My 1-book-a-day days are behind me but I still do manage to get some reading done. Who are my favorite authors?

• Salman Rushdie - He's pure genius. His command of the language never ceases to amaze me. Midnight's Children is my all-time favorite.
• Raymond Chandler - His L.A. noir is sheer poetry.
• J. R. R. Tolkien - "The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and those who are going to read them"
• Alistair Maclean- Although it's been quite a few years since I outgrew him, he's still one of my favorite writers, thanks to his unique style.

Other 20th Century people I like:

1. Agatha Christie - The queen herself. She's got far too many books that I like to list them all. And then there were none, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Curtain and Witness for the prosecution are 4 of my favorites. As is the play The Mousetrap.
2. G.K. Chesterton - His Father Brown stories, as well as The Man Who Knew Too much and The Man Who was Thursday, make for great reading. Especially if you like a philosophical flavor to your books.
3. Ray Bradbury - Some thought-provoking science fiction and fantasy.
4. Frank Herbert - The Dune series is a must-read.
5. James Ellroy - His Dudley Smith trio is amazing. Vivid characterization and great atmosphere.
6. George Orwell and Aldous Huxley - Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World. Need I say more ?
7. G. B. Shaw - Who wants Shakespeare ? Gimme Shaw any day.
8. F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby is great.
9. Graham Greene - Monsignor Quixote is a favorite of mine.
10. Michael Crichton - what I like about him is his versatility. Favorites include Rising Sun, The Lost World, Disclosure and The Great Train Robbery.
11. Dashiell Hammett, Rex Stout, Ellery Queen, John MacDonald and the rest of the private-eye novelists.
12. Len Deighton, John le Carre and the other spy novelists.
13. Douglas Adams - can get a little repetitive after a while but still worth a read.
14. P.G. Wodehouse - ditto. I love his literary allusions...when I get them.

I'm sure I've missed out on quite a few names. I'll add 'em to the list when I remember to.

And, of course, I've missed one really important name.  A certain Leonardo Ricci. For more info on him, click here.

I appreciate the occasional poem too, with a preference for balladic rhyming verse. Byron and Macaulay qualify as two of my favorite poets. T.S. Eliot's Cats are pretty fun as well.