When, it comes to reading, I am boring . I end up reading the best sellers - the mainstream material. Rarely do I venture outside the trodden path. In introspection, I believe the reason is
because, if I have to spend my time and effort, I would read something, which has been accepted. I told you, I am boring. In selecting my list of 10 authors, I divided them into three phases, The Early Years,
The Middle Ages and
The Modern Times.
Here goes…
I. The Early Years - ’’School Days’’ # 1. Enid Blyton* About the author: Enid Blyton (1897-1968) was born in London and was a successful children’s writer. She has written books on the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, the Mystery Series, the Adventure Series and school books like Mallory Towers and St.Claires.
What I liked: I liked the Famous Five series – Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timothy the dog. Liked the adventure, the camping out and was introduced to the english breakfast of ham and bacon. Also liked the mystery series with Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets – the five find outers and the dog Betsy – liked Fatty’s bruises and how they turned different colors.
# 2. P.G.Wodehouse * About the author: Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) was an English humorist who wrote novels and short stories. He created Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, the Blandings Castle, Lord Elmsworth and the Empress of Blandings (his famous
sow). He wrote 291 stories and 73 novels.
What I liked: I liked all his Jeeves series – each book was humorous with funny
situations and could be repeatedly read.
II. The Middle Ages - ’’College Years’’ # 3. James Hadley Chase * About the author: James Hadley Chase (1906-1985) – pseudonym for Rene Brabazon Raymond, was born in London. Chase published some 80 books. Although
many of his stories are located in the US, he visited US only twice.
What I liked:They were fast paced high crime drama like Hit and Run, No Orchids for Miss Blandish, Tiger by the Tail etc. Invariably the hero dies in the end.
# 4. Harold Robbins * About the Author: Harold Robbins (1926-1997) was born in New York and published over 20 books. In his works, Robbins combined his own experience with historical facts, melodrama, sex and action and churned out fast-moving stories.
What I liked: His best was A stone for Danny Fisher followed by The Adventurers, Never Love a Stranger, Carpetbaggers etc.
# 5. Irving Wallace * About the Author: Irving Wallace (1916-1990) was born in Chicago. In his works, Wallace combines careful research and inventive, readable storytelling. He has published 16 novels and 17 non-fiction works.
What I liked: His best works was The Man followed by The Prize, The Fan Club, The Seven Minutes etc. Many of his books had “dirty” stuff – these pages were dog-eared, marked, read, re-read and memorized.
# 6. Arthur Hailey * About the Author: Arthur Hailey – 82 years was a Britisher who also became a Canadian citizen. Hailey wrote fast paced novels and did painstaking research for his subject.
What I liked: His best works include Airport, Wheels and Hotel.
The Middle Ages also included trysts with Alistair Maclean and Ian Fleming. III. The Modern Times - ’’Working Life’’ # 7. Sidney Sheldon * About the Author: Sidney Sheldon (1917- ) was a born in Chicago. He wrote scripts for The Patty Duke show and I Dream of Jeannie before writing novels.
What I liked: Some of his works include The Best Laid Plans, If Tomorrow Comes, The Other Side of Midnight etc.
# 8. John Grisham * About the Author: John Grisham (1955– ) was born in Arkansas. He was a lawyer by profession and hence all his books had a legal backdrop.
What I liked: Some of his works include A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Chamber etc.
# 9. Dave Barry * About the Author: Dave Barry – 40 plus years is a humor columnist whose syndicated columns appear in several newspapers. He has authored about 24 books
What I liked: I look forward to his Sunday column and have read his books like DB in Cyberspace, DB does Japan, DB turns 40 etc. He is really funny.
and finally... (not that I am ready to go to the Himalayas, but I have realized that there is more to life than just living it) # 10. Swami Chinmayanand * About the Author: More than an author, Swami Chinmayanand (1916-1993) or “Gurudev” was the founder of the Chinmaya Mission and helped establish several organizations like Bal Vihars and Yuva Kendras to teach spirituality to the children, the youth and the common man.
What I liked: His books are very simple to read and he has explained complex concepts in the layman’s language using stories. Some of his works include The Holy Geeta, The Parables, Kindle the Light etc.
* The information about the author has been obtained from the Internet and the book jackets.