I have individual posts for each category: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Tough Guy, Cookbooks, Non-Fiction or Books on CD if you’re looking for recommendations in a particular genre. Otherwise, the whole kit and kaboodle are in this very long post!

Fantasy

John Levitt
John Levitt – Dog Days (A Dog Days Novel) Urban fantasy/mystery. Mason, the hero, has a dog as a familiar and this caper is just a lot of fun! 

The second one is even better than the first New Tricks (A Dog Days Novel)–I loved them both!  VERY Highly recommended.

Ilona Andrews
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) – I loved this whole series! An enjoyable urban fantasy with some very interesting characters–not just your standard werewolf here! Definitely one of the better urban fantasy series out there.

Jim C. Hines
Goblin Quest is a series with a Goblin who doesn’t want to go on a quest, the true underdog that just might have a bit of hero in him. Very suitable for YA also.

Frank Tuttle
Wistril Compleat

Short stories only hold real appeal for me if they are all set in the same world using the same characters. Wistril comes through nicely by giving me separate stories all about the same wizard and his accomplice apprentice. It reads a bit like a novel with a terrific story at the end that really tops off the characterization and wraps things up very nicely.

Lisa Shearin
Magic Lost, Trouble Found This is her debut novel.

Katherine Kurtz She has more than one series; they are all good. Here’s a good one to start:

Elizabeth H. Boyer – excellent fantasy out-of-print. Hopefully they will be on Kindle someday soon. The Troll’s Grindstone

Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Lackey –Urban Fantasy before anyone called it that–female investigator with paranormal elements; just an excellent series. These are available for Kindle/Nook/Sony/etc via Baen directly. One of her fantasy series that I dearly loved was: Arrows of the Queen ( The Heralds of Valdemar, Book 1)

Ellen Guon
Fabulous urban elves series: Knight of Ghosts & Shadows (Bedlam’s Bard, Bk. 1)

Patricia Briggs
All of her books, but especially When Demons Walk (Sianim), and Steal the Dragon (Sianim, No. 2))

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson) is her more current series and is contemporary urban fantasy–also a superb series.

Holly Lisle
Just about every kind of fantasy from romantic to adventure to touches of urban fantasy. One of my favorites: Minerva Wakes

Charlaine Harris

(mysteries too!– Her Lily Bard series: Shakespeare’s Landlord (Lily Bard Mysteries, Book 1)are probably her most exceptional work.)

The early books Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set in the Sookie Stackhouse (vampire, urban fantasy type are very good.) I did not care for her “Grave” series at all.

Laura Underwood –
The Hounds of Ardagh (Five Star Science Fiction and Fantasy Series) is my favorite. Some of her others haven’t won me over, but this is a very good one!!

Stephen R. Donaldson (The Wounded Land, Lord Foul’s Bane, White Gold Wielder)
J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings; The Hobbit)

Science Fiction

For a long time I didn’t even include this category because I don’t read a lot of science fiction. Mostly I don’t like the intricate details, the overly analytical suppositions about other life forms and just the too-obvious “what ifs.” I have finally found an author or two who write wonderful characters and tell wonderful stories.

Mark Van Name
One Jump Ahead (Jon & Lobo Series) A great little read–space opera mystery meets tough guy. This story includes a space ship with AI and a lot of personality. The characterization is particularly strong–not only for the two main characters, but side characters as well.

A. Lee Martinez
The Automatic Detective Just a wild, wacky tale of a futuristic robot with a heart–a hard-boiled detective on a mission, only he has the power to destroy more than mend. A funny mystery that uses sci/fi as a setting.

John Scalzi – Old Man’s War
A very good space story. There are, of course, discussions of jumping through space, but it is, after all, science fiction.

Mystery

Funny

Janet Evanovich
Hysterically funny (One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, No. 1) is the first in the series)

J.A. Konrath– writes a lot of horror–very avoidable especially “Rusty Nail” which was too…well, it had too many torture scenes for me. However, I read The List and it was funny, fast-paced and fun. (The List on Kindle is much more reasonably priced.)

Police Procedural

Carol O’Connell — (Mallory’s Oracle is the first in her more hard boiled series.)
New York police procedural. Main character was a street orphan and there’s some fascinating pieces of her past that get explored in a number of the novels. Most excellent! Her stand alone, The Judas Child, is a MUST READ.  

