Joel’s Scattered Thoughts

I have a list of authors that I try to keep somewhere near me. The idea is that if I end up at a library or bookstore and nothing catches my eye, I’ll have somewhere to start looking. It’s been a while since I updated the list.

• Piers Anthony: I enjoyed the beginnings of the Xanth series when I was in high school. Unfortunately, as I got older, his books got duller. He wouldn’t be on the list today.
• Raymond Smullyan: When I took logic classes in university, I ran across a lot of his puzzles. Unfortunately, my current logic exercise are along the lines of “IF the kids stinks, THEN change him.” I’d need to do a lot of refresher work before looking at his stuff again.
• Gordon R. Dickson: He’s one of those writers whose work I either really enjoy or can’t get into at all. I was really enjoying the Dragon Knight series, but as he’s dead, I’ll never find out what happens. I like a lot of his short stories and humorous work.
• David Webber: I started reading David Webber’s books when someone who was headed overseas sold me a bunch of them for a quarter a piece. Talk about a demonstration of how the Right of First Sale helps publishers. I have since bought most of his books (including those I already had) in hardcover and in e-book format.
• Robert A. Heinlein: I read a bunch of his juveniles sometime around grade 7. I think I’ve pretty much read all his published books. Some of his books struck me as more than a bit strange, but they were still a good read.
• Lois McMaster Bujold: I found her books when I was in Ottawa. I am very fond of the Miles Vorkosigan series - they make me laugh and and bring tears to my eyes at least once per book.
• Alan Dean Foster: I enjoy most of his writing, but it doesn’t stick with me in that same way that other series do. Oddly enough, his short stories have more of that “sticky” quality.
• Andrew M. Greely: These were some of the first romance books that I read. I enjoy his writing, though the romances tend to be fairly predictable. There’s always at least one passage in his books that is very inspiring. I also enjoy his mystery stories.

That brings me partway down the first page of my authors list. To be continued in another post.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 8th, 2005 at 8:01 am and is filed under Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.