Shortly after marrying Go, he introduced me to an author by the name of Harlan Coben. I minored in English at BYU and read a great number of novels that were works of genius, beautiful and moving poems, and heart-wrenching short stories. I prided myself on reading and enjoying only the best of books and finding great lesser-known authors myself rather than being spoon-fed whoever was on the best-seller list. Michael Creighton and John Grisham could take a flying leap for all I cared. So when Go initially handed me the worn paper back, with it's dumb cover illustration of I don't know, a tennis ball or something, with its shiny lettering of its author's name larger than the title, I did not take kindly to it. I scoffed at the mere idea of reading a crime novel and probably said something incredibly snobby about its grocery store checkout line genre being beneath me and threw it across the room. Ok, I didn't throw it , but I did make snide remarks. Months later, out of desperation (I had read everything else in the house and couldn't go to the library because they'd make me pay my library fees...and ok, let's be honest, I needed to use the bathroom and it was the closest thing in reaching distance) I decided to read it. To my astonishment, it was really funny, the plot was gripping and the writing was clever. I read another one by Harlan Coben. It was just as witty, just as twisty and just as smart. So I read another. And another. And another. I read all of them. At the time, there were about 6 or 7 "Myron Bolitar" novels. Then he started writing about different characters, longer, more involved novels that only came in hard back. He's great. I love his novels. They're just really, really good. The Woods just came out and I finished it a couple of days ago. Harlan didn't let me down. As always, it was well-written. Not in a Tolstoy, Raymond Carver, F. Scott Fitzgerald kind of way, but in a fast paced, witty, plot-driven, twisting and turn way. A way that you can read it in a couple of days, want to know what is going to happen on the next page and laugh while you're reading it. Thank you, Harlan Coben, thank you for your 14 wonderful works of fiction.
5 comments:
You have totally gotten us hooked on Harlan Coben, and now we've passed that addiction on to several other people. I haven't read them all yet, though, because once I start one, I don't get anything else done for 2 days :) Keep the recommendations coming!
I too am addicted to Harlan Coben - thanks to Diane. :) I have read all of his books and I'm glad to see he has a new one out. My poor family won't be seeing me for a few days now
You said he's got a lot...which one should I start with?
good, i need some entertaining reading for while i'm in labor...
Josie,
Hm. For just any old person, I would say start with some of his latest ones like Tell No One, Gone For Good, No Second Chance or the Innocent. BUT he wrote some before that with the main character named Myron Bolitar who was an ex-basketball star turned sports agent/crime solver. You might enjoy the sports aspect of his earlier ones. You might try Fade Away, it has a lot of basket ball in it. :) Deal Breaker was his first novel, though, but really, any are good and he writes them so you don't have to start with one in particular.
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