Recommended Reading, Abby Style

The BEST BOOKS Ever

Some of my favorites, grouped by genre.

• A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
• The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan
• Otherland Book 1 and Book 4, by Tad Williams
• The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss
• A Storm of Swords, by George R.R. Martin
• The Shadow Rising, by Robert Jordan

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• The Vampire Lestat, by Anne Rice
• The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
• Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood
• The Tommyknockers, by Stephen King
• Firestarter, by Stephen King

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• Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
• Clan of the Cave Bear, by Jean Auel
• Kindred, by Octavia Butler
• The Book of Splendor, by Frances Sherwood
• The Blood of Flowers, by Anita Amirrezvani

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• Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton
• Infected, by Scott Sigler
• Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
• The Diamond Age, by Neal Stephenson
• Hyperion, by Dan Simmons
• Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
• Sphere, by Michael Crichton
• Quarantine, by Greg Egan

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• It, by Stephen King
• The Shining, by Stephen King
• Pet Semetary, by Stephen King
• Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn
• Night, by Elie Wiesel
• The Long Walk, by Stephen King
• 1984, by George Orwell

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• Guilty Pleasures, by Laurell K. Hamilton
• Still Life With Crows, by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
• Watchers, by Dean Koontz
• Over the Edge, by Jonathan Kellerman

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• On a Pale Horse, by Piers Anthony
• Jumper, by Steven Gould
• The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer
• Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld
• The Pocket and the Pendant, by Mark Jeffrey
• The Girl Who Could Fly, by Victoria Forester
• The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende
• Matilda, by Roald Dahl

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• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
• Shardik, by Richard Adams
• The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells
• Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
• The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas

More books I've read ...

... and here's the latest books I'm reading.

Favorite Contemporary Authors

I own multiple books by these authors, because I think they're cool.

If you agree, then you may enjoy my book reviews, and perhaps my writing.

1. Stephen King (I'm a #1 fan, but luckily for him, I'm not a psychotic nurse)
   aka Richard Bachman (even crazier than King, but it's the same guy we know and love)
2. George R.R. Martin (prose as engaging as Stephen King's; need I say more?)
3. Robert Jordan (I'm addicted to his Wheel of Time series)
   aka Reagan O'Neal (competent writing, but the characters of the Fallon historical fiction series lack charisma)
4. Diana Gabaldon (historical adventure, time travel, romance, beautifully written)
5. Scott Sigler (latest wave in horror and science fiction)
6. Dan Simmons (I imagine that his books will be considered timeless classics someday)
7. Neal Stephenson (fresh style)
8. Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (they pull you along)
9. Richard Adams (If you even remotely enjoy fantasy, try Shardik and Watership Down)
10. Lois McMaster Bujold (I really love what I've read from her so far)
11. Anne Rice (always disturbing, and usually riveting)
12. Greg Egan (hard science fiction with awesome characters and page-turning plots)
13. Tad Williams (I am awed by his Otherland series)
14. Octavia Butler (avante garde style, and strong characters)
15. Jean Auel (her series was awe-inspiring when it began, but has lost momentum)
16. Margaret Atwood (beautiful wordsmith)
17. Jonathan Kellerman (I don't usually enjoy the thriller/mystery genre, but he's worth it)
18. Brian Lumley (the Necroscope series is highly entertaining, but avoid his attempts at science fiction)
19. Dean Koontz (fun for airplane reading)
20. Thomas Harris (he's good with suspense)
21. Robert R. McCammon (When he's good, he's good)
22. Daniel Keyes (Flowers For Algernon)
23. Michael Crichton (he made science fiction popular in the 80s)

Favorite Young Adult and Children's Authors

1. Steven Gould (you can't beat his fun, adventure and superhero stories)
2. Mark Jeffrey (and they're available for free on audio!)
3. Nancy Farmer (heavy issues, makes you think)
4. Victoria Forrester
5. Philip Pullman (dark fantasy)
6. John Bellairs (dark magic realism)
7. L. Frank Baum (dark fantasy)
   Here are some free stories by L. Frank Baum.
8. Christopher Pike (a "Dean Koontz" for young adults)
9. J.K. Rowling (fantasy)
10. Roald Dahl (even his few adult books, such as The Story of Henry Sugar, are great)
11. Lois Duncan (my first taste of good, worthwhile horror)
12. William Sleator (my first taste of good, worthwhile science fiction)
13. Judy Blume (I believe she's already Scholastic reading for most kids)
14. E.B. White (gotta love Trumpet of the Swan and Stuart Little)

Favorite Classics

1. Alexandre Dumas (fast paced and suspenseful, like contemporary best-sellers)
2. H.G. Wells (fun, fast-paced, with twisted characters)
3. J.R.R. Tolkien (father of modern fantasy)
4. Edgar Allan Poe (master of atmosphere)
5. Mary Shelley (the fact that Frankenstein was written by an 18th century teenager is impressive)
6. William Golding (Lord of the Flies, you know?)
7. Herman Hesse (engaging prose)

Last Ten I've Finished

Updated  August 2013

1.   Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue, by Hugh Howey
2.   Shift, by Hugh Howey
3.   Duma Key, by Stephen King
4.   The Conqueror's Shadow, by Ari Marmell ... didn't finish
5.   Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
6.   Marco Polo, by Laurence Bergreen non-fiction
7.   Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman ... didn't finish
8.   Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
9.   The MVP, by Scott Sigler
10.   The Belgariad: Books 1 - 5, by David Eddings

• Here's a long list of books I've read.
• I Plan To Read or Am Currently Reading:
  • The Drowning City, by Amanda Downum
  • Unpublished novels and stories by friends.
  • Would you like to buy me a gift from my Amazon wishlist?
• Would you be willing to Test Read for me?