Notable’s Notes: Favorite Books of Notable People

Nelson DeMille

“For some reason I could never get into the writing of F. Scott Fitzgerald, except for The Great Gatsby, which I consider a work of genius. This April was the 90th anniversary of the publication of Gatsby, and the publisher, Scribner, marked the anniversary with a special edition and a series of essays, including one by me, that can be read here.

“If you’ve actually never read The Great Gatsby do yourself a favor and forget the movie versions you may have seen, and read the book. If you’ve already read it, read it again.  It’s incredibly modern for a 90-year-old book, and the story of sex, obsession, betrayal and corruption is timeless.”

— Nelson DeMille, bestselling author of: By the Rivers of Babylon, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General’s Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion’s Game, Up Country, Night Fall, Wild Fire, The Gate House, The Lion, The Panther, The Quest, and Radiant Angel. He also co-authored Mayday with Thomas Block and has contributed short stories, book reviews and articles to magazines and newspapers. For more on Nelson DeMille and his novels just click on: www.nelsondemille.net

Dr. Catherine Gordon

“For three years, I drove from a Boston suburb, where I lived at that time, to a seaside pediatric hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.  The drive took one hour on a clear sunny day, but became a 3-4 hour journey if a winter blizzard was upon us.  As I pondered how to make best use of my travel time, I discovered audiotapes. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd became one of my very favorites.

“The story’s main character is Lily Owen, an endearing 14 year-old girl who, haunted by memories of her late mother and the abuse of her father, runs away from home.  She and her African American caregiver, Rosaleen, take off for a small town in South Carolina.  The setting and characters immediately struck a chord with me as I grew up in the South, am a pediatrician whose practice focuses on the care of teenagers, was born the year the Civil Rights Act was passed, and grew up thereafter an observer of the often turbulent transition to an integrated South. Recent happenings in Ferguson, Charleston, and even my new home city of Cincinnati remind me that racial tensions remain high and that we have not yet fully transitioned, now 51 years later. If you want to read a well-told story that tugs at heartstrings and taps into the moral conscience, this book will be a match.  Watching the relationship unfold between teen aged Lily and her nanny and housekeeper, Rosaleen, is heartwarming as this unlikely pair become “family” even though not biologically related. I will not tell you how the story ends, but must disclose that I was late for work a few mornings, hesitant to get out of the car once at my destination (i.e., the hospital), waiting for a moving chapter to end.

“Eleanor Roosevelt, a historical figure whom I greatly admire, once said about children, “Unless indoctrinated, a child is too logical to understand discrimination.” Lily Owens embodies this quote as she was receptive to kindness irrespective of race (or age or any other discriminating factor). The Secret Life of Bees came along many years after her time, but I am certain that Roosevelt would have shared my fondness for this thought-provoking novel. I am certain it would have been, like mine, one of her “Top 10” favorite books.”

— Catherine M. Gordon, MD, MS, is Director, Division of Adolescent and Transition Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Norman Steinberg

“Years before the Coen brothers ever thought of sending victims through a wood chipper in Fargo, Carl Hiaasen had already employed a chipper to slice and dice an unfortunate woman—Victoria Barletta—killed during a botched nose job in his 1989 novel, Skin Tight.

Pound for pound, in his or any other weight class, Carl Hiaasen is, in my humble opinion, the most inventive and, by a far margin, the funniest and quirkiest novelist working the crime genre. There’s no arguing about his best-sellerdom, yet, Hiaasen has constantly been consigned to second or third fiddle to the likes of Elmore Leonard and Donald Westlake.  I cry “Foul.”  Is it because his books have not been made into hit movies?

Perhaps. Hiaasen is the bravest, most inventive and the most fall-down-funny writer toiling in this genre. Call him a satirist, a black humorist, an ironist, but just start working your way through his addictive fourteen books.

I give you the example of my favorite “Hiaasen,” his third published novel, Skin Tight.  Like all of his books, Skin Tight is set in South Florida.  This one features Mick Stranahan, retired investigator for the Florida State Attorney’s office where he had worked on the unsolved Victoria Barletta case.

That’s where it all starts. The aforementioned nose job was performed by Dr. Rudy Graveline, plastic surgeon.  The problem is “Dr.” Graveline is not really a doctor and never even played one on TV.  He is sort of a plastic surgeon hobbyist, but that doesn’t stop him from performing delicate cosmetic procedures that sometimes kill people.  And now, Graveline is trying to kill Stranahan.  Along the way, he will hire two hit men, one of whom is a seven-footer named “Chemo” with a grotesquely pock-marked face (courtesy of Dr Graveline) and a weed-whacker for a prosthetic hand.  Don’t ask. The body count is prodigious and inventive.

When’s the last time you read about someone being dispatched by a stuffed Marlin?  Or, during a liposuction procedure? Hiaasen’s characters are always masterfully drawn.  There’s a whole host of whacked out oddballs throughout.  My favorite is the sleazeball reality show host named Reynaldo Flemm, after which no parody of Geraldo Rivera will ever be necessary.  Even though he’s not in Skin Tight, there’s a recurring Hiaasen character, a former Governor of Florida, now living in the Everglades and existing on road kill. That will give you an idea of what’s in store for you with Carl Hiaasen.  A full tasting menu.”

