On my live, “Monday Morning Jolt” webcast recently I talked about creativity, and some participants asked what novels I’ve particularly enjoyed lately. I’m a big reader, and while I like non-fiction books on leadership, technology, history, and other subjects, I think we lose a lot if we’re not reading fiction as well. Stories are powerful, and the great novels are a powerful way to spark your imagination. So as I promised – and while it’s not exhaustive – here’s a list of some novels I’ve found particularly meaningful over the last few years. This isn’t a “best novels” list – it’s just a short list of novels and authors I’m particularly fond of – for a variety of reasons. Check some of them out – you’ll be glad you did:
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (One of the greatest comic novels of all time).
Anything by Mark Twain
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Wise Blood by Flannery O’Conner
The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Conner
All of Raymond Chandler’s detective fiction
All of Pat Conroy’s novels
There’s plenty of others, from Russian writers like Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy to others like Frederick Buechner or John Gardner. I’m wrestling with “Look Homeward Angel” by Thomas Wolfe right now.
Check out a few of these novels and stories and give them a whirl. You’ll enjoy the test drive…
Give me other suggestions that you’d add to the list…
