I used to call this part “What I’m Reading” but I failed to update it very much.  So I decided to list some of my favorite books here, books I will keep on my shelves always.  Some are old, some are newer, but all are books I’d pick up and read multiple times.

• The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov.  This was one of the first SF books I ever read, and it inspired me to become an avid SF reader, and a big fan of Dr. Asimov.
• Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein.  This pop-philosophy book was maybe the first novel that made me realize that books could do more than entertain — they could also make one think…
• The Stand, Stephen King.  This epic tome made me realize the power of storytelling, as King weaves together his characters and settings into something that seemed very real to me.
• Salem’s Lot, Stephen King.  More than any other book, this vampire tale showed me how a setting could become as important as the characters and the plot.  Salem’s Lot became a sort of character in its own right. 
• Lamb, Christopher Moore.  This book about a teenaged Jesus (Josh) and his best friend Biff is funny, irreverent, and thought-provoking.  I sort of wish it wasn’t fiction. 
• The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkein.  A classic of fantasy literature.  I am not generally a big fantasy reader, but this one (and the Peter Jackson films) blew me away.
• Night Shift, Stephen King.  The power of the short story, revealed to me.  I hadn’t read much Bradbury (though I had read some Asimov shorts) by the time I read this.  I liked the style and content.  It was stuff I could write.  So it influenced me a lot. 
• Tell No One, Harlan Coben.  Coben’s books in general grab me and don’t want to let go.  His thing for twists and turns in the plot, where nothing is as it seems, and usually things are a result of some echo from the past, just amazes me every time I read one of his stories.  I’ve read so many that I’m almost numb to these plot twists now, and I expect them, but usually the story is so good and so well-plotted that I’m still a little bit amazed.
• 11/22/63, Stephen King.  Notice a lot of Stephen King on here?  Yeah, I think he’s a pretty good writer.  His endings aren’t always the strongest, but this one ends well and was a really cool story. 

I’ll add more as I think of them.  For now, that’s a pretty good start.

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