Favorite Authors / Books?

[Shasta]

Can't believe nobody has mentioned Lee Child yet. His Jack Reacher novels are excellent. They really should be read in order
My husband and sons also like Jim Butcher
Sue Grafton we all read
Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series

[Abraham]

I'm currently reading Mark Twain's autobiography.

He insisted it not be published for 100 years after his death.

His sense of humor is timeless.

His wit is wholly contemporary.

I wish I'd known him...

[74novaman]

For anyone into sci fi/fantasy genre, I just got in to Jim Butchers' Dresden Files and have been devouring them.

Heres a synopsis from wikipedia:

The Dresden Files is a series of fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher. He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in modern-day Chicago. Butcher's original proposed title for the first novel was "Semiautomagic", which sums up the series' balance of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction.[1]

It has a good mix of magic, fantasy, humor and even a little bit of gunplay.

[Nicolai]

Leon C. Metz for his biographies of John Wesley Hardin, John Selman, Pat Garrett, and Dallas Stoudenmire (disclaimer: I've read the ones on Hardin and Garrett; the others are on the reading list). Metz also has some books on the history of West Texas/SE New Mexico that may be worth a read.

[Abraham]

Just finished Thomas McGuane's "Driving On The Rim"

Terrific!

[fannypacker]

I have read most of Robert B. Parker's books. His central character is Spencer, a private eye. Set in Boston. Parker recently died but all of his books are in print

[Texas_Tactical]

One Ranger By Joacquin Jackson is a great book, especially if you love Texas History.

[74novaman]

One Ranger By Joacquin Jackson is a great book, especially if you love Texas History.

meh. He won't get any of my money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSGySNLyACE

[Abraham]

Yep, he says anyone with a so-called assault rifle is O.K. with him - as long as it's maximum magazine capacity is limited to five rounds.

Hhhmmm, what's wrong with this picture?

By the way, I read his book and really enjoyed it and admired him, until now...

[WildBill]

By the way, I read his book and really enjoyed it and admired him, until now...

I read and enjoyed his book, One Ranger. He is a "colorful" character with an interesting background and is a good storyteller. As far as supporting constitutional rights, in his book, he admits to breaking the law and violating constitutional rights to catch criminals. I didn't admire him for that.

[LikesShinyThings]

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Unintended Consequences by John Ross

+1 on both these books

[Bear67]

I agree with many of the selections put forward on here. I don't watch much teleboringvision but I read several books a week. This is a short list of some good authors in my opinion that many of you might enjoy. You get what you paid for my opinion.

One of my long time favorites and a Texan to boot is Elmer Kelton of San Angelo. I am proud to say Elmer was a long time friend, but one of the best Texas storytellers ever--a lot of readers miss him now that he is spinnin' yarns in the heavens. He was raised on West Texas Ranches where his father was a cowboy and ranch foreman--but since Elmer was never a good cow hand, he wrote for a living: San Angelo Standard Times and later Editor of the West Texas Livestock Weekly. You could count on him at all West Texas Livestock, events, youth events, sales or just sitting shelling pecans and drinking coffee at a wool warehouse. He wrote early on with the Louis Lamour/Zane Grey model with pulp westerns even under pen names. But his later stuff is dead on real. Some you might try:

The Time it Never Rained
The Day the Cowboys Quit.
Honor at Daybreak (about oil boom in the Panhandle)

Ben K Green Old time Cowboy, horse trader, country self trained veterinarian and yarn spinner. His books are about horse trading, Texas Cow trading and stories that anyone with a Texas ranch and livestock background or interest will love. He died about 30 years ago in Cumby Texas.

J.A. Jance She wrote lots of good reads about J. B. Beaumont a detective in Seattle, but my favorites are her
Joanna Brady series set in Southern Arizona. Brady became Sheriff after her husband was killed on duty. They are 11 great reads along with Kiss of the Bees , another Arizona novel.

Nevada Barr Ten great novels about a lady LE ranger, Anna Pigeon of the National Park Service.

D.R. Meredith Texas law and lawman tales with John Loyd Benson set in the modern day Texas Panhandle.
11 books I think.

I will second the positive inputs for two more of my favorites: W.E.B. Griffin and C. J. Box

good reading

[fulano]

Ben K Green Old time Cowboy, horse trader, country self trained veterinarian and yarn spinner. His books are about horse trading, Texas Cow trading and stories that anyone with a Texas ranch and livestock background or interest will love. He died about 30 years ago in Cumby Texas.

Great books. I've read all his. I even have the one he wrote on "Horse Conformation".

[talltex]

In no particular order of ranking:

Larry McMurtry...anything and everything, but especially the Lonesome Dove set and The Last Picture Show set
Cormac Mcarthy...especially the Border Trilogy
Ayn Rand
Robert B Parker
Greg Iles
James Lee Burke
Grisham
Dennis Lehane
Stephen Hunter
Baldacci
Clive Cussler
John Gierach
Dan Jenkins
Tom Clancy
Robert Ludlum
Dan Brown

[LDB415]

One Ranger By Joacquin Jackson is a great book, especially if you love Texas History.

meh. He won't get any of my money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSGySNLyACE

He won't get any of my money either. If I find the book used so he makes nothing I might get it if it's really cheap. He's an idiot though and I'm sorry to hear he's on the NRA board. We don't need people like that.