aesmael

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

Nevermind that previous stuff, I've taken it into my head to try a couple more reading projects (current one is 'read books I've bought but haven't read, interspersed with other unread-by-me books in the house and rereads', if we want to dignify that as a project. 'tis really more an artefact of compulsive systematising that enables me to be less paralysed by indecision.).

Since starting work at the library I've been tempted to do something foolish like 'make a goal of reading all the books on the Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) list'. I feel I can justify that as a sort of professional development activity, familiarise myself somewhat with what's what in children's and youth literature these days. The trouble has been where I would fit this reading in, since it is a huge list - I would take the current year's list and go through that, however many actual years it takes - and I don't want to cut time out from reading other things. It felt a bit more doable when the other idea crept into my head, however.

The other idea is, since I've been having a craving for crime / mystery / spy / thriller fiction of recent, why not take a reading tour of the genre? I've been trying to compile a list of notable authors and would greatly appreciate any recommendations - or just single book recommendations, if someone wrote only a small number worth reading. I tried putting out a call on Twitter previously but didn't get any response. Hopefully people here will know some good ones? Otherwise I'll just have to get by on personal experience and names with big advertising budgets.

When I think about it, I would tend to say science fiction, fantasy, and mystery are the three main genres I read. But I've read hardly any mystery in a long time because the first two get much higher priority from me, especially for purchasing, and I've ironically not used a library for enjoyment in many years.

At the moment my reading pattern is alternating something in my to-read pile with something else from around the house, and I am thinking to make that into a rotation, with a book from the mystery reading tour and one or a small number from the Premier's Reading Challenge added to that. I probably won't do ratings for many of the PRC books, because many especially early on are picture books or 10-minute reads and the prospect is exhausting. Might do a few words about what I thought of them?

Anyway, the point amidst all that rambling, so far as audience participation goes, is a request for author or book recommendations. I've got a couple of other reading projects in mind that I might ask recommendations for later, too, but I'd rather give these a try first. See how it goes.

Edit: Thought I should include the list so far. Those with an asterisk are authors I've read something by already.

Raymond Chandler

Agatha Christie*

P. D. James

Ruth Rendell

Dorothy L. Sayers

Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe)

Dashiell Hammett

Bill Pronzini (Nameless)*

Patricia Cornwell

Sue Grafton

Michael Connelly*