Articles

Robert Ludlum Books: What Reading Order Is Best?

Robert Ludlum (1927–2001) was an American author who also went by the pen names of Michael Shepard and Jonathan Ryder.

Robert published 27 novels that last one being published five years after his death.

I propose the following order when reading Robert Ludlum novels:

  1. Jason Bourne Series
  2. Covert-One Series
  3. Paul Jason Series
  4. Stand-Alone Novels

Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne Series

What’s special about this series of books is that Ludlum wrote the first 3 books in the series himself (which became 3 fantastic movies starring Matt Damon), and then Eric Van Lustbader took over the series following his death.

Lustbader has done an outstanding job of honouring the characters that Ludlum created and writing in the same action-packed style. Continue reading “Robert Ludlum Books: What Reading Order Is Best?”

J. K. Rowling Books: What Reading Order Is Best?

J. K Rowling is famous for her Harry Potter series of course, but you may not know she also has 3 books in an adult series using the pen name “Robert Galbriath”.

You have 2 choices for reading order for J.K. Rowlings Books:

  1. Read the Harry Potter series by publishing date. And, if you are a super fan you could read the related works too
  2. Or, skip all of them if they are not your thing and stick with her most recent work, starting with her Cormoran Strike Series

Continue reading “J. K. Rowling Books: What Reading Order Is Best?”

Stephen King Books: What Reading Order Is Best?

If you are a new Stephen King addict I suggest the following 3 phases to provide you with a reading order.

I suggest you start with his stand-alone novels and read them in publishing order.

There is evolution in his writing style, and experimentation with characters and scenes that you’ll be able to observe if you do so.

Next, try out the first book in the Dark Tower series to see if that one grabs you (it’s not for everyone).

I suggest that you leave Stephen’s collections of short stories until last. Most are very cool, but they don’t have that depth and richness that you get with a novel (however some are very scary and you wonder at the mind it takes to dream up this stuff!) Continue reading “Stephen King Books: What Reading Order Is Best?”

Raymond E. Feist Book Order: What Is The Best Feist Reading Order?

I think the best order for reading Raymond E. Feist’s books is in series order.

The alternative is in publishing order (the list is at the bottom), but that can be a bit confusing because the timelines do overlap a bit. Continue reading “Raymond E. Feist Book Order: What Is The Best Feist Reading Order?”

John Grisham Books In Order: What Is The Best Grisham Books Reading Order?

John Grisham’s writing is very stable.

If you read his first book The Firm (1991) and then Rogue Lawyer (2015), the only thing you’ll notice is the technology that the characters used has changed (from phones and faxes to mobiles/email/internet).

You will barely notice a shift in writing style.

He’s been a gripping writer all the way through.

You may be aware that he writes in 2 styles: Legal stories and non-legal stories.

I like his legal stories more. Even though A Painted House (2001) is fantastic, some of his others were not quite as interesting (sorry John if you are reading this!).

Therefore, if you are a new addict of John Grisham’s books I propose this order:

  1. His legal stories first (in publishing order)
  2. Then his Jake Brigance and Theodore Boone series
  3. And then, just for fun, have a go at his non-legal stories after that

Continue reading “John Grisham Books In Order: What Is The Best Grisham Books Reading Order?”

Lee Child Books: What Reading Order Is Best?

Looking for a list of Jack Reacher books in order?

Good news. You’re in the right place.

You have 3 choices when choosing the reading order for Lee Child’s series of Jack Reacher books:

  1. By Publishing Date
  2. In Chronological Order
  3. No Order At All: Complete Chaos

Want To Read Lee Child’s Books In Order Of Publishing Date?

I recommend reading Jack Reacher books in this order myself.

