A fellow expat friend here in Vietnam has a wall of books in his study. I would love to have a wall of books like that or two or three or…. In my experience, having so many books on hand is rare for expats because books are bulky and heavy. Most expats who relocate every few years at the whim of their company can’t afford to bring too many along. My own meager collection is scattered in California, Singapore, and Vietnam and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to reunite it.

Anyway, I’m mentioning his library because I noticed that he has almost an entire shelf of Ian Rankin books and several by PG Wodehouse. And in response to my post about Africa and Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, several people mentioned that they had either already read or intended to read all of Kingsolver’s books. While I enjoyed the three books I’ve read of hers, I’m not sure if I’m up to reading any more.

I occasionally fancy a particular author and read as many of his/her books as I can, but on average (based on a count of the book list I’ve kept since 1995), I usually don’t read more than three of any author’s given body of work. There are so many talented authors that I don’t really have any favorites. But, of the authors whose books I’ve read more than three, here are the ones I would recommend:

  • Larry McMurtry – Author of Pulitzer Prize winning Lonesome Dove, his characters are unforgettable and because he writes about them in a series of books, your curiosity about their lives can be satisfied.
  • Paul Theroux – His travel writing is the most entertaining because he’s got a sharp wit accompanied by a sharp pen.
  • Michael Crichton – His books are well researched, topical, and fast paced.
  • JK Rowling – Harry Potter is one of the biggest literary phenomenon ever to hit the scene. I love her imagination and look forward to sharing it with Stephen in the future.
  • Tom Clancy – Filled with espionage and politics, his books featuring Jack Ryan (as played by Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck) are the most well-known. His books make it easy to imagine what might be going on in the complex relationships between nations.
  • Dr. William Sears – His commonsense books run the gamut from pregnancy to childcare. A must-read for raising caring, successful kids.

Who are your favorite authors?

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