I read a lot of books. A lot of books. Many of the books I read are good. Some are very good. Only a few are what I would call great. Here are a few great reads worth checking out, in no particular order:
Novels:
- THE GIVEN DAY, SHUTTER ISLAND, PRAYERS FOR RAIN, MYSTIC RIVER, and DARKNESS, TAKE MY HAND by Dennis Lehane
- ALREADY DEAD (and the rest of the Joe Pitt Casebooks) and THE MYSTIC ARTS OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH by Charlie Huston
- GET SHORTY and LABRAVA by Elmore Leonard
- THE POET by Michael Connelly
- A PRAYER FOR THE DYING, THE SPEED QUEEN and SONGS FOR THE MISSING by Stewart O’Nan
- RIVEN ROCK, WORLD’S END, EAST IS EAST, and THE TORTILLA CURTAIN by T.C. Boyle
- MIDDLESEX by Jeffrey Eugenides
- ALL THE KING’S MEN by Robert Penn Warren
- INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison
- LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
- GHOST STORY and THE HELLFIRE CLUB by Peter Straub
- THE DEAD ZONE, PET SEMATARY, THE DARK HALF, THE STAND, INSOMNIA, DESPERATION, THE GREEN MILE, BAG OF BONES, DUMA KEY and THE DARK TOWER series by Stephen King
- THE TALISMAN and BLACK HOUSE by Stephen King and Peter Straub
- VELOCITY by Dean Koontz
- A LOWER DEEP by Tom Piccirilli
- THE STRAW MEN by Michael Marshall
- THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE by James M. Cain
- HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill
- THE BEACH by Alex Garland
- THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy
- FORTY WORDS FOR SORROW by Giles Blunt
- THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini
- ELECTION by Tom Perrotta
- THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA and THE HUMAN STAIN by Philip Roth
- FREEDOMLAND by Richard Price
- KING SUCKERMAN and THE SWEET FOREVER by George Pelecanos
- THE RESURRECTIONISTS by Michael Collins
- ROAD KILL (or JOYRIDE) and RED by Jack Ketchum
- A SIMPLE PLAN by Scott Smith
- RUN by Douglas E. Winter
- AMERICAN GODS and CORALINE by Neil Gaiman
- PERDIDO STREET STATION and THE SCAR by China Miéville
- THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman
- PARIS TROUT and THE PAPERBOY by Pete Dexter
- SPHERE, RISING SUN, and PREY by Michael Crichton
- SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
- FLESH AND BLOOD by Michael Cunningham
- GOOD PEOPLE by Marcus Sakey
- CHASING THE DEAD by Joe Schreiber
- THE BELL JAR by Sylvia Plath
- THE HARD WAY by Lee Child
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
- LUSH LIFE by Richard Price
- EVERY DEAD THING by John Connolly
- THE KEEP by Jennifer Egan
- THE LATHE OF HEAVEN by Ursula K. Le Guin
- THE CRIME WRITER by Gregg Hurwitz
- THE INNOCENT by Harlan Coben
- LOWBOY by John Wray
- THE STRAIN by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
- LIGHT BOXES by Shane Jones
- BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett
Short Story Collections:
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EVERYTHING THAT RISES MUST CONVERGE by Flannery O’Connor
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THE STORIES OF JOHN CHEEVER
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THE DEAD FISH MUSEUM by Charles D’Ambrosio
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THE RESURRECTION MAN’S LEGACY by Dale Bailey
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THE COMPLETE STORIES OF TRUMAN CAPOTE
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A MODEL WORLD and WEREWOLVES IN THEIR YOUTH by Michael Chabon
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LUCKY GIRLS by Nell Freudenberger
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LOST IN THE CITY by Edward P. Jones
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The BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES series
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The BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES series
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CIVILWARLAND IN BAD DECLINE by George Saunders
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THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O’Brien
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AFTER THE PLAGUE and TOOTH & CLAW by T.C. Boyle
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THE SECRET GOLDFISH by David Means
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PEACEABLE KINGDOM by Jack Ketchum
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20th CENTURY GHOSTS by Joe Hill
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IN THE ELECTRIC EDEN by Nick Arvin
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WHEN THE NINES ROLL OVER by David Benioff
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THE WHORE’S CHILD by Richard Russo
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ANIMAL CRACKERS by Hannah Tinti
- CORONADO by Dennis Lehane
- THE GIRL ON THE FRIDGE by Etgar Keret
- EVERYTHING RAVAGED, EVERYTHING BURNED: STORIES by Wells Tower
Graphic Novels:
- WATCHMEN by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
- LOCKE & KEY, Vol. 1: WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
- THE DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER BORN by Peter David, Robin Furth, Jae Lee, and Richard Isanove
Non-Fiction:
- SEX, DRUGS, AND COCOA PUFFS by Chuck Klosterman
