THE DEATH OF THE ARCHBISHOP by Willa Cather
AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser
THE SHORT HAPPY LIFE OF FRANCIS MACOMBER, THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA and FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLL by Ernest Hemingway
GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
KATHERINE by Anya Seton
SOPHIE'S CHOICE by William Styron

NEW FAVORITES

THE HARRY BOSCH SERIES by Michael Connelly - Fast-paced and always interesting. Intricate, multi-layered plotting. Superb characterization. Harry Bosch must be one of the most interesting detective-type characters in modern fiction.

THE STEPHANIE PLUM SERIES by Janet Evanovich - I like these books because the voice is authentic and entertaining and I like the snappy pace.

THE HORSE WHISPERER, THE LOOP and THE SMOKE JUMPER by Nicholas Evans - This author’s voice and writing style capture me. Great characterization, great drama and one of my favorite elements, irony.

DARK PARADISE, THIN DARK LINE, ASHES TO ASHES, DUST TO DUST, DARK HORSE, KILL THE MESSENGER and the latest, PRIOR BAD ACTS by Tami Hoag - There is nothing to dislike about this author. I love her voice, her style, her stories, her clever use of language.

MORTAL FEAR by Greg Iles - Very smart, gripping, suspenseful storytelling. Awesome execution of the writing craft.

LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtrey - One of the great novels of the American West. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.

THE DESERT ROSE by Larry McMurtrey - Who wouldn’t love Larry McMurtrey’s characters?

HORSEMAN PASS BY by Larry McMurtrey – Grim story, but wonderful writing.

THE SECOND COMING OF LUCY HATCH and THE LAST OF THE HONKY TONK ANGELS by Marsha Moyer - Again, an author whose voice and style and excellent characterization capture me.

THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN and THE MOST WANTED by Jacqueline Mitchard - Same old thing--voice and style, characterization and interesting conflict.

SUSPICION and PASSION by Marilyn Pappano - Good writing, good storyteller.

RIDE THE WIND by Lucia St. Clair Robson - Outstanding characterization and great storytelling.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME and A PIECE OF HEAVEN by Barbara Samuel - Voice and style. Poetic prose.

DARKLING I LISTEN and BAD MOON RISING by Katherine Sutcliffe - Voice and style. Great heroes.

THE OUTSIDER by Penelope Williamson - Outstanding characterization, beautiful prose. Great good vs. evil story.

HEART OF THE WEST by Penelope Williamson – I’m adding this book to my top, all-time faves. For me, not many books make that list. As far as I’m concerned, “Heart of the West” is right up there with “Lonesome Dove” as a great story of the American West.

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Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. - Joseph Addison, English essayist, poet, dramatist and statesman

Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own. - Aristotle

If you were a member of Jesse James' band and people asked you what you were, you wouldn't say, "Well, I'm a desperado." You'd say something like, "I work in banks," or "I've done some railroad work." It took me a long time just to say "I'm a writer." It's really embarrassing. - Ray Blount, Jr.

I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library. - Jorge Luis Borges

Life’s disappointments are harder to take when you don’t know any swear words. - Calvin & Hobbes

It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations. - Winston Churchill

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. - Bill Cosby

Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy. - F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)

Courage is grace under pressure. - Ernest Hemingway

You miss 100% of the shots you never take. - Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Star

With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of  control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one  end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are  we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of  Allegiance? - Jay Leno

Old age ain’t no place for sissies. - Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956)

The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers. - William Shakespeare

You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. - Paul Sweeney

From birth to age 18, a girl needs good parents, from 18 to 35 she needs good looks, from 35 to 55 she needs a good personality, and from 55 on she needs cash. - Sophie Tucker (1884?-1966)

From Dr. Seuss:

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

The following amusing quotes are from Groucho Marx:

I did toy with the idea of doing a cookbook. I think a lot of people who hate literature but love fried eggs would buy it if the price was right.

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

All of the following are pearls of wisdom from Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Write what you know.

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.

I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I don't know.

Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense.

It's easier to stay out than get out.

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

Few things are harder to put up with than a good example.

You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.

The following are quotes from Mae West (1892-1980):

I've been in more laps than a napkin.

I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.

He who hesitates is a damned fool.

And last, a gem from Zig Ziglar:

Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.

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