It’s almost August! That month that holds such promise yet foreshadows the end of Summer. We are finalizing travel plans for later this year and next, and trying to cram everything into the last traditional month of summer, though for us September is really still summer.
We head for Cape Cod next week, via Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, and I’m trying to decide on which books to load for reading on the trip. Don Boivin (highly recommended Substack author) posted this note on Substack that got me going:
The premise is that if you’ve read more than 5 books of the author he must be great. So I wanted to make a list of the authors of whom I’ve read five or more books. There aren’t a lot! But they are great! My first choice is the same as Don’s.
José Saramago is not as well known as he should be. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for his book Blindness. I have tried to read all of his books. The ones that first come to mind are:
Balthasar and Blimunda
The Stone Raft
Death with Interuptions
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Ries.
All the Names
Blindness
The Cave
This would be the order I would probably read them. Balthasar and Blimunda takes place during the Inquisition. In The Stone Raft, the Iberian Peninsula drifts away from Europe. In Death with Interruptions, no one dies! The Year of the Death of Ricardo Ries involves Fernando Passoa and one of his characters. There is a brilliant off the beaten path overlook in Lisbon that for me captures the magical spirit of Passoa and Saramago. If you are in or heading to Lisbon drop me a note for directions.
Author number 2 on my list of five or more book authors: Paul Theroux.
If you like to travel and haven’t read any of Paul’s work then by all means get started reading “The Great Railway Bazaar.” The non-fiction travel adventure documents a round trip train ride to the Pacific, beginning and ending in London. Published in 1975, he wrote a sequel in 2006, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star.
Patagonia Express, Riding the Iron Rooster, and Dark Star Safari round out my list of his best books, although I did like his fiction work Mosquito Coast, and I admit I have not read all of his latest work. Last Train to Zona Verde is excellent as well. Time to get back to Mr. Theroux for sure.
Author number 3: Patrick O’Brian. I can honestly say I have read each of the 21 novels of his Aubrey-Maturin Series at least three times. My wife calls it my sailing porn. If you like adventure start with the classic, Master and Commander. It is historical fiction combined with adventure and detailed character development.
Of course everyone has read Author Number 4, John Steinbeck. He and Ernest Hemingway were my first favorite authors. I love Steinbeck’s sparse writing. He is so efficient in his use of words. I just found his book, Bombs Away, a nonfiction account of the stories of six men of a bomber crew. I am hoping it will give me more insight into the B24 bombing group I covered in my 4th of July post, Let Freedom Ring.
Author Number 5 for me is John Grisham. The time I spend reading a new Grisham book is measured in days! I swear that he was sitting in the courtroom taking notes for one of his novels that describes almost perfectly the Chicago jury trial I had that lead to my heart attack in 2011. I’m not saying which book it was!
I’m stopping with these. Five great authors of whom I have read at least 5 books.
Heading to the boat this afternoon to get ready for the last race of the Wednesday Summer Series. Stand by for a report tomorrow, good or bad. SailFlow and the National Weather Service Marine Forecast are predicting northwest wind 10-15, waves 2 feet or less, and a chance of a thunderstorm.
Hope you have a great day!
Charles Dickens, Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegut, Chris Holm (my Hamilton classmate!), Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew 4ever) and Judy Blume off the top of my head.
I have read all of John Grisham's books, and some more than once. One of my favorites!