My Top 5 “Must-Read” Novels of all time
Every writer should have a list like this one…
Nothing is better for an avid reader than sitting down in your favorite chair one evening, with your favorite book and a hot mug of cocoa or cider, for an evening of quiet entertainment.
Throw in a fire glowing in the fireplace, and a big window where you can watch the snow falling outside, and life doesn’t get much better for us who enjoy being alone with a good book.
This brings me to my all-time Top 5 greatest novels. I read across a lot of genres, and so I have included a diverse selection of fine reading.
To qualify for the list, I limited myself to only books that I have read several times.
If you can re-read a book that you have read previously, one where you know the entire plot and cast of characters by heart, then to me that just shows a superb piece of writing which is what you are looking for right?
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
#5) FINAL FLIGHT by Stephen Coonts
Genre: Military Thriller
First Published: August 1st, 1988
Captain Jake Grafton USN, F-14 Tomcat Pilot deals with a terrorist attack during a port of call in Naples, Italy
One of the best-written stories of what life and deployment aboard a U.S. Naval Aircraft Carrier is like. It wasn’t until I was assigned to the USS Kitty Hawk years later that I knew I had to compare it against my experience, and I realized that this novel could not have been written unless the author had served on a “flat-top” as we were referred to often.
If you like Military thrillers, this is a series that should be checked out, and as for this author, Final Flight was the best of the series, although they are all superbly written.
This novel was published in 1988 and at the time I was a young airman in the U.S. Navy, assigned to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida I remember finishing this novel in one weekend. Little did I know about life in the Navy then, and hadn’t been aboard a ship at all, but I devoured it and immediately sought out his other novels.
Although this was considered his second novel featuring his main character Jake Grafton, if you would like to read this entire series you would need to read Flight of the Intruder first, then The Intruders second, and then Final Flight.
#4) DARK TITAN by Thomas Watson
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Thriller
First Published August 2015
The long overdue Coronal Mass Ejection has finally hit the Earth, virtually destroying civilization. Nathan Owens has been prepping for a disaster like this for years, but now he’s a thousand miles away from his family and his refuge. He’ll have to employ all his hard-won survivalist skills to save his current community before he begins his long journey through doomsday to get back home traveling from Georgia to Idaho and killing many bad people along the way.
This series was so well written that every person I’ve referred it to has already re-read this novel at least once. Whether it’s the characters or the plot, something grabs ahold of you and turns it into a non-stop page-turner.
To describe it any further would somehow spoil it, in my opinion, so I will leave it at that, but you should check out all four books in this exciting series.
If you are a fan of post-apocalyptic and end-of-times thrillers, then this book will not disappoint.
#3) ALONG CAME A SPIDER by James Patterson
Genre: Mystery Thriller/Detective
First Published February 1st, 1993
What have we got? A missing little girl named Maggie Rose . . . a family of three brutally murdered in the projects of Washington, D.C. . . . the thrill-killing of a beautiful elementary school teacher . . . a psychopathic serial kidnapper/murderer who is so terrifying that the FBI, the Secret Service, and the police cannot outsmart him - even after he’s been captured.
This is the one that started it all, and this series starring America’s favorite detective, Alex Cross, has made James Patterson a household name and a multi-multi millionaire to boot. As of today, 30 years post published, 9,970 people are reading it right now, and 160k want to read it. After 3 decades, that sounds like some good stats to have.
Cool beans….
#2) A TIME TO KILL by John Grisham
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Legal Thriller
Before The Firm and The Pelican Brief made him a superstar, John Grisham wrote this riveting story of retribution and justice. In this searing courtroom drama, he probes the savage depths of racial violence, as he delivers a compelling tale of uncertain justice in a small southern town, Clanton, Mississippi.
The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. That is until her black father acquires a rifle and takes matters into his own hands.
This was Grisham’s first book, although it did not garner enough interest and earned itself a second printing until after the success of The Firm and The Pelican Brief, both of which were made into movies.
Along with lots and lots more 😁
To me personally, this is one of the best-written stories of all time. The characters here were superbly created. And my favorite by far was Lucien Walls. You judge for yourself!
#1) LAST OF THE BREED Louis L’ Amour
Genre: Survival Thriller, Military Suspense
First Published: January 1st, 1986
Unlike the Westerns that made Louis L’ Amour a household staple amongst readers around the world, this epic tale of survival has been published for nearly 40 years.
It is the compelling story of U.S. Air Force Major Joe Mack, a man born 100 years late, and when his experimental aircraft is forced down in Russia and he escapes a Soviet prison camp, he must call upon the ancient skills of his Indian forebears to survive the vast Siberian wilderness.
Only one route lies open to Mack: the path of his ancestors, overland to the Bering Strait, and across the sea to America. But in pursuit is a legendary tracker, the Yakut native Alekhin, who knows every square foot of the icy frontier—and who knows that to trap his quarry, he must think like a Sioux.
Using the skills his Sioux grandfather taught him, Air Force pilot Joseph “Joe” Mack outruns and evades his pursuers across the tundra and Siberian Forests of Russia as hundreds of troops follow on his heels, suffering numerous casualties from booby traps, snares, and dead falls that Joe has conjured up from his days learning the ways of his native ancestors. It is the ultimate cat-and-mouse story and one that I have read 4–5 times over the last 38 years.
So there you have it! I hope this article will help young and old readers alike find a book or two to read that due to the number of years since publishing may have never heard of.
If you enjoyed this article, please clap accordingly and respond with your critiques, tips, and suggestions as this is what helps us become better at our craft, receiving constructive criticism and learning from it.
Enjoy,
Scott