My Favorite Books

It is daunting to even suggest a list.  Here goes, and there will be more.

To Kill a Mockingbird.  Harper Lee. I can still envision the world through Scout's eyes.

The Harry Potter books -- pretty much all of them. J.K. Rowling.  Often in the later books there will be a character or action that sounds vaguely familiar, and I'll realize it was mentioned in an earlier book.  Anyone remember Hagrid used Sirius Black's motorcycle to pick up Harry in book 1?  The subtle foreshadowing is masterful.  Plus, they are darned funny. 

Middlesex.  Jeffrey Eugenides.  I listened to this book during a long car ride and the combination of the prose and the reader created a series of vivid images.  To this day, when I get to Chapter 11 of any book, I think of Middlesex.  You'll have to read it to find out why.

Just One Season in London.  Leigh Michaels.  Leigh (a friend as well as a good read) moved into historical romances a few years ago.  This one has three story lines that merge perfectly.  She paints London and the time period well.  Also a lot of humor and a couple good twists.  She'd be a good mystery writer.

Children of Men.  P.D. James. A spooky future world in which women suddenly stop having babies -- first noted in obstetrician offices when there were no new appointments.  There are so many layers -- how people react to what appears to be the end of the race, how to survive in a much lonelier world, what the heck happened to humans that we no longer reproduce, many more.  Ultimately, there are good guys and bad guys, and you pull for the good guys.  (Or, I did.)  Descriptions of scenery are terrific -- imagine roads almost overgrown.

In the Woods.  Tana French.This is the first of an interrelated group that features Irish homicide detectives.  It's way more than a mystery.  French has you in the hearts and minds of her characters, Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox. You'll want to pay for therapy for Rob so he learns how to manage his life -- in the homicide unit and as he ponders his past tragedy and current love.