Having been encouraged by the response and discussion following my first reading list, I am emboldened to produce a second. Many of you may have already discovered these books and these authors. That’s a good thing. Most are not new, but if you have not found them, you are in for a treat.
1. ROMA by Steven Saylor: This historical novel of ancient Rome is a literary feast that lasts a thousand years. Saylor is best known as the creator of the series of wonderful novels featuring Gordianus The Finder, a detective who crosses paths with the likes of Caesar, Pompey and Coriolanus.
2. FOOL by Christopher Moore: A bawdy version of The King Lear tale with narration by the Court Jester. I also love Moore’s novel Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal.
3. The Mysterious Montague: A True Story of Hollywood, Golf, and Armed Robbery by Leigh Montville. Montague out-golfed Bing Crosby, W.C. Fields and Babe Ruth. But his hidden past may have been sub-par.
Friends who found the first list interesting have made some intriguing recommendations. I have not yet read all these books, but hope to do so soon. Here’s a few samples.
John Rieber is big fan of “Nordic Noir” particularly the Department Q novels beginning with The Keeper of Lost Causes by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen. I agree, this is a great series.
Turk Pipkin suggests we read The Son by Phillip Myer. This epic novel spans a century and a half of Texas life. I’ve ordered it.
Jesse Sublett wants us to go whaling in the 1800’s with a killer on board in the thriller The North Water by Ian McGuire. I do get seasick, but I’ll risk it for a tale that Sublett compares to the work of Cormac McCarthy.
And Travis Redfish challenges you to read the epic tale of “chaos and killing, romance and ribaldry, and chicken fried steak,” SLAP NOIR, a West Texas mystery set in the 60s.
James BigBoy Medlin © 2016
James BigBoy Medlin is a writer who lives in Silver City, New Mexico.