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In this section, I have compiled a list of my favorite books in various categories. All the sections except one are in the area of fiction, since my reading tastes lie primarily in that direction. Many of the sections include both novels and short stories. (There are also a few stories whose length falls in between: I call them novelettes in my list, though the term ‘novella’ is also used often to refer to these short novels.)
When making lists of this kind, there is always a degree of subjectivity involved. In my case, I strongly prefer books which tell a compelling story and keep the plot moving. On the other hand, I am not fond of books which emphasize style over substance and which delve deep into psychological studies of the characters while neglecting the plot. Although the latter kind of books are generally admired by literary critics, they are not my cup of tea. I am reminded of something that one of my favorite authors Alistair MacLean said about literary critics: “One must admire their courage in feeling free to advise, lecture, preach and criticize something which they themselves are quite incapable of doing.”
I have classified the books in this section into various categories which are briefly described below:
Mystery & Crime: My four favorite authors in this field are Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Erle Stanley Gardner and James Hadley Chase, so they each have their own subsections. There is also fifth subsection for other great authors in the same field. Among these other great authors is Edgar Allan Poe, who single-handedly invented the mystery/detective genre with his story The Murders in the Rue Morgue, published in 1841. Poe’s detective Auguste Dupin served as the template for many other fictional detectives who came later (of whom the most famous are Sherlock Homes and Hercule Poirot).
Action, Adventure & Espionage: This section, which has some overlap with the previous section, includes the adventure novels of Alistair MacLean and the James Bond stories of Ian Fleming, plus many other authors. Adventure stories go back thousands of years (The Odyssey being one example), but this genre started to gain widespread popularity in the 19th century because of the contributions of various authors such as Sir Walter Scott, Alexandre Dumas and Robert Louis Stevenson. These types of books continue to be popular and generally dominate the bestseller lists even today.
Popular Fiction: Again, there is overlap of this category with the previous two categories, but I have made separate sections for my favorite bestselling authors Arthur Hailey, Dan Brown, David Baldacci, Frederick Forsyth, Irving Wallace, John Grisham, Ken Follett, Robin Cook and Sidney Sheldon. The list in the ‘Other Authors’ subsection contains books by other popular authors like Jeffrey Archer, Mario Puzo and Michael Crichton.
There is also a section with my favorite 100 thrillers which I have selected from the previous three categories.
Literature & General Fiction: There are several different types of books covered in this section: traditional novels, narrative poems, plays, short-story collections, folklore and fables, and children’s stories. These books fall into the broad category of ‘literature’, which signifies a greater focus on prose quality, human relations and artistic merit rather than on pure entertainment. Of course, the best books combine both artistic and entertainment value, and I have tried to select fiction works which meet both criteria. I have also made a separate subsection for one of my favorite authors W. Somerset Maugham, who was a master at combining elegant writing with great plots and interesting characters. Finally, I have also compiled a list of selected books which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, as well as a selection from the Modern Library list of the best 100 novels of the 20th century.
Science Fiction: The Sci-Fi genre started in the second half of the 19th century with the French writer Jules Verne, a visionary who virtually created the genre from scratch and made it wildly popular. Verne was followed by the British writer H. G. Wells, who carried the baton until a new group of Sci-Fi writers emerged in the 1920s and 1930s. Among these writers, my two favorites are Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, who have their own subsections. Although their writing styles were different, Asimov and Clarke were both masters of the Sci-Fi genre who wrote stories which were educational, inspirational and entertaining. Books by other Sci-Fi writers such as Robert A. Heinlein and Ray Bradbury are included in the ‘Other Authors’ subsection.
Humor & Satire: In the world of humorous fiction, P. G. Wodehouse stands head and shoulders above the rest, because of his unique style which combines great plots, interesting characters and an incredible command of the English language. Wodehouse created an amazing universe of comic characters, including Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, the Blandings Castle ensemble, Psmith and Mr. Mulliner. Thus, Wodehouse has his own dedicated subsection, while there is a separate subsection listing humorous or satirical works by other authors including Mark Twain, Saki, Ring Lardner, Richard Gordon and Douglas Adams.
Children & Young Adult Fiction: In my opinion, the foremost writer of fiction for children and young adults was the incomparable Enid Blyton. She was without question my favorite writer during my childhood, and I think this is also true for many of my peers who grew up on the Indian subcontinent in the post-Independence period. She wrote many different types of books which can be broadly classified into two categories: mystery/adventure novels and fantasy/family stories. Next to Enid Blyton, my other favorite children’s authors are Roald Dahl and J. K. Rowling. Thus, I have created dedicated subsections for these three authors, as well as one called ‘Other Authors’. Then I have a separate subsection for a variety of fairy tales and folklore, including famous fairy-tale writers such as the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, as well as Greek and Roman mythology, Arabian Nights, Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare, and fables from Aesop and the Panchatantra.
Plays: Any discussion of plays has to begin with William Shakespeare, without question the greatest playwright who ever lived. Shakespeare wrote a variety of plays in three different categories: comedy, tragedy and history. Since I am not particularly fond of the history plays, I have listed only his comedies and tragedies in the Shakespeare subsection. In the field of drama, George Bernard Shaw is considered by many to be second only to Shakespeare, based on the quality and depth of his plays, so I have also made a subsection for his plays. Then there are subsections for two playwrights who are much better known for their novels and short stories: W. Somerset Maugham and Agatha Christie. Finally, there is a subsection ‘Other Playwrights’ in which the works of many other famous playwrights such as Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams are listed.
Biographies & Non-Fiction: Although my taste in books leans heavily towards fiction, there are quite a few non-fiction books that line up with my personal interests and background, and I have made many lists of these. First, there are biographies and infobooks covering a variety of subjects which parallel the sections of this website: Hindi and English movies, Hindi film music, book authors and comic books. Next, there are general biographies/autobiographies of notable people, historical narratives, plus guidebooks on education and cultural literacy as well as almanacs and other reference books. Next, there is a subsection on science, technology & math, followed by a subsection on philosophy and psychology, and one on English vocabulary, grammar and style. Finally, there is a ‘miscellaneous’ subsection which includes essays, monographs and textbooks covering a wide variety of subjects such as politics/world affairs, business, finance, the environment, futures studies, Indian history and traditions, and short, inspirational sketches on various subjects.
I spent a lot of time compiling the various lists of books in this section and I hope you will find the lists enjoyable as well as interesting and informative. Happy browsing!