Well, I can always get lost in my Wendell Berry collection, and I’m partial to rereading the stoics. But truly, when the world gets too much and I need to recharge, then P. G. Wodehouse is the only man that provides the goods. It is hard to be grumpy with modernity when Bertie gets in a mess that only Jeeves can sort out. And a sit down with a pint in Angler’s Rest, while Mr. Mulliner tells another tale about his endless supply of nephews is just the cure for the old weltschmerz.
Hear, hear on this, Brian. Wonderful recommendations for investing one’s precious reading time. Wendell Berry’s Port William Membership fiction is perfection and should read, reread, and shared widely!
Dostoevsky and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read Wilder’s books when I’m feeling nostalgic and Dostoevsky’s when I’m up for an invigorating challenge. Farmer Boy and Devils are two of my favorite books.
C. S. Lewis, Jane Austen, and L. M. Montgomery. I encountered all of them first as a kid/teenager, and I continue to return to them over and over again.
I would divide the authors I've read the most into three categories.
The first are the authors whose minor classic works - well written, well researched, well plotted, but not deeply philosophical - let you relax and unwind in times of stress, enabling you to read through them again and again. In this category I would place:
- the Regency comedies of Georgette Heyer
- the medieval and modern mysteries of Ellis Peters (Edith Parameter)
- the mystery and espionage Campion novels of Margery Allingham.
The second are the authors who intrigue you for a season, so you want to find out all they have to say, but once you have read all you can find, you move on to other authors. These include:
- John Le Carre's George Smiley series and other espionage novels
- Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels
- P.D. James' mysteries.
The third are the works you find timeless, that you read again and again, learning new things from the pages and share with others along the way. For me these include:
- the historical novels of Rosemary Sutcliff
- the works of Charles Dickens (I had read every last one of his novels by the time I was twenty, and have read almost all of them more than once, and lost count of readings of my favourite)
- the works of Austen and Charlotte Bronte, two very different authors with small bibliographies who manage to speak so well to how it feels to be alive. I have reread both their novels many times.
- the short stories, poems, novels, non-fiction, and essays of G.K. Chesterton. Chesterton was for me what many Christian say Lewis is to them. For me, Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man were all the apologetics I ever needed to read.
- John Donne's poetry, devotions, and sermons. Donne is a recent find for me, so I haven't finished reading all his works, but I enjoy his writing all the more for having come to it in maturity.
I read somewhere that Campion started as a satire of Lord Peter Whimsy. In the earlier books, you can see that, but then he grows to be a much more interesting character.
Tiger in the Smoke is the best, I think! It transcends mystery into something deeper and darker. But really im coming on here to say: what other* mystery writers do you guys like because no one ever talks about Allingham enough and she’s the best.
* other beside Sayers, Christie, Marsh, Lorac, Tey…
Tiger in the Smoke is very atmospheric, but it reminded me, with its unseen psychopath, of T.H. White's Darkness Falls at Pemberley. Patricia Wentworth is another interesting mystery writer, although her quality doesn't quite come to the standard of Allingham et al. I think Wentworth reads like an old British film noir.
I loved Traitor's Purse! It was so much fun to read about Campion slowly regaining his (impressive) faculties. I also really liked The Tiger in the Smoke.
I have read Patrick O’Brian’s 20-volume Aubrey & Maturin series twice, and I have every intention of reading the novels again someday. They are riveting historical fiction set in the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars and focusing on a wonderful friendship. The sailing terminology can be distracting, but one gets used to it, and there are a number of resources available for those interested and willing to learn.
Louis L'Amour - I have read 60+ of his books and am not even halfway through everything he wrote. His books are like comfort food for me. Mostly western but some other stuff mixed in.
Robert Jordan - I have read The Wheel of Time series (14 books) four times. Epic fantasy at its best.
W.E.B Griffin - I read everything he ever wrote (50+ books) in my 20s and 30s. Some good historical fiction following the lives of soldiers, sailors, police, etc...
Clive Cussler - I enjoyed his books when I was younger and read at least 50 of them. He isn't on my reading list anymore but he was a good companion for my younger self. All adventure stories with spy elements woven in.
