My Favorite Books
A friend recently asked what my favorite book was, and off the top of my head, I could probably list over 100. So, I thought it would be a fun exercise to pare that down.
I must start with the brilliant authors: Douglas Adams, Tom Clancy, Ken Follett, Alex Berenson, and Jack London. All their books were fantastic, and my writing style came from reading their works. Other works that stand out in the order that I remembered them are:
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The Coalwood series by Homer Hickam
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
A Bell for Adano by John Hersey
Mars and Venus series by John Gray
Digital Apollo by David Mindell
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Sh_t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
All the Trouble in the World by P.J. O’Rourke*
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
Face the Music by Paul Stanley
Newton and the Counterfeiter by Thomas Levenson
A Writer at War by Vasily Grossman
The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
Mao’s Great Famine by Frank Dikotter
Escape From Camp 14 by Blaine Harden
700 Sundays by Billy Crystal
Probably not the list you were expecting. Mars and Venus? That book series changed my life, and I think it should be required reading for every human.
On the flip side, there is A Writer at War, Mao’s Great Famine, and Escape From Camp 14. These brutal accounts of the human condition taught me who we are and where we came from. I think about one paragraph in A Writer at War often, but I will not describe it because this is supposed to be a friendly article. The reason I am mentioning it is that it serves as a benchmark for the lowest level that humanity can descend to. Meaning, this description defines the negative end of my perspective, and it is important to know our limits.
Should you read all these titles? Allow me to reveal something I have learned about selecting the best book/movie for my next download. If someone shares a list of titles they like, I compare it to my favorites. If there is some overlap, I take a closer look; if not, I pass on the recommendations.
What does this list say about me? I like stories that make me think, but there are some missing categories: romance, western, drama, political, religious/spiritual, and fantasy. While I do enjoy those types, no book made my top list. That likely speaks to my reading preferences.
It is good to think about our lives from a high-level perspective, and developing a list of favorites helps. Sharing and comparing lists is also beneficial, but if my list is not to your liking, that is fine. We all have differences, and life would be boring without them.
*P.S, I included All the Trouble in the World, because it is a fantastic read, but there is a major problem. The book was written in 1994 and had many references to the politics/technology/current events at that time. I re-read it recently, and while the main concepts are 100% spot on, the dated references make it a tough read. P.J. really needs to write a second edition.
You’re the best -Bill
October 13, 2021 Updated March 08, 2026
I must start with the brilliant authors: Douglas Adams, Tom Clancy, Ken Follett, Alex Berenson, and Jack London. All their books were fantastic, and my writing style came from reading their works. Other works that stand out in the order that I remembered them are:
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The Coalwood series by Homer Hickam
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
A Bell for Adano by John Hersey
Mars and Venus series by John Gray
Digital Apollo by David Mindell
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Sh_t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
All the Trouble in the World by P.J. O’Rourke*
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
Face the Music by Paul Stanley
Newton and the Counterfeiter by Thomas Levenson
A Writer at War by Vasily Grossman
The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
Mao’s Great Famine by Frank Dikotter
Escape From Camp 14 by Blaine Harden
700 Sundays by Billy Crystal
Probably not the list you were expecting. Mars and Venus? That book series changed my life, and I think it should be required reading for every human.
On the flip side, there is A Writer at War, Mao’s Great Famine, and Escape From Camp 14. These brutal accounts of the human condition taught me who we are and where we came from. I think about one paragraph in A Writer at War often, but I will not describe it because this is supposed to be a friendly article. The reason I am mentioning it is that it serves as a benchmark for the lowest level that humanity can descend to. Meaning, this description defines the negative end of my perspective, and it is important to know our limits.
Should you read all these titles? Allow me to reveal something I have learned about selecting the best book/movie for my next download. If someone shares a list of titles they like, I compare it to my favorites. If there is some overlap, I take a closer look; if not, I pass on the recommendations.
What does this list say about me? I like stories that make me think, but there are some missing categories: romance, western, drama, political, religious/spiritual, and fantasy. While I do enjoy those types, no book made my top list. That likely speaks to my reading preferences.
It is good to think about our lives from a high-level perspective, and developing a list of favorites helps. Sharing and comparing lists is also beneficial, but if my list is not to your liking, that is fine. We all have differences, and life would be boring without them.
*P.S, I included All the Trouble in the World, because it is a fantastic read, but there is a major problem. The book was written in 1994 and had many references to the politics/technology/current events at that time. I re-read it recently, and while the main concepts are 100% spot on, the dated references make it a tough read. P.J. really needs to write a second edition.
You’re the best -Bill
October 13, 2021 Updated March 08, 2026
