Best books

Ok, here's a list of the best books I read in 2005 -- some of these may not have been published in the last year, that's just when I got around to reading them. I'm not sure how many books I read each year -- I often crank through two a week, but here's the 8 best I read last year.

1776 by David McCullough
A very important book about the most important year in U.S. history. The author brought the characters to life and really pressed home the fact that the Revolutionary War may be one of the greatest close calls in history -- certainly in U.S. history.

No Second Chance by Harlan Coben
Holy cow. I read it in one day. I don't know how Coben writes such gripping stuff, but he has quickly become one of my all-time favorite fiction writers.

Ernest Hemmingway on Writing
This collecting of quotes and thoughts about writing by a literary great was a gift from a friend. It is wonderfully inspiring and of great interest to budding authors.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Steven King
I loved earlier King but haven't enjoyed his efforts the last 10-15 years so much. However, this 1999 novel about a little girl lost in the woods is a classic "man vs. nature" novel at its very best.

The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez-Reverte
The Spanish author captured the glamor and honor of fencing and laced it with political intrigue and murder in 1868 Madrid. I've not read many foreign authors outside of British and Canadian writers, but fully intend to read more of this particular author.

My Life by Bill Clinton
You either love him or hate him, but without a doubt, Clinton was one of the largest and most charismatic figures of the 1990s. The book provides interesting insight into his life, politics and the challenges he's faced.

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
Gaiman is simply the very best short story writer on the planet today. This book proves it. Enough said.

Midnight Sun by Karl Edward Wagner
The late Wagner was a horror writer who created the epic sword & sorcery character of Kane, steeped in Biblical history (yes, that Cain) and thrown into a fantasy world. This is a collection of all the Kane short stories (there were also several novels). Not a big fan of s&s, but there is something very literary feeling about the stories of Kane, a depth I find lacking in most sword and sorcery.

Finally a side note. In 2005, the world of fiction in general and mystery fiction in particular lost a great. Ed McBain, author of more than 100 novels, writer of the screenplay for The Birds (under his real name Evan Hunter) and creator of the 87th Precinct series of novels, died at age 78. I think he was the first mystery writer I ever read -- discovering him sometime around 1990 when I bought a two book deal at a garage sale while in Boston. I've ready maybe 30 of his 87th Precinct novels and they are all great. This year, there was something sad about seeing his 2005 novel Fiddlers hit the shelves about 3 months after his death and knowing it was the last case the detectives at the 87th Precinct would solve. As McBain, he also created the Matthew Hope series of private eye novels. Under his real name, he penned many others, primarily screenplays, and a number of novels, most notably The Blackboard Jungle, later made into a movie. It is rumored that the series Hill Street Blues is based on the 87th Precinct novels. A collection of short stories, Learning to Kill, is due out in July 2006. He also published 22 other novels under 5 different names. He was prolific, a great writer, a true wordsmith and shall be missed.