Stay up and Read all Night

This is an arbitrary collection of authors who I love. I read a lot, mostly sci-fi/fantasy, mystery and romance. Here are some books/authors who have kept me up, late into the night...

1. George RR Martin – my only complaint about his Fire and Ice Series is that it makes it hard to pick up another book after being in his dense and remarkable world. Don’t read it when you’re busy, because you won’t want to stop. It starts with A Game of Thrones and you have to read in order, but we are up to Book 4 Now – A Feast of Crows and the feast is certainly continuing. The characters will live in your head for a long time afterwards.

2. John Sandford – The Prey series. This series starts with Rules of Prey and is uniformly excellent. I think he’s up to 16 now. I’ve reread them many times, which is harder to do once you know the mystery, but these books are so well written, the characters and dialogue so true, that rereading them is a pleasure!

3. Laurell K Hamilton - I'm not going to list all of her books, but will say that unlike many of her fans, I prefer her later books, when Anita drops her prissiness and enters into this fantasy world where 5 gorgeous guys can lust after you and you can satisfy them all and keep them more or less faithful. I don't understand who could object to that! ;)

4. The Liaden World series. I hadn’t known the term ‘Space Opera’ until I came across Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. I think it’s too slight a term for the action and adventure and sheer fun I have with their books. The books are delightful, with a touch of romance, a new world order and a war to win. It was written out of chronological order, but the series starts with Local Custom.

5. Jennifer Crusie – She makes me laugh out loud, puts me in a guaranteed good mood, I just love her romances. She’s smart and funny and writes like your best friend talks. I’ve enjoyed all her books but Welcome to Temptation is a particular favorite to reread. If you haven’t read her, you’ve missed a treat.

6. Denis Lehane - He came into the public view with Mystic River, but his series with Angie Genaro and Patrick Kenzie was actually better (IMHO) These are beautifully written, occasionally wrenchingly sad detective novels, and you’ll thank me for introducing them to you. Each book is stand alone, but you get an added depth when you read them in order. It starts with A Drink Before the War.

7. Frank Herbert - I can remember the impact Dune first had on me, I could no longer bear to see hoses trickling water onto the sidewalk, because I was in the desert universe. If you think it’s dated, think again; it’s a timeless work of genius. I have to confess that I lost interest in the series after a while, but the first book… please read the first book!

8. Julian May – the Pliocene Era Series. Please ignore the terrible art work on the US covers. This is a great fantasy series, where a time hole can take a select few back into the distant past but it’s a one way trip. And then our adventures find what’s really there, they can’t get back to warn us… It’s got a huge cast of characters and it’s fun and interesting. It starts with The Many Colored Land.

I’ve loved creating this list, it’s been like sharing a basket of particularly fine goodies. I hope you enjoy them too…