David Baldacci - 40+ books
Michael Connelly - 35+ books (Harry Bosch series and the Lincoln Lawyer series)
Orson Scott Card - I have read the Ender saga so many times I lost count. Something like 20 books in the series now I think. I usually read Ender's Game once per year.
Stephen King - 30+ books mostly in my teens and 20s.
Ben Bova - 30+ books. He is my favorite science fiction author of all time.
John Steinbeck - 25+ books. I spent 2024 reading everything he wrote. East of Eden is one of my all time favorite books.
On the non-fiction side of things my most read authors are David McCullough, Jon Meacham, Walter Isaacson, and Ron Chernow all historians and/or biographers.
We listen to Louis on long car trips. His protagonists are laughably bigger than life, but, as you said, “comfort food” doesn’t need to be challenging. 😊
Have you read L'Armour's autobiography, Education of a Wandering Man. I just read it last week and loved it. Funny thing is I have read none of his novels yet, but they are on my list.
So interesting. I would say Barbara Pym, Nancy Mitford, C.S. Lewis, Josephine Tey, John Lewis-Stempel, Agatha Christie (of course), Christopher Lloyd (the gardener and plantsman). They would probably top a 'time spent/read/re-read' list. There's Shakespeare too, he'd probably be up there over time.
I come back to Wendell Berry’s fiction all the time because his characters feel like old friends.
And I have been reading Luci Shaw’s poetry since I was a young mum and she was an empty nester. She has taught me the importance of generative living and helped me to see and appreciate both beauty and loss.
I re-read Tolkien and Philip K. Dick every year. I've started to re-read Jeff Van der Meer's Southern Reach trilogy regularly (6x so far). Tolkien is the foundational author for my reading journey. He never gets old.
Last year I read all 19 of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. Some of the stories I liked better than others, but I didn't hate any of them. I think she has a fantastic ability to make you feel that you are in the room. One thing I noticed was her use of all five senses... how things tasted ... what the room smelled like ... what certain people smelled like... it was very personal and unexpected for me. I think if I walked into the Bistro at Three Pines I would expect it to smell a certain way and I would feel a certain way. Gamache's scent of sandalwood with a touch of rosewater was explained ultimately by his goodbye hug with his wife Rene Marie ... a vivid detail that told us of his faithful love for his wife and his strong character. Anyway, I never got tired of Gamache and I can't wait for the next one to emerge in October.
Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte -- even though I've only read Jane Eyre, I've probably reread it more than any other novel. Tolstoy is worth multiple rereadings. I love P.J. O'Rourke also -- time to reread Parliament of Whores!-- but he really lost his mojo by his last books.
Others I keep coming back to, Iain Banks (with or without the 'M'); Kim Stanley Robinson; Dorothy L Sayers; and among the 19th-century greats, Austen, Eliot and Gaskell.
I feel your up-down / on-off relationship with Lewis. I was put off for years by the force of enthusiasm he evoked from Evangelicals who were dazzled by his apologetics, which never moved the dial much for me. I've come in recent years to discover that while I don't find his writing on faith convincing, I do find it compelling. His estate have put out a few collections that take samples of his essays on, for instance, prayer or reading; these have offered me ways into his books that I'd largely ignored before.
In terms of writers I've spent the most time with in recent years, Michael Lewis became an unexpected long-term companion. I read "The Fifth Risk", which made the bureaucracy of daily, functioning government both vital and fascinating, and subsequently had to read everything else he's written. "The Undoing Project" was my favourite, and "The Premonition" deserves an honourable mention.
I have many favorites, but the ones I have read the most are Dickens and P.D. James. I could alternate between these two quite happily for the rest of my reading life. The richness of Dickens's story has created whole worlds in my mind that I often long to return to. When I need a shorter read that is intriguing and well-crafted, P.D. James never disappoints. Will have to check out some of the authors that you spend so much of your time with!
Well, I can always get lost in my Wendell Berry collection, and I’m partial to rereading the stoics. But truly, when the world gets too much and I need to recharge, then P. G. Wodehouse is the only man that provides the goods. It is hard to be grumpy with modernity when Bertie gets in a mess that only Jeeves can sort out. And a sit down with a pint in Angler’s Rest, while Mr. Mulliner tells another tale about his endless supply of nephews is just the cure for the old weltschmerz.
