Top 10 Must-Read Books (Fiction) - Books #10 - #6

After adding a new novel to my figurative Top Ten Favorite Books list, I decided to formulate something more literal and see what kind of literary-gold made the cut.

These books vary in genre, but you will see an emphasis on modern day fiction. Sorry, the genre is my first love (after my wife, my dog, hockey, food, baseball…)

Without further ado, here’s Part 1: Books #10-#6….

10. The Stand by Stephen King

This book has been the baseline for epic, apocalyptic stories ever since it was published by the King himself in 1978. This was the first monster novel I sat down to read and, at the time, I was not entirely sure I had the ability to barrel through an 1100+ page story. Now almost a decade later, I still get all misty eyed when I think of that post-epidemic wasteland, and the incredible characters Steve brought to life within it. Damn near a rite of passage for any fellow compulsive readers.

9. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

So... I did NOT read westerners. I was NOT into rolling tumbleweeds, spurred boots, cow-herding and cold-blooded Kiowas. And yet, I was still told that I MUST read Lonesome Dove. No small undertaking either, given the book is a mountain of small font pages... 864 of them in fact. And holy freaking cow, I’ll be damned if every one of those stereotypically western chapters were not a part of a literary masterpiece. I was crushed when I finished reading about Gus, Captain Call and the rest of the Hat Creek Cattle Company. Roll your eyes if you must at the reviews, the cover and the premise (I surely did), but just be prepared: You may shed a tear when those wonderfully developed characters disappear with the last page.

8. The Martian by Andy Weir

Did you see the movie? Me too - that was an awesome flick! Now go read the book, bro! I laughed through probably 20% of this book (that’s a lot when you read late and are trying not to wake the wifey) thanks to the sheer wit of Mr. Weir and his bad ass Mark Watney character. The majority of the novel is written with Watney writing/speaking to his journal, and while that may strike you as an unconventional style, rest assured it works! With impressive scientific research peppered throughout the novel to go along with Watney’s hilarious smart mouth, this is an easy, entertaining and action-packed read. If you need any further appeal, consider The Martian’s quite original opening line: “I’m pretty much fucked.”

7. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This one you have time to read before the movie comes out. You a nerd like me that enjoys video games? How about VR? How about an assload of 80’s TV and movie references? RPO has it all in this futuristic novel about The Oasis virtual reality platform and the greatest scavenger hunt ever (Prize: A gazillion dollars and control of said VR platform). Packed with plenty of sci-fi action and even a bit of a love story, we all pretty much knew it was only a matter of time until Stephen Spielberg got his hands on Ernie Cline’s bestseller. Movie hits March 30, 2018. Conversely, you can buy the novel from the kindle store right the f now. Get on it!

6. The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin

This book is actually the final installment in, and representative of, The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin. I do like my armageddon-type stories, but before The Passage I had no idea how good they can be if you toss in some vampires as well. Cronin absolutely tortuuuured his fans with a slow release of each of these books before TCOM hit in March 2016. What did those fans say afterwards? 110% worth it! Collectively an epic tale with characters you follow through their lifetimes, The Passage might actually be my favorite trilogy ever. (Besides Star Wars, of course. And maybe some other ones I can’t think of right now. But seriously, this trilogy is that good.)

Part 2 of the Top 10: #5 - #1 soon to follow!!

What books make your own top 10 list??

Feel free to give me your input! I’ll gladly accept support or chastising - you pick!