  1. Killing Floor (1997) [Amazon]
  2. Die Trying (1998) [Amazon]
  3. Tripwire (1999) [Amazon]
  4. Running Blind (2000) [Amazon]
    • UK Title “The Visitor”
  5. Echo Burning (2001) [Amazon]
  6. Without Fail (2002) [Amazon]
  7. Persuader (2003) [Amazon]
  8. The Enemy (2004) [Amazon]
    • Prequel set eight years before Killing Floor
  9. One Shot (2005) [Amazon]
  10. The Hard Way (2006) [Amazon]
  11. Bad Luck and Trouble (2007) [Amazon]
  12. Nothing to Lose (2008) [Amazon]
  13. Gone Tomorrow (2009) [Amazon]
  14. 61 Hours (Spring 2010) [Amazon]
  15. Worth Dying For (Fall 2010) [Amazon]
  16. The Affair (2011) [Amazon]
    • This is another prequel set just before Killing Floor
  17. A Wanted Man (2012) [Amazon]
  18. Never Go Back (2013) [Amazon]
  19. Personal (2014) [Amazon]
  20. Make Me (2015) [Amazon]
  21. Night School (2016) [Amazon]
    • Prequel set when Reacher is 35
  22. No Middle Name (2017 [Amazon]
    • Collection of 12 short stories
  23. The Midnight Line (2017) [Amazon]
  24. Past Tense (2018) [Amazon]
  25. Blue Moon (2019) [Amazon]
  26. The Sentinel (2020) [Amazon]
  27. Better Off Dead (2021) [Amazon]
  28. No Plan B (October 2022) [Amazon]

Want To Read Lee Child’s Books In Chronological Order?

  1. The Enemy (2004) [Amazon]
    • Prequel set eight years before Killing Floor
  2. Night School (2016) [Amazon]
    • Prequel set when Reacher is 35
  3. The Affair (2011) [Amazon]
    • This is another prequel set just before Killing Floor
  4. Killing Floor (1997) [Amazon]
  5. Die Trying (1998) [Amazon]
  6. Tripwire (1999) [Amazon]
  7. Running Blind (2000) [Amazon]
    • UK Title “The Visitor”
  8. Echo Burning (2001) [Amazon]
  9. Without Fail (2002) [Amazon]
  10. Persuader (2003) [Amazon]
  11. One Shot (2005) [Amazon]
  12. The Hard Way (2006) [Amazon]
  13. Bad Luck and Trouble (2007) [Amazon]
  14. Nothing to Lose (2008) [Amazon]
  15. Gone Tomorrow (2009) [Amazon]
  16. 61 Hours (Spring 2010) [Amazon]
  17. Worth Dying For (Fall 2010) [Amazon]
  18. A Wanted Man (2012) [Amazon]
  19. Never Go Back (2013) [Amazon]
  20. Personal (2014) [Amazon]
  21. Make Me (2015) [Amazon]
  22. No Middle Name (2017 [Amazon]
    • Collection of 12 short stories
  23. The Midnight Line (2017) [Amazon]
  24. Past Tense (2018) [Amazon]
  25. Blue Moon (2019) [Amazon]
  26. The Sentinel (2020) [Amazon]
  27. Better Off Dead (2021) [Amazon]
  28. No Plan B (October 2022) [Amazon]

Don’t Care About The Reading Order For Lee Child’s Books?

That’s ok!

It makes it a bit tricky for keeping track of which ones you’ve read, but Lee Child wrote them in such a way that each stories exists on it’s own.

There are only a handful of references to previous stories and some books have no references at all. So if your reading style is chaos, then go for it. As for me I like publishing order or chronological order.

What about you? Have you read all Lee Child’s books? In what order did you read them?

Have you only recently got addicted to the Lee Child’s novels? What’s your plan for reading order?

Have your say in the comments below.

Ken Follett Books In Order: What Is The Best Ken Follett Reading Order?

Ken Follett writes 2 types of books:

  1. Standalone Novels
  2. Short Series / Trilogies

You have 3 options when reading Ken Follett’s books:

  1. Stand-alone novels first and then the series/trilogies later
  2. By publishing date
  3. Complete chaos

Continue reading “Ken Follett Books In Order: What Is The Best Ken Follett Reading Order?”

Jodi Picoult Books: What Reading Order Is Best?

You have  3 choices when choosing the reading order for Jodi Picoult books:

  1. By Publishing Date
  2. The Most Recent Half
  3. No Order At All: Complete Chaos

Want To Read Jodi Picoult Books In Order Of Publishing Date?

I recommend this order myself. Continue reading “Jodi Picoult Books: What Reading Order Is Best?”