Hear, hear on this, Brian. Wonderful recommendations for investing one’s precious reading time. Wendell Berry’s Port William Membership fiction is perfection and should read, reread, and shared widely!
Louis Bromfield, eh?
We need a modern American Woodhouse to help us sort it all out with a smile.
I can't think of any current writer who remotely fills that role.
Dostoevsky and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read Wilder’s books when I’m feeling nostalgic and Dostoevsky’s when I’m up for an invigorating challenge. Farmer Boy and Devils are two of my favorite books.
Nicely contrasted pairing!
C. S. Lewis, Jane Austen, and L. M. Montgomery. I encountered all of them first as a kid/teenager, and I continue to return to them over and over again.
I would divide the authors I've read the most into three categories.
The first are the authors whose minor classic works - well written, well researched, well plotted, but not deeply philosophical - let you relax and unwind in times of stress, enabling you to read through them again and again. In this category I would place:
- the Regency comedies of Georgette Heyer
- the medieval and modern mysteries of Ellis Peters (Edith Parameter)
- the mystery and espionage Campion novels of Margery Allingham.
The second are the authors who intrigue you for a season, so you want to find out all they have to say, but once you have read all you can find, you move on to other authors. These include:
- John Le Carre's George Smiley series and other espionage novels
- Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels
- P.D. James' mysteries.
The third are the works you find timeless, that you read again and again, learning new things from the pages and share with others along the way. For me these include:
- the historical novels of Rosemary Sutcliff
- the works of Charles Dickens (I had read every last one of his novels by the time I was twenty, and have read almost all of them more than once, and lost count of readings of my favourite)
- the works of Austen and Charlotte Bronte, two very different authors with small bibliographies who manage to speak so well to how it feels to be alive. I have reread both their novels many times.
- the short stories, poems, novels, non-fiction, and essays of G.K. Chesterton. Chesterton was for me what many Christian say Lewis is to them. For me, Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man were all the apologetics I ever needed to read.
- John Donne's poetry, devotions, and sermons. Donne is a recent find for me, so I haven't finished reading all his works, but I enjoy his writing all the more for having come to it in maturity.
I read somewhere that Campion started as a satire of Lord Peter Whimsy. In the earlier books, you can see that, but then he grows to be a much more interesting character.
My favourite Allingham is More Work for the Undertaker, but I think Traitor's Purse is the most creative narrative viewpoint.
Mention of Whimsey reminds me that I would place D. L. Sayers' work in the third category.
Tiger in the Smoke is the best, I think! It transcends mystery into something deeper and darker. But really im coming on here to say: what other* mystery writers do you guys like because no one ever talks about Allingham enough and she’s the best.
* other beside Sayers, Christie, Marsh, Lorac, Tey…
Tiger in the Smoke is very atmospheric, but it reminded me, with its unseen psychopath, of T.H. White's Darkness Falls at Pemberley. Patricia Wentworth is another interesting mystery writer, although her quality doesn't quite come to the standard of Allingham et al. I think Wentworth reads like an old British film noir.
I don’t know wentworth! Thank you
I loved Traitor's Purse! It was so much fun to read about Campion slowly regaining his (impressive) faculties. I also really liked The Tiger in the Smoke.
I have read Patrick O’Brian’s 20-volume Aubrey & Maturin series twice, and I have every intention of reading the novels again someday. They are riveting historical fiction set in the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars and focusing on a wonderful friendship. The sailing terminology can be distracting, but one gets used to it, and there are a number of resources available for those interested and willing to learn.
The authors I have read the most are:
Louis L'Amour - I have read 60+ of his books and am not even halfway through everything he wrote. His books are like comfort food for me. Mostly western but some other stuff mixed in.
Robert Jordan - I have read The Wheel of Time series (14 books) four times. Epic fantasy at its best.
W.E.B Griffin - I read everything he ever wrote (50+ books) in my 20s and 30s. Some good historical fiction following the lives of soldiers, sailors, police, etc...
Clive Cussler - I enjoyed his books when I was younger and read at least 50 of them. He isn't on my reading list anymore but he was a good companion for my younger self. All adventure stories with spy elements woven in.
David Baldacci - 40+ books
Michael Connelly - 35+ books (Harry Bosch series and the Lincoln Lawyer series)
Orson Scott Card - I have read the Ender saga so many times I lost count. Something like 20 books in the series now I think. I usually read Ender's Game once per year.
