Top Five

Here of late I have hit a dry spell when it comes to finding a decent book to sit with at the end of the day.  As the weather turns sour and the days run shorter, it is paramount that I find something pronto or else I run the risk of becoming Jack Nicholson in "The Shining."  I listed some of my favorite past reads below and was hoping for a few suggestions.

Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels is probably my favorite book of all time.  When people ask for a book suggestion, I hand them my copy.  It has made its rounds to at least ten acquaintances and everyone has returned it with nothing but positive reviews.  The gift that keeps on giving.

To Kill a Mockingbird

It was required reading in school, but I pitched my unopened copy in the back of my closet and faked my way through the tests.  It was several years later I stumbled upon it again and actually read it.  I still like to pick it up every once in a while and if I ever had a daughter, her name would be Scout.

A River Runs Through It

Nature.  Fishing.  Religion.  Brotherhood.  Sinning.  Family.
Yeah, it pretty much hits it all - A great book.

I love everything James Ellroy, but when I think of my favorite he has ever done, it has to be White Jazz.  Narrated in the first person by a corrupt anti-hero LA police detective, the book has its own language that takes a while to decipher.  Its usually panned by critics - which is sometimes a good thing.

In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton tells the true story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis near the end of World War II.  Reading this book is a true reminder of what a gift life is and that it should be treasured at all costs.