My favorite books...

[Tejaas]

Or an attempt to narrow it down to at least a MANAGEABLE number.

I have decided to omit historical references & research-themed titles so as to not just list every book in my "Texas History" library, haha.

1. "Gone to Texas" - Forrest Carter
(If you saw the Clint Eastwood film "The Outlaw Josey Wales" you'll appreciate this book!)

2. "Lonesome Dove" - Larry McMurtry
All of life's lessons are featured here, circa 1876.

3. "Travels With Charley" - John Steinbeck
Written decades ago, and still rings as true as the Liberty Bell itself.

4. ANY Civil War title written by Michael or Jeff Shaara.
( The Killer Angels, Gods and Generals, The Last Full Measure, etc... if you saw "Gettysburg" and liked it, read these books!)

5. "Blood Meridian" - Cormac McCarthy
(Before he penned "No Country For Old Men"... McCarthy wrote this... and absolutely riddled it with all the blood, guts and despair that could be offered while the Glanton crew partake in the scalp trade in 1849/1850 Texas & Mexico)

I am forcing myself to stop there.
There are many, many more.

 

[johnpera]

I normally read non-fiction exclusively (if I can't learn from it, it wasn't worth my time). But my girlfriend had me read Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. It was an interesting tale about the City of San Fransisco being turned upside down after the Bay Bridge blew up. The protagonist uses the internet and information technology to fight against a surveillance state, and the author really tried to incorporate real working technologies (asymmetric cryptography, Tor) into this story.

I've been wanting to look into more of Doctorow's novels. When it comes to literature, I'm a very closed minded person, and rarely read a story to entertain myself.

 

[curiousmind]

Hello everyone It is nice to know all your favorite books. I am also eager to share with you my choice of good books to read. Are you aware of the authors Mitch Albom and Nicholas Sparks? They are all great writers. One of the few books that I did like were "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom and " Message in a Bottle" by Nicholas Sparks. Both teaches about the struggles of life and love. I am sure you will learn much from those books

 

[Allegria Taylor]

I enjoy reading the works of Philip Yancy which includes, "Disappointment with God" and "Where is God when it hurts?" Truly remarkable and will make you realize a lot of things about faith. It does not promote a certain religion though which I greatly appreciate.

 

[Randyg12]

Looks like I'm almost a year late to the post but I have to mention an author that wrote a trilogy that are three of my favorite books. Ferrol Sams wrote Run with the Horsemen (1982), The Whisper of the River (1985), When All the World Was Young (1992).

"The trilogy features Porter Osborne, Jr., a character who appears to be largely based on Sams himself. Sams's writing drew heavily on southern storytelling tradition.
Sams's works of fiction developed from the act of writing his own memoirs of growing up in rural Fayette County, Georgia, for his posterity. His works are generally set during the Depression and feature several eccentric characters."

Maybe I really enjoyed these books because I'm pushing 70 (Jesus, where did the years go ), but one thing I can say is I couldn't put the books down. Do yourself a favor and go to the library and get "Run With the Horseman" and I'm willing to bet you will be checking out the other two books soon after you finish the first one. I even located and bought some hardback first editions. I read these books at least once a year when I need to laugh.