One of the most common questions I get from readers is what I'm reading. What are my favorite books? Which authors do I return to again and again?

Honestly, I haven't been reading as much lately. Peluva is still early, and the business is taking pretty much all my free "pleasure reading" time away. (Wouldn't have it any other way...) It's only in the last couple weeks that I've had the chance to even consider reading, so I'll go over some of my all time favorites.

Now, I mostly go for fiction since I spend so much time reading non-fiction in the form of the morning paper (which is often a different kind of fiction) and research (which is as well). If you're looking for books that have stood the test of time, I can recommend some.

Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion. Better than the still-good One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest.

Any Ayn Rand.

Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction.

Kerouac's On the Road and Dharma Bums can be fun, but I think you have to be young to really "get" them..

Most of Paul Theroux's work, both fiction and travel writing, is great. My favorite is of course The Mosquito Coast, to the protagonist of which I relate very strongly.

Ken Follett's Century and Kingsbridge series are very good. Long but read very quickly.

James Ellroy's Underworld USA and LA Quartet series.

Don Winslow's Cartel series.

One non-fiction book I've enjoyed is Who We Are and How We Got Here. It's not a dry science book. It's the story of humanity. The book draws on the recent advances in ancient DNA and population genetics to chart the course of humanity through the last couple hundred thousand years as we've diverged, coalesced, and diverged some more. It's a remarkable look at how different we all are, despite being the same species. We're all human, but what "human" encompasses is a broad range of incredible genetic diversity, phenotypes, and characteristics.

What have you been reading? What should I read next? Let me know on Instagram or Facebook, Instagram, or X.