Joel Adams' Reading Interests

For recreational reading, I most enjoy mysteries, fantasy, and science fiction. Within these genres, I find that the authors I like excel at character development, and are endlessly creative, by which I mean they avoid becoming formulaic from one book to another.

Some of my favorite authors (in alphabetical order) include:

• Iain M. Banks [author's site]. You never know what to expect when you start one of his SF books.
• Frederick Buechner. Buechner writes both non-fiction and fiction (including some very unusual SF-like stories), and his explorations of the human condition are second to none.
• Lois McMaster Bujold [ author's site]. Her Miles books are a nice blend of SF, mystery, and humor.
• Glen Cook [fan wiki]. Cook's worst books are better than most writers' best books.
• Colin Dexter. His Inspector Morse character is unforgetable.
• Martha Grimes [author's site]. All of her books are intriguing, but her Richard Jury stories really shine.
• Stanislav Lem [author site]. Few writers have explored the interaction of technology and the human psyche the way Lem has.
• C.S. Lewis. Whether fiction or non-fiction, Lewis' books are always thought-provoking.
• Margaret Maron [author's site]. A friend from North Carolina introduced me to this writer, and I greatly enjoy her heroines.
• Fred Saberhagen [author's site]. I haven't read everything by this prolific writer, but what I have read I've liked a lot.
• Sheri Tepper. For sheer creativity and imagination, Sheri Tepper is hard to beat, especially her nine True Game books.
• J.R.R. Tolkien. The intricately detailed worlds Tolkien created allow endless enjoyable hours of exploration.
• Charles Williams. This friend of Lewis and Tolkien wrote some of the strangest (and most interesting) stories I've ever read.
• Connie Willis [author site]. Some of her stories are dark, others are comedies, but they are always well-written.
• Gene Wolfe [fan site]. An amazing writer, Wolfe is the only SF author whose work The Atlantic Monthy described as literature.