— Norman Steinberg heads the TV Writers Studio at Long Island University (Brooklyn campus), a one-of-a-kind program that gives students a real-world TV writing experience.  Steinberg is an Emmy Award winner, a veteran screenwriter whose credits include Blazing Saddles, My Favorite Year, Johnny Dangerously, Mr. Mom and many others. For more about the LIU TV Writers Studio go to: http://www.liu.edu/brooklyn/mfatv

Mary Alice Monroe

“My go-to novel for pure pleasure, a book read so often the pages are dog-eared, is The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. A number-one bestseller when it was released in 1987, the novel focuses on Penelope Stern Keeling, an elderly British woman who returns home from the hospital after a heart attack. She relives her life through flashbacks from her point of view and those of her three children. What I love most is that Penelope Keeling’s life is not extraordinary, but it spans “a time of huge importance and change in the world”–World War II and the post-war years. Yet the novel is not about great battles or heroics, but how everyday people deal with everyday hardships and joys.

Pilcher excels in the universal, describing the details of life that we all relate to–and she does it in such a charming manner. She spins a web with dialogue so fresh and natural that we are unaware we are learning important facts that move the story forward. Dialogue is supposed to do this in novels, but few writers succeed as well as Pilcher.

Finally, Rosamunde Pilcher has that elusive quality we call “voice” in writing. Someone could read a paragraph of her book aloud and we could recognize it as Pilcher. This quality can neither be taught nor imitated.

Writers come and go with new generations. Young readers today might not know Rosamunde Pilcher. But her books remain as timeless as the classics. I treasure all her books, but The Shell Seekers is her masterpiece. Do yourself a favor: pick up a copy and savor every word.”

— Mary Alice Monroe is the New York Times bestselling author of  The Lowcountry Summer Trilogy: The Summer Girls (Book 1), The Summer Wind (Book 2) and The Summer’s End (Book 3, May 2015). Check out all of Monroe’s books here.

Randy Woodson

“My number one suggestion is Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America’s Most Perilous Year. First, I am a fan of Abe Lincoln and a fan of American history. This book describes the year 1862 and speaks to the perilous nature of our nation at this critical time in our history. What is amazing to me is that during this most difficult year, Mr. Lincoln was able to get some key legislative items approved. Two of which, I believe set this nation on the path to be the greatest of all time.

The first was the Land Grant act that established the opportunity for states to create a university focused on agriculture and the mechanical arts, two key technical needs for America that enabled the industrial and agricultural revolution we benefit from today. The second major item was the Transcontinental Railroad, which allowed this country to connect–from coast to coast–and thus enabled commerce. The third was the act that created the National Academy of Sciences, bringing together the most talented scientists in the country to insure that our federal government always had science advisors independent of political influence. Amazing stuff given the intensity of the Civil War.”

— Dr. Randy Woodson, Chancellor, North Carolina State University

General Henry Hugh Shelton

“There are two books that immediately come to mind when I think of books that have had the greatest impact on me, other than the Bible.

Once an Eagle, a novel by Anton Myrer, traces the career of two Army officers. One, Sam Damon, is an officer of great character, who is steeped in ethics and integrity, and is committed to selfless service to our nation. The other is Courtney Massengale, an officer intent on reaching the highest ranks and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his personal goals.  It is the story of the different ways in which they rise to power and how they elect to wield that power. After reading Once an Eagle, Army officers frequently characterized their contemporaries as a “Damon,” which was considered a great compliment, or as a “Courtney Massengale,” the ultimate insult.

Dereliction of Duty, by H.R. McMaster, chronicles decision-making at the highest levels of the U.S. government during the Vietnam War. It shows the deceit, deception and lying involving the President, Secretaries of State and Defense and The Joint Chiefs of Staff. This book sensitized me and the other members of The Joint Chiefs to be on the lookout for individuals who might be motivated by their own agenda. Ironically, almost 40 years later, I learned that similar behavior and agendas were still alive in D.C.”

— General Henry Hugh Shelton, USA (R) 14th Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Founder and Executive Director of the  Shelton Leadership Center, NC State University

Diane Chamberlain

“This is embarrassing for a writer to admit, but I’m not a book saver. There is only so much space for books in my house, so I give many away. However, there are several books I devoured, loved and studied when I first began writing fiction, and I hold onto them like old friends. Here are two of my favorites.

White Horses, the fourth novel by Alice Hoffman, was published in 1982. I stumbled across it in a bin at my grocery store. I’d never heard of Hoffman (few people had back then) but I fell in love with her style of writing and her unusual story of a young woman influenced by a folk tale of brave men on white horses. After reading this book, I sought out Hoffman’s earlier novels and wished there had been more of them. When I reread my first novel, written while in my “Hoffman phase,” I can see her influence in certain paragraphs and turns of phrase. I will keep White Horses until they cart me away!

