Linda Howard

The author of Prey hunts down three favorites.

 

 

Linda Howard knows how to raise the heart rates of her readers:  novels like After the Night and Heart of Fire delightfully alternate steamy romance and taut thrills. In Prey, two wilderness guides and professional rivals in Montana find themselves thrown together in the wild, resisting their mutual attraction, staving off a maurading bear, and bringing a murderer to justice. When we asked her to recommend three favorites, Howard chose a trio of fictions that -- no surprise -- provide excitements on par with her own.

 

Books by Linda Howard

 


 

Outlander

By Diana Gabaldon

 

"It's a time-travel historical adventure, about a WWII nurse who is plunked down in mid-eighteenth century Scotland, with all its inherent dangers and intrigues. What enriches it for me is that it's so character-driven, with every character, even the most insignificant, so vividly drawn that it's as if I know all of these people."

 

 


 

Flying Finish

By Dick Francis

 

"The surly pilot hero isn't the most likable character ever conceived, but by the (literally!) heart-pounding end of the book you find yourself not just pulling for him but sincerely admiring his traits and personality that won't let him give up. Dick Francis was a master of the English language, with a knack for turning a phrase from ordinary into extraordinary."

 


 

Point of Impact

By Stephen Hunter

 

"One of the greatest suspense books ever written. Former Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger is framed for the assassination of a world leader, and how he evades capture, gets the bad guys, and proves his innocence is a tour-de-force of plotting. Also, for a little something extra, I strongly recommend The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood. It analyzes different deadly situations (real ones) and the characteristics of the people who survived, not by accident, but by their own actions and mental preparations. Engrossing."

May 21: Alexander Pope was born in London on this day in 1688. Barred from politics and university, deformed by tuberculosis, Pope seemed destined to be an outsider; this created the distance necessary for firing the satiric darts…

"Rock and roll," says Robert Christgau,  "has produced a surprising bounty of old men with something to say. Leonard Cohen fits this paradigm, with two significant differences.…

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Books CDs, DVDs to know about now
Old Ideas

With dates announced for his upcoming Old Ideas concert tour, we celebrate the inimitable Leonard Cohen: bard, survivor, legend. His most recent album is a return to form for the balladeer, exploring signature themes of lust and longing, spirituality and struggle, all overlaid with a droll sense of humor as familiar as Cohen's prophetic voice.

Wish You Were Here

When Jack Luxton hears that his estranged brother has been killed in combat, long-buried memories begin to well up like groundwater, and difficult choices Jack thought he reconciled himself to years ago turn out to be close at hand. Man Booker Prize-winner Graham Swift's novel plumbs timeless themes of regret, renewal, and the bonds of love.

The Sovereignties of Invention

The opening story in Matthew Battles's electric collection, "The Dogs in the Trees", documents the inexplicable appearance of arboreal canines. Further gorgeous fantastika follows, producing a volume sure to draw comparisons to Borges and George Saunders.