These Are a Few of His Favorite Things

It was in Mike Ripley’s September “Getting Away with Murder” column for Shots that I first read about author Lee Child’s plans to “recommend the top forty books (of any sort) which had an influence on him. Lee has been asked by [British bookstore chain] Waterstone’s,” Ripley explained, “to take part in their ‘Writer’s Table’ promotion where notable authors (Sebastian Faulkes, Nick Hornby, and Philip Pullman have already featured) select forty still-in-print titles which have influenced them; the forty titles then being piled on a table ... in every branch of Waterstone’s …”

Well, Child’s list of must-reads was published a few days ago in The Daily Telegraph. Approximately 50 percent of the 40 titles he mentions belong in the crime fiction/mystery/thriller category, including To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (#1); Goldfinger, by Ian Fleming (#10), The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler (#12); Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith (#17); Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear (#22); A Place of Execution, by Val McDermid (#27); and The Golden Rendezvous, by Alistair MacLean (#30).

In addition, Child recommends Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama (“I read this 7 years ago and wanted him for president right then.”); Sophie’s Choice, by William Styron (“If you read only 10 novels in your life, make this one.”); The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham (“The best what-if sci-fi ever.”); On the Beach, by Nevil Shute (“The best of 1950s style--with 1950s concerns.”); and The Given Day, by Dennis Lehane (“A big meaty epic, sprawling and inclusive--like novels use to be.”).

I feel somewhat surprised, but pleased to discover that I’ve read probably half of Child’s choices. To look over the whole list and judge your own tastes against his, click here.