Another book that influenced my writing is The Female of the Species by Lionel Shriver, published in 1987. I learned a great deal about point of view as I read–and reread and reread–this novel. It’s the story of a 59-year-old female anthropologist who falls in love for the first time. What made her story so fascinating to me is that most of it is told in third person through the eyes of her younger assistant, Errol. I studied how Shriver accomplished the telling of one person’s intimate story through the eyes of another. She does a brilliant job of it, and as with White Horses, The Female of the Species is a book that I will keep always.”

— Diane Chamberlain is the bestselling author of more than 30 novels including her latest works The Silent Sister and Necessary Lies.

Elliot Engel

“The odd and misleading title (sorry, potheads) of Stoner by John Williams (1965) refers to the last name of the hero, William Stoner, a turn-of-the-twentieth century English professor in Missouri. Though Stoner’s life is one of nearly unrelieved misery, Williams’ writing is so lyrical and Stoner’s stoicism is so inspiring that you want to adopt this remarkable hero as your mentor and best friend. Not for the happy-go-lucky, this book will make your own life trials seem trivial in comparison. And who of us doesn’t want to escape from our own problems by wallowing in those of a searingly real fictional character who, unfortunately, has been placed in the absolutely best novel you’ve never heard of. And, no, all you persnickety people, I don’t mind ending a sentence with a preposition–Professor Stoner, bless him, would allow it.”

– Dr. Elliot Engel, American scholar and a member of England’s prestigious Royal Society of Arts, speaks nationally and internationally on Dickens, Shakespeare, Twain and other literary notables. Engel’s highly entertaining and literary web site can be found at: http://www.authorsink.com/about-dr-elliot-engel/

Jonathan Hock

“Jake, by Alfred Slote, is the first book I can remember pulling off the shelf at the public library. I was 8 or 9-years-old. On the surface, it’s a book about little league baseball. But it’s really a story about life: family, authority, race relations, growing up and, ultimately, the endless and universal search for love. Jake taught me that sports stories can be more than game descriptions and hero worship. They can be great human stories. More than any other work, Jake has influenced my own work as a filmmaker, and in every project I’ve done – including SURVIVE AND ADVANCE – there’s a little bit of Jake.”

– Jonathan Hock, an eight-time Emmy Award winning producer, director, writer and editor, directed SURVIVE AND ADVANCE, the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about Jim Valvano’s incredible run to an NCAA basketball championship.

David Wells

“I revisit Damon Runyon’s short stories all the time. First found them in my dad’s bookcase in high school. He had Guys and Dolls, Letters from Home, and Blue Plate Special. Nobody wrote characters like Runyon and his assorted misfits that hang out at Mindy’s on Broadway always made me laugh. Mostly it was the way he used dialect to capture the comings and goings of these dreamers and misfits. I still laugh at Butch Minds the Baby, Bloodhounds on Broadway and of course Nathan Detroit.”

For books of collected Damon Runyon stories, click here.

– David Wells, actor in many films including Basic Instinct (1982), Bevery Hills Cop (1984) and Starman (1984), and principal, David Wells Acting Studio, Hollywood, CA.

Clyde Edgerton

“An older book I’d like to recommend is Candide by Voltaire. There is plenty of action in this book and a good bit of beneath the surface philosophy — applicable today. Additionally, the author’s wit and insight reminds us of the fact that we moderns are not getting any smarter; we just don’t have to work so hard to get places and do things, and that is not always good for us perhaps. The more things change the more they stay the same, as the saying goes.”

 — Clyde Edgerton, an award-winning author, teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Among his works that have received national acclaim are RANEY, Walking Across Egypt and Killer Diller. For more about Clyde Edgerton and his books go to: www.clydeedgerton.com.

Jerry Punch

“One of the books that I read about five years ago, by Robert Poole, was On Hallowed Ground. It is the story of the Arlington National Cemetery. I am such a military history buff that I wanted to read it. It chronicles the early days of the Washington family estate, where Robert E. Lee lived on the bluff overlooking Washington. It describes how Lee was summoned on several occasions to ride his horse into Washington, on the months before the Civil War erupted, and asked to assume the role of commander and chief of the Union forces. It chronicles his repeated response that, ‘I could never take up arms against my native Virginia.’

After he assumed a role as a General of the Confederate army of Virgina, the powers to be turned his home and surrounding grounds into a Union encampment and later a cemetery; thus assuring that it could never be returned to his family as an active farm or plantation site. However, in the early months of the war, Lee on occasion would ride through Federal lines at night to stay in his home with his wife and family. He rode directly past Union guards who never had any idea who he was. This book was revealing and enlightening to someone who revels and respects the storied history of this cemetery. There is no more hallowed ground that that which serves as the final resting place of our heroes; the men and women who have sacrificed for our freedom.”

– Dr. Jerry Punch, ESPN, NASCAR commentator and motor sports reporter