Stephen King - 30+ books mostly in my teens and 20s.
Ben Bova - 30+ books. He is my favorite science fiction author of all time.
John Steinbeck - 25+ books. I spent 2024 reading everything he wrote. East of Eden is one of my all time favorite books.
On the non-fiction side of things my most read authors are David McCullough, Jon Meacham, Walter Isaacson, and Ron Chernow all historians and/or biographers.
We listen to Louis on long car trips. His protagonists are laughably bigger than life, but, as you said, “comfort food” doesn’t need to be challenging. 😊
Have you read L'Armour's autobiography, Education of a Wandering Man. I just read it last week and loved it. Funny thing is I have read none of his novels yet, but they are on my list.
I have read his memoir, Education of a Wandering Man. Is that the one you mean? It is quite good.
So interesting. I would say Barbara Pym, Nancy Mitford, C.S. Lewis, Josephine Tey, John Lewis-Stempel, Agatha Christie (of course), Christopher Lloyd (the gardener and plantsman). They would probably top a 'time spent/read/re-read' list. There's Shakespeare too, he'd probably be up there over time.
Barbara Pym! 😍😍😍
Nonfiction: Katherine Paterson
Fiction: Eleanor Estes
I come back to Wendell Berry’s fiction all the time because his characters feel like old friends.
And I have been reading Luci Shaw’s poetry since I was a young mum and she was an empty nester. She has taught me the importance of generative living and helped me to see and appreciate both beauty and loss.
I re-read Tolkien and Philip K. Dick every year. I've started to re-read Jeff Van der Meer's Southern Reach trilogy regularly (6x so far). Tolkien is the foundational author for my reading journey. He never gets old.
Last year I read all 19 of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. Some of the stories I liked better than others, but I didn't hate any of them. I think she has a fantastic ability to make you feel that you are in the room. One thing I noticed was her use of all five senses... how things tasted ... what the room smelled like ... what certain people smelled like... it was very personal and unexpected for me. I think if I walked into the Bistro at Three Pines I would expect it to smell a certain way and I would feel a certain way. Gamache's scent of sandalwood with a touch of rosewater was explained ultimately by his goodbye hug with his wife Rene Marie ... a vivid detail that told us of his faithful love for his wife and his strong character. Anyway, I never got tired of Gamache and I can't wait for the next one to emerge in October.
Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte -- even though I've only read Jane Eyre, I've probably reread it more than any other novel. Tolstoy is worth multiple rereadings. I love P.J. O'Rourke also -- time to reread Parliament of Whores!-- but he really lost his mojo by his last books.
Penelope Fitzgerald! and Barbara Pym as well, are two loves.
Penelope Fitzgerald is so wonderful and so under appreciated.
Top of the list, without doubt, Ursula K le Guin. What can I say that hasn't been said before? Including by me: https://theshatteredmoon.substack.com/p/only-in-silence-the-word?r=jh5v5
Others I keep coming back to, Iain Banks (with or without the 'M'); Kim Stanley Robinson; Dorothy L Sayers; and among the 19th-century greats, Austen, Eliot and Gaskell.
I feel your up-down / on-off relationship with Lewis. I was put off for years by the force of enthusiasm he evoked from Evangelicals who were dazzled by his apologetics, which never moved the dial much for me. I've come in recent years to discover that while I don't find his writing on faith convincing, I do find it compelling. His estate have put out a few collections that take samples of his essays on, for instance, prayer or reading; these have offered me ways into his books that I'd largely ignored before.
In terms of writers I've spent the most time with in recent years, Michael Lewis became an unexpected long-term companion. I read "The Fifth Risk", which made the bureaucracy of daily, functioning government both vital and fascinating, and subsequently had to read everything else he's written. "The Undoing Project" was my favourite, and "The Premonition" deserves an honourable mention.
I have many favorites, but the ones I have read the most are Dickens and P.D. James. I could alternate between these two quite happily for the rest of my reading life. The richness of Dickens's story has created whole worlds in my mind that I often long to return to. When I need a shorter read that is intriguing and well-crafted, P.D. James never disappoints. Will have to check out some of the authors that you spend so much of your time with!