Linda Fairstein

New York prosecutor police procedural. Final Jeopardy is the first in the series.

Kay Mitchell — UK setting; police procedural; great characterization; these can be hard to find because they are out of print.

Detective/Sleuth

Jan Burke
I like that her character solves mysteries–along the thriller line–no cozies here! and does so without constantly re-introducing conflict between the main character and her husband. In the books I’ve read the characters seem to have a realistic flow to their relationship without forced conflict.

Kaye C. Hill – Dead Woman’s Shoes.
Just a lot of fun and an excellent read.  It’s got everything–a chihuahua, a woman on the run who must solve a crime to make enough money to eat, a cat, a vet, criminals everywhere…

Karen Cantwell: Take the Monkeys and Run (A Barbara Marr Murder Mystery) – cozy; mystery; romance

I love a good cozy mystery and this caper has laughs, fun, romance and a pace that had me finishing it it one session. Barbara Marr starts off as your ordinary soccer mom with a mid-life crisis. When she gets involved with monkeys and murder, it’s going to take old romances, new romances and all the help she can find to keep herself out of trouble!

Anne George
Murder on a Girls’ Night Out is the first in the series about two sisters–in their sixties! The family fun in these books is what makes the story. You can see yourself, your relatives–the characters reach out and draw you in.

Evelyn Coleman

maybe this will come out in Kindle someday…Jouralistic sleuth, but no amateur stuff; thriller; suspense

Off the Beaten Path

Virginia Lanier
— Bloodhound tracking; Excellent, better than 10 stars!  (Death in Bloodhound Red
is the first in the series.) These have remained all-time favorites over the years; thriller, suspense–mystery; the series has it all.

Elizabeth Cosin
Zen and The Art of Murder: A Zen Moses Mystery
I loved, loved, loved this character. These were out of print for a long time, but are now available in Kindle. Zen and the City of Angels: A Zen Moses Mystery

Elizabeth Peters —

(Also writes the Egyptian historical setting Amelia Peabody series, all excellent.) I LOVE the contemporary setting, Vicky Bliss mysteries. She also writes darker, noir suspense as Barbara Michaels.  (Vicky Bliss first in the series is: Borrower of the Night. Available in Kindle and paperback) The series in order:
Borrower of the Night
Street of the Five Moons
Silhouette in Scarlet
Trojan Gold
Night Train to Memphis
The Laughter of Dead Kings.

I’ve had this series on my TBR for a while (a looong while). Well, I finally got around to reading the first The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (See all Mystery Books) and I LOVED it!!!

This is sort of the American version of Amelia Peabody or the American version of Miss Marple. I’d categorize it as a cozy thriller. Yes, a cozy thriller. Perhaps a new category, but it’s very fast-paced and more dangerous than your average cozy. The international intrigue and tough guys make it a thriller. Most of the violence happens offstage but it does color outside the strict cozy lines.

Historical Mysteries

Elizabeth Peters —
Egyptian historical setting and other works, all excellent. I LOVE her Vicky Bliss series and she finally finished the series in August 2008. Awesome! (Vicky Bliss first in the series is: Borrower of the Night. Available in Kindle and paperback)

Indian and Gypsy Lore

Sandra West Prowell
Montana setting; light Indian lore; Absolutely superb stories. I’m hoping these come out in Kindle. One of the few books I have reread; they are just that good.

Kirk Mitchell
Excellent American Indian lore without being overdone or stuck on a reservation/reservation concepts. Both a male and female protagonist that play important parts and through the series develop individually and as partners.

Meredith Blevins– amateur sleuth; touches of gypsy lore. Out of print.

Romance

I don’t read a lot of romance, so I’m sure there are a lot more good authors out there.

Hollly Lisle
Midnight Rain-excellent romantic suspense with a paranormal element. She avoids the tendency to have characters with long misunderstandings. Focuses more on the plot of solving whatever mystery/paranormal element exists.

J.D. Robb
Fun series! — futuristic romantic mysteries. Also on Kindle: Naked in Death

Amanda Quick (aka Jane Ann Krentz)
–I haven’t read Quick/Krentz in years, so the recommendation actually applies to her early works, but there was always a decent mystery to be solved; fun reads.

