Please note that I have not added to this page in more than ten years. Each read, however, I found a delight, and it still stands as a good public-library escapist-fiction list. Many of these authors continued to write excellent fiction after the time of this list with the single exception of Michael Crichton whose last few books--not on this list--I found almost insufferable.

My wife and I read around 200 books a year, spanning a wide variety of subjects. A lot of what I read are page-turners—best-selling mystery and adventure books that, once started, are difficult to put down. Of course, all books that claim to be page-turners don't prove out. The books on this list, however, did, at least for me. Check out the list and see of our tastes in the books you've already read coincide. If so, you just may find some new favorite authors.

The links connect to amazon.com. If you have already set your preferences there, you can click on any link, select "Buy 1 Now with 1-Click" and your books will arrive in a few days with no further action on your part. If you haven't used amazon.com before, check it out. Once you've put in your name, address, and credit card info once, it is really easy to buy books from then on. It's also the nicest way to support AskTog—you get your books at the full 20% off, and we get a few pennies toward our ISP costs.