My Most Recent Reads

Here is a list of the ten books I’ve read most recently. Nothing new here – literally. I think 1912 is the latest original publication date for any of these. Guess I’m living in the past, but I believe the better books, the more enduring stories were written then. When I’ve made it through all those stories, I’ll move on to something more recent.

Title Author
Tarzan of the Apes Edgar Rice Burroughs
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
The Time Machine H.G. Wells
Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Victor Hugo
The Scarlet Plague Jack London
Ivanhoe Sir Walter Scott
Uncle Tom’s Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe
Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson
Silas Marner George Eliot

Published During My Reading Lifetime

This is a list of books that were published since I started reading “big boy” books over 30 years ago. The story is the thing in most of these, but the style plays a larger role in a couple of them. For me they are all influential in understanding the power of a well written story.

Title Author
My Secret History Paul Theroux
The Cider House Rules John Irving
The Stand Stephen King
Eaters of the Dead Michael Crichton
Freddy’s Book John Gardner
Skin Tight Carl Hiassen
The Storyteller Mario Vargas Llosa
Akenaten Naguib Mafouz
Identity Milan Kundera
Earthly Powers Anthony Burgess

John Womack’s Books

This is our first list of books with non-fiction titles – we’re branching out.

Title Author
Tai-Pan James Clavell
Freakonomics Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
The Smartest Guys in the Room Bethany McLean & Peter Elkind
The Sunne in Splendour Sharon Kay Penman
The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkein
Tom Sawyer Mark Twain
The Grail Quest Series Bernard Cornwell
Nicholas and Alexandria Robert K. Massie
The Devil in the White City Eric Larson
Barbarians at the Gate Bryan Burrough & John Heylar

Mimi’s Books

Mimi cheated. She didn’t rank the books – they’re in alphabetical order by title – and she gave me twelve. We’ll let it slide this time, Mimi.

No. Title Author
The Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis
Citizen Soldiers Stephen Ambrose
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Steig Larsson
The Living Bible
Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkein
Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden
Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro
The Poetry of Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost
A Soldier of the Great War Mark Helprin
The Stand Stephen King
The Sunne in Splendor Sharon Kay Penman
The Thorn Birds Colleen McCollough

Mark’s Book List

Title Author
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Susanna Clarke
A Soldier of the Great War Mark Helprin
Dune Frank Herbert
The Stand Stephen King
Paradise Lost John Milton
Complete Works William Shakespeare
Arcadia Tom Stoppard
The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle David Wroblewski