What authors are you reading now?

We live in crazy times.

One way to deal with the STOOPID is to go back and read authors whose work can be relied upon to give us enjoyment.

This is more than sticking our heads in the sand. By depriving the hooligans of their fifteen minutes of fame we are taking the oxygen out of the room.

I will get the ball rolling.

I thought W.E.B. Griffin's book "The Lieutenants" was one of the finest pieces of fiction ever written. The later books in the series were also superb.

I like the books John Ringo wrote. The ones he wrote without a co-author seem to be better than the others.

Rolf Nelson's Heretics of St Possenti is superb and I wish he would expand the franchise.

Marco Kloos's Palladium War series is a cut above average.

Jim Curtis's Rimworld is a fun series. The characters seem less constrained than some of his other work (also good stuff).

The earlier books of the Monster Hunters International series by Larry Correia were a joy to read. A common thread in a "franchise" is that later books seem more forced while earlier books seem more free-flow as we discover the rules of the new universe. It is presumptuous of me to critique an author who is 10X the writer I am but it is the realities of writing a series that goes beyond three books.

The books that Tom Clancy wrote (without co-authors) are very, very good.

I will even admit to reading a romance novel or two in my life. The Chicago Stars books by Susan Elizabeth Philips were richly layered and elaborately constructed confections. Later books were churned out at six month intervals as her editors put the spurs to her.

Debbie Macomber had a short series where the angels "Shirley", "Goodness" and "Mercy" would come to earth around Christmas and cause chaos and romance. They were good, goofy fun.

Expand my horizons. What are you ladies and gentlemen reading?