Twelve Favorite Books - An Instagram Challenge

A new challenge appears, thanks to Instagram. I’m posting my ten twelve favorite books over there, but clearly, that makes it a list that needs to go here too. (Note, most pictures are Amazon links, because most of my books are still tucked into boxes awaiting the completion of building out the library room.) And so, in no particular order…

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1. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress – Robert Heinlein. This is where the term “TANSTAAFL”, short for “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch” originates. A short, but excellent story, it really ought to be required high-school reading.





 2. On Basilisk Station – David Weber. The first of the Honor Harrington novels, this is damn near a classic in its own right at this point. Best described as “Horatio Hornblower in space”, this series turns into a fantastic universe in its own right, with Weber gleefully pillaging historical inspiration for the background plot.






3. Lady Slings The Booze – Spider Robinson. The book that introduced me to Spider Robinson’s Callahan series, this is a fantastic combination of humor, adventure, and fantasy. Not something I’d hand to a younger reader though.






4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams. British humour at its finest. I was thrilled to hand a copy of this off to my oldest son last month and pass the humor along to another generation.

5. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower – C.S. Forester. I read the Hornblower series before ever being introduced to Honor Harrington. Not only did it make me appreciate Weber’s work more, but the Hornblower series is great historical naval fiction in its own right.








6. Negotiate and Win: Proven Strategies from the NYPD’s Top Hostage Negotiator – Dominick Misino. Everyone can stand to learn to be a better negotiator. My father knew this when he gave each of his sons copies of this book. I learn something new every time I reread it, and the lessons I’ve learned have come in handy in the real world.

7. Great Fighting Planes – Alan Austin and Anthony Dicks. I have a lot of aviation books. This one is special to me, though, principally because it made its way to me via my grandparents’ suitcase after they took a trip to England in 1992.








8. Wind, Sand and Stars – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. One of the great early pilot novelists, this work speaks to the longing in the hearts of every pilot of every generation.






9. Heir to the Empire – Timothy Zahn. A Star Wars book? Here’s the thing, 1992 was not a great time to be a Star Wars fan. At that point, there were no movies to be excited about, no shows on TV, and few enough new books coming out. Then Timothy Zahn came, set a trilogy five years after Return of the Jedi, and introduced the fandom Star Wars most enduring villain: Grand Admiral Thrawn. Cold, calculating, ruthless, and brilliant, Thrawn is a brilliant villain almost as much for what he isn’t as for what he is. He isn’t evil. He’s not a Sith Lord. He’s just the greatest tactical genius the Empire ever created, someone who believes in what the Empire stood for, who wants to restore it. And he damn near succeeds. There’s a reason that Thrawn was one of the first characters from the old Expanded Universe to be re-canonized in the new continuity, via multiple appearances in the Star Wars Rebels TV show.

10. Wing Commander: End Run – Christopher Stasheff and William R. Forstchen. This is a huge sentimental favorite for me. Wing Commander will always have a place in my heart as my favorite video game series, and this novel is hands-down the best of the novelizations to come out of that universe. Set between events in two games, it’s a great space combat novel in its own right, giving characters that players have fought alongside in games greater depth and emotion than could ever be expected by a video-game tie-in novel.


11. Sam & Max Surfin’ the Highway – Steve Purcell. Can a graphic novel count in this list? It has to, even if I have to make it an eleven point list. Along with Douglas Adams, and Spider Robinson, Steve Purcell is most responsible for my sense of humor after discovering the original Surfin’ The Highway collection in my local library at fifteen. I still can’t pass a Stuckey’s without screaming about it in Max’s voice (usually into my motorcycle helmet, fortunately for everyone in my general vicinity.

12.   Goodnight Moon – Margaret Wise Brown. I’ve read a lot of books to my kids over the years. I’ve read Goodnight Moon so many times that I’ve pretty much got it memorized. We’re on our second copy, because the first was loved to death somewhere during Thing #3’s era of being read to. Someday, I hope to be reciting the book to my grandchildren. There’s something deeply soothing about reciting those words at night, then kissing a little one on the forehead and turning out the lights. “Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere.”