My Favorite Books by Other People
Any writer will tell you that the very best books in the world are the ones they get paid for. Yet there are a few other books out there worthy of a mention, and I thought I’d mention a few here. These favorite books of mine are listed in no particular order of preference. They’re all brilliant– just depends on what was on my mind at the moment.
The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie
This is a very exciting techno-thriller with enough mayhem, murder, twists, turns, terrorists, and government conspiracies to do Tom Clancey proud. But it’s told in the first person, and the narrator/hero is… well, it’s basically Hugh Laurie.
If you know Hugh Laurie, you’ve probably already run off to buy this book.
If you don’t, well, he’s mostly known for his portrayal of the dim-witted “George” and the on the BBC series Black Adder, or perhaps as the dim-witted “Percy Wooster” from the “Jeeves & Wooster” series on the BBC. Nowadays, he’s playing an American named as “House” on that “House M.D.” show, which has an altogether different tone…
Laurie’s narrator is certainly far more competent than George or Percy and much friendlier than House. He’s quite capable of being the action hero, but he just doesn’t have the “Type A” personality. He’d much rather being doing something less action-heroic, like having a drink down at the pub or maybe just watching a bit of telly even though there’s nothing good on.
“And for you, sir?”
“Vodka martini,” I said. “Incredibly dry. Powdered, if you’ve got it.”