Favorite "New" TBSL Authors

I have discovered several authors recently (last year?) who wrote in the 20th century, but I'd never really noticed before.

Last year I went on a Conrad Richter binge. If you've never read anything of his, or just The Light in the Forest, I can't recommend him highly enough. The Trees and The Sea of Grass were superb!

Alistair MacLean wrote some very good books, stories, too. I've read several of his novels this past year, most from the 1950s and 60s. They are a "can't-put-them-down" kind of book, so beware.

Another recent discovery for me was Hal Borland. I've only read one of his books, but I really liked it.

And Forrest Carter wrote some very good stuff, too.

What TBSL authors do you like, who you may have discovered in the past year?

>1 fuzzi: Speaking of Conrad Richter, another great book by him is A Simple Honorable Man. I really should read The Trees, which has been on my shelf for a very long time.

And your mention of MacLean brought to mind Helen MacInnes. I love her books! A new one to me...haven't read it yet...is Assignment in Brittany, a WWII story, published in the midst of the war in 1942.

Which Hal Borland did you read and like?

>2 SaintSunniva: I'll keep Helen MacInnes in mind, thank you.

I read When the Legends Die by Hal Borland, and I really liked it.

I've not read A Simple Honorable Man, yet. Back in 2015 I read The Trees, which I had a very hard time putting down, at all! Excellent book, very well-written. I've also read the follow up books, The Fields, and The Town, both of which were very good. I have read both The Light in the Forest and its sequel A Country of Strangers several times, each. And sitting on my shelf are The Rawhide Knot, Tacey Cromwell, and The Grandfathers, not yet read.

And I found Conrad Richter: A Writer's Life online. It's on the TBR shelf as well.

I have most of MacInnes's books and love them. I would add Mary Roberts Rhinehart to your list. They are wonderful mysteries taking place in the big old houses of once wealthy families, usually with a touch of romance and good characters.

I devoured the books of Helen MacInnes when I was younger, rereading at least some of them multiple times, but it has been a long time since I read one. Perhaps it is time to do so. I'll likely start with Above Suspicion, her first.

My grandfather had a whole bookcase of Alistair MacLean. Either my dad has them now or they're all gone to be recycled, either in a thrift store or where books go to spent their last years happy flapping about..

We have most of MacInnes' books. The one playing in Vienna, Prelude to Terror is very funny, though. She totally ignores local geography when moving her people from one spot to the next.

I am so happy to find this group. I really love discovering TBSL books. Right now I'm on an Agatha Christie kick, and I know her books have never gone out of publication, but it has been quite an adventure going through her books. I have read some of Helen McInnes books and I think she is great. If you like old spy thriller books, you might want to try Eric Ambler.

There are some authors I have found that are interesting, though not necessarily about spies.
Thorne Smith, humorous fantasy, he wrote Topper
Frances Hodgson Burnett, ex. The Shuttle - 19th c. romance
Elizabeth Cadell, pre-1950s small English village eccentrics
Baroness D'Orczy, the Scarlet Pimpernel series

>8 triciareads55: Hi! and Welcome! I confess when I first saw your name I was trying to read it Tri-cera- reads, and thought you had a thing for dinosaurs. Then my eyes did a regrouping and saw Tricia-reads. :)

Welcome to the group, triciareads55! Elizabeth Cadell is one of my favourites. Have you read anything by D. E. Stevenson? Her style is similar to Cadell's, with plenty of gentle humour.

>8 triciareads55: Welcome! I like Eric Ambler too.

>8 triciareads55: glad to have you! I read my first Pimpernel book last year, and also enjoyed Captain Blood. I love the verbal sparring as well as the swordplay.

I'm in-between books this morning, gotta decide which one to start later...

>11 BonnieJune54: I think you mean >8 triciareads55:. She is the one who mentioned Eric Ambler.

>1 fuzzi: Alistair MacLean is a favorite of mine, super quick fun reads with snarky humor, always enjoyable. :)

>13 MarthaJeanne: Oops Wrong number I fixed it.

>14 .Monkey.: I pulled one off the TBR shelves this evening: When Eight Bells Toll. It will go with me to work tomorrow (I get to read for about 10 minutes on the shuttle bus).

I could have sworn I'd read that one, I know it's one I have, but the couple little reviews with minor plot descriptions don't seem to ring any bells, guess not! xP

>17 .Monkey.: well, jump right in and read! :)

>17 .Monkey.: I have very fond memories of that one. The opening scene is riveting.

Haha, eventually! I'm actually trying to read them all in order, though I'm missing random ones here and there so it's not entirely complete, but I've done HMS Ulysses, The Guns of Navarone, Force 10 from Navarone (not in order but sequel, come on! xP), South by Java Head, The Secret Ways (aka The Last Frontier), Night Without End, Fear Is the Key, Ice Station Zebra, and Where Eagles Dare. Hmm, either the title is implanted in my head because it's one I'm missing or because it's one I'm supposed to read, now I'm not sure which! xP I've read a few others previously as well, before my collection got large enough to attempt the mostly-chronological plan. ;) I'll probably reread them when I come to them, as it was a long time ago and they're super fast.

