These Are A Few of My Favorite Books

For this non-magic Sunday, I thought I’d mention some of my favorite non-magic books.

I wouldn’t necessarily call these “recommendations” because I don’t really trust my judgment in books. I know that I liked these books a lot. But I don’t know if that means anything. When I read books that are supposed to be good—like the classics, I mean—I’m often like, “Huh? This blows.” But who am I to question the wisdom of the ages? I’m probably just too dumb to appreciate them. So I’m not sure what that says about the books I love.

I will give as little plot info as possible because I pretty much hate knowing anything about a book going into it. Hopefully just enough to see if it’s a book that might appeal to you.

A Simple Plan by Scott Smith - Three men find a small crashed plane and a bag full of money inside of it. This is one of my favorite suspense novels of all time. There is just an overwhelming sense of dread throughout the book. There’s something about the straightforward tone of the narration and the way the story unfolds that is particularly unsettling.

His only other book is a horror novel called The Ruins which is also really good.

Blood Crazy by Simon Clark - An apocalyptic horror thriller where everyone in the world over the age of 19 is filled with a murderous desire to kill children. Did Charles Dickens do this already? Maybe. Anyway I found it to be a really enjoyable read.

Candyfreak by Steve Almond - I have an 8-year-old’s appreciation for candy. I never grew out of it. This book is written by a self-proclaimed candyfreak who travels the United States visiting a bunch of regional candy makers. So it’s a few of my favorite things wrapped into one book: candy, road trips, small businesses, Americana.

“Every now and then, I'll run into someone who claims not to like chocolate, and while we live in a country where everyone has the right to eat what they want, I want to say for the record that I don't trust these people, that I think something is wrong with them, and that they're probably - and this must be said - total duds in bed.”

Harpo Speaks by Harpo Marx - I don’t even have any particular affection for the Marx Brothers, but this is probably my favorite autobiography/memoir. I feel his lifestyle is one worthy of emulation. It’s a feel good book.

Replay by Ken Grimwood - One of my favorite sub-genres in movies and novels is stories that take place in time loops—where a character returns to and relives a certain period of time over and over. And this is probably my favorite example of that type of story.

The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce - A dark-fantasy coming-of-age story. I once read a description that said it was part Brothers Grimm and part Stephen King’s, The Body (which became the movie Stand By Me). That sort of gets the tone right. I tend to value story over the quality of the writing, but with this book, both are really wonderful.