broker by John Grisham // A former Washington DC big shot goes to prison. Solitary confinement. Governments around the world chomping at the bit to get a shot at the man with a powerful secret will have to wait until his 20 year sentence is up. But then, out of nowhere, the outgoing president pardons the man. The intelligence community moves him to a new country, gives him a new life, then steps back to see who will kill the broker. But the broker has other ideas. Great book.
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman // Too hard to explain well. A young boy mis-remembers stuff, then remembers it, but not really. It’s about 200 pages long, you’ll read it in an afternoon, think about it the rest of your life. Trust me.
• Revival by Stephen King // My favorite King book. Like, out of ALL of them.
• The Pawn by Steven James // This is the first in a series of books (The Patrick Bowers files). The series is awesome. I’ve read all the “big” thriller writers. Steven James is the best. That’s just my opinion, but I stand firmly by it. Special Agent Patrick Bowers uses modern techniques and gadgets to hunt down serial killers for the FBI. Amazingly well researched and written, James is the new standard for crime thrillers. (Note: The opening of this book is probably the best opening ever! Read the first chapter and you WILL be hooked.)

Hope you saw something new in there. Go ahead and leave a recommendation of your own in the comments!