>20 .Monkey.: I've read both the Navarone books (better than the movies, although I love the movies), and HMS Ulysses. Due to my scrounging at used book stores and thrift shops, I have five more Alistair MacLean books waiting in the wings, including When Eight Bells Toll, which I'll start once I finish my current TBSL, The Golden Road. That last one is enjoyable enough to read, but can't compare to the Anne books or Jane of Lantern Hill.

I have a whole huge stack, haha. I accumulated a big handful a lot of years ago from a couple ebay lots, and then in more recent years from book sales. :)

Hi MrsLee, I should have capitalized my handle to TriciaReads when I signed up. I want to thank you and everyone else for the welcome and look forward to sharing books. Obviously this group knows their pre-1950s books. SylviaC, I was just looking up D.E. Stevenson and she looks interesting. I also have a lot of Angela Thirkell on my TBR shelf. Ah, so much to read - so little time! I am going to request Miss Buncle's book from the library. fuzzi, I like Raphael Sabatini and hope to read a lot more of him. I also like a little verbal sparring with my derring-do.

Just finished reading a couple of Agatha Christie's books - The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence) and Murder with Mirrors (Miss Marple). I enjoyed them both, but Secret Adversary (spies, conspiracies, Bolsheviks, and so much more) was a lot of fun. In SA, Tommy and Tuppence start their partnership in post-WW I England and step all unknowing into a spy ring. It has the usual Christie twists and turns, with a few red herrings sprinkled here and there. Highly recommended.

>23 triciareads55: Miss Buncle's Book is a good starting point for D. E. Stevenson. The Secret Adversary is one of my favourite Christie books. I like a lot of the non-Poirot/Marple ones.

Gosh, I've not checked in for a short time and there's so many interesting posts!

I just got a copy and started reading (1936, 3rd printing with a pretty dust jacket, yay!) of Robert Nathans The Enchanted Voyage, which for some reason the touchstone is coming up totally mistaken. The man builds himself a boat without a keel, and keeps it in his backyard to moon about on. His wife despises him for it. I hope it improves!

Anyway.

I'm also in the middle of, and enjoying very much, Memento Mori by Muriel Spark.

Elizabeth Cadell is a favorite. I like all her books....hmmm. Now I'm trying to think what else I've read by her, besides The Fledgling which is the only book by her I have on my shelf. In fact, I'm going to request The Corner Shop from the library right now.

I've also put in a request from my mother's amazing collection...does she have any Cadell's? She introduced me to so many of my favorites...D. E. Stevenson, Angela Thirkell, Miss Read.

>25 SaintSunniva: I love The Corner Shop!

Just finished reading Eric Ambler's Epitaph for a Spy (1938) and found it intriguing. I like the way he describes people and he really knows how to set up a good tense atmosphere. Next, I am going to read C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Plant (1938). I have only read one of Lewis' Narnia books. I am going to do a bunch of 1938 books, by April 11th (gasp!), because I found a blogsite that will be discussing 1938 books - http://www.stuckinabook.com/introducing-the-1938-club/. I thought it was an interesting thing to do. They also did a 1924 book club, which I am going to look at later after I finshed reading some 1938 books. Did you know Rebecca and Brighton Rock were both published in 1938, among other real good ones? Sometimes, I just real excited about the craziest things. If anyone knows about a good, but somewhat obscure, 1938 book to read, please let me know.

Finished reading Crooked House by Agatha Christie (still on my Christie binge). Of course, the unexpected resolution wins again, but does she mislead with a passion. It does remind me of a certain play title, but if I told you what it was, I'd give away the end.

>.Monkey. - I know I read Ice Station Zebra a long time ago, but the memory of how tense it was still remains with me. Alistari McLean definitely had the touch. (OK - I give up - what does xP mean?)

>30 triciareads55: I think xP is a symbol of eyes closed, sticking out the tongue...

>30 triciareads55: Lol it's a face, like

ETA
Beaten to it, while I was off feeding the furballs with the page open, haha.

>32 .Monkey.: .Monkey. Thanks to you and fuzzi for the explanation. The little animation really is worth a 1,000 words.

Haha, I figured an image would help better than words, and he was too perfect to pass up, lol.

>2 SaintSunniva: I found a Helen MacInnes book at a used book store: While Still We Live.

FYI: over in TIOLI we have a challenge to read Beverly Cleary books this month, to celebrate her 100th birthday. There's also a thread about her books, here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/220600

Hope to see you and your reads, somewhere!

Beverly Cleary was a big fav of mine as a youth. :)

>36 .Monkey.: she's still a fav with me. :)

My mom had nine by Elizabeth Cadell that she loaned me...but not her The Corner Shop. I'm going to start with Iris in Winter.

>38 SaintSunniva: you can get The Corner Shop in Kindle format now!

Understood Betsy Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Oh, I like Understood Betsy! It's so much fun watching her change. It seems like it would be cloying, but it isn't at all.

I ALMOST put it down after the beginning, I am so very glad that I did not.

>39 MDGentleReader:, thank you for telling me about The Corner Shop in Kindle. I finished my little hoard of Cadell's. Time to search out some more by her!

>43 SaintSunniva: you are quite welcome - we need to look out for one another in finding TBSL authors!