A Reading list

Someone asked me recently for a book list because reading is one of the things I do most when not making knobs and pulls. She said she liked detective stories, but like any lifelong reader I had to add some of my favorites. Check it out below.

I excluded books I knew she wouldn’t like because they were, as they say, an acquired taste – most science fiction books, for example. I also left out books I read when younger that would be classified YA. I also avoided most non-fiction.

When I got done and looked at the list it was pretty eclectic. These were books that created a strong mood or sense of place as opposed to covering a specific topic. Some were current popular fiction and some were detective stories, as requested. The Complete Sherlock Holmes seems like a must for anyone who enjoys detective fiction. Some are classics and some just stayed with me.

Another thing I realized is how different it is to listen to a story as opposed to reading it. I listened to the first three books on the list as well as The Shadow of the Wind. The readers’ voices created a completely different experience than the imagined world of reading. For example, just the pronunciations of names and places in The Shadow of the Wind made the book more Spanish, even in translation. The hilarious compendium of British insults in A Long Way Down is even more enjoyable when spoken.

Well, here’s the first list I made. I hope you enjoy some of them.