Tough Guy Authors

The Heretic (A Templar Chronicles supernatural thriller) by Joe Nassise – Tough guy; fantasy; thriller

Fasten your seat belts, this one moves so fast the pages in a print book probably start on fire as you turn them! I loved this book; the characters are flawed, real, hurting and giving it their all. This one stayed with me for days after; I downloaded and read the second in the series within a week. It’s an adventure of good against evil; no preaching here, just action.

Steve Hamilton
Good series.

Robert Crais
especially:
–a Joe Pike Novel. Enjoyed the stand alone: Two Minute Rule, The. His series is good too: The Monkey’s Raincoat is the first.

Frederick Forsyth

Young Adult

Yes, I still read young adult, and not just Harry Potter! Everything listed, while YA, is very adult-readable. I left out wonderful JF (things like Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, etc) and YA that I read when I was younger–things like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) and countless others simply because I don’t know if I would enjoy them as an adult. I truly enjoyed them when I was younger and wouldn’t hesistate to recommend them, it’s just a different list!

Fantasy

Rachel Caine
Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1) – Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampire Series–YA) A good read–emotional teenage angst with vampires and other worries thrown in. The progtag is a young teenager quite out of her element. I think what I liked best was that while there were vampires and other paranormal elements, the protag is dealing mostly with normal insecurities, trying to fit in and worried about doing well in school. Some of the early college scenes sure brought back memories–and not necessarily good ones!

John Lenahan
I almost forgot to list Shadowmagic ShadowMagic is a fast YA read with good characterization, great action scenes and my favorite element–humor! From the back of the book:

Conor thought he was an average 21st century teenager. OK, so his father only had one hand and was a bit on the eccentric side but, other than that, life was fairly normal. Until, that is, two Celtic warriors on horseback and wearing full armour appear at his front door and try to kill him.

Lion Boy: Zizou Corder
Fun series, especially the first two books.

Andre Norton’s Witch World Series Tales of the Witch World 1

Vivian Vande Velde

-fantasy–I do not read her horror stuff. Or anyone else’s, at least not on purpose. She has several fantasy books that are a lot of fun: Dragon’s Bait and Never Trust a Dead Man

Megan Whalen Turner
“The Thief” is a little slow first half, but it’s well worth reading! Stick with it!

Sci/Fi

Scott Westerfeld

Uglies (Uglies Trilogy, Book 1)
is the first of a series–make sure you have at least the first two because Uglies ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and you’ll be mad if you can’t get started on the next adventure Right Away. The set isn’t a bad way to go for this one: Uglies, The Collector’s Set: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras

Favorite Books on CD

Who’s Your Caddy?
Rick Reilly (Grover Gardner narrator). Warning: Some adult content.

Put a Lid on It: Donald Westlake
(William Dufris–excellent narrator.) This book is AWESOME. One of Westlake’s best; maybe his best!

Christopher Graybill is another excellent narrator–I’d try an audio book just based on this narrator’s talent with voice and pacing. He did a great job with Two Minute Rule, The by Robert Crais.

Non-Fiction

Kirsch’s Guide to the Book Contract: For Authors, Publishers, Editors and Agents by Jonathan Kirsch. This should be required reading for any author. Even if you have an agent, this book will really help you understand how contracts work, how much you can expect to be paid and how “rights” work. A must read, although these days with e-books contracts are changing. It’s still a very good primer.

The Man Who Listens to Horses: Monty Roberts
A really great read. Helpful for any animal-lover; you learn about listening to animals and some hints on how they “speak.”

Adventure Capitalist: Jim Rogers
A really interesting an educational read. Note: See the BMB website for more recommended reading of non-fiction investment books.

Albert Einstein: Arthur Beckhard (out of print)

All Creatures Great and Small: James Herriot
Wonderful book.

Easy Money: Donald Goddard (out of print)

Recollections: Jim Chambers
Fun, quirky.

Cookbooks

Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate An excellent guide to making chocolate–it’s chocolate! Need I say more???

Italian:

Ciao Y’All by Damian Mandola and Johnny Carrabba

Jamaican:

Traveling Jamaica with Knife, Fork and Spoon by Robb Walsh and Jay McCarthy