Are You Running Out of Things to Read, or Watch?

If so, consider some of these.

First, though . . . rewind eight days. Picture me having an e-conversation last week with a writer friend, about favorite books and movies. What happened was, we both had so many, we were categorizing them by genre. (Can you see that my life is sometimes less than exciting?)

Back to the present. The result of that recent discussion is the following list of my favorite movies, novels, TV series, and short stories in each of several genres of fiction. Note: They go beyond the basic five genres (mystery/crime, SF/fantasy, romance, Western, and horror) to include ten subgenres. If the subgenres aren't familiar to you, that's okay. I made them up.

Another note: While I hope you'll agree with a few of my reading/viewing choices, I'm sure you won't like some--you might not like any--so be aware of one thing: These are not necessarily what I consider to be the BEST movies. They're just the ones I enjoyed the most. I do recognize that Citizen Kane, Schindler's List, Nosferatu, The English Patient, etc., are great achievements, but it'll be a cold day in Jamaica when they show up in my favorites list. 

For better or worse, here are my personal choices:

MYSTERY/CRIME

Favorite movie: L. A. Confidential (1997)

Novel: Plum Island, Nelson DeMille

TV/streaming series: The Sopranos (HBO, 1999-2007)

Short story: "Man from the South," Roald Dahl

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY

Favorite movie: Aliens (1986)

Novel: The Stand, Stephen King

TV/streaming series: Game of Thrones (HBO, 2011-2019)

Short story: "A Sound of Thunder," Ray Bradbury

ROMANCE

Favorite movie: Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Novel: The Princess Bride, William Goldman

TV/streaming series: The Thorn Birds (ABC, 1983)

Short story: "The Gift of the Magi," O. Henry

 

WESTERN

Favorite movie: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Novel: Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry

TV/streaming series: Deadwood (HBO, 2004-2006)

Short story: "Three-Ten to Yuma," Elmore Leonard

HORROR

Favorite movie: Psycho (1960)

Novel: Magic, William Goldman

TV/streaming series: Stranger Things (Netflix, 2016-2025)

Short story: "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," Richard Matheson

ADVENTURE

Favorite movie: Jurassic Park (1993)

Novel: Sands of the Kalahari, William Mulvihill

TV/streaming series: Lost (ABC, 2004-2010)

Short story: "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut," Stephen King

COMEDY

Favorite movie: Blazing Saddles (1974)

Novel: One for the Money, Janet Evanovich

TV/streaming series: Cheers (NBC, 1982-1993)

Short story: "The Kugelmass Episode," Woody Allen

DRAMA

Favorite movie: Casablanca (1942)

Novel: From Here to Eternity, James Jones

TV/streaming series: Mad Men (AMC, 2007-2015)

Short story: "The Last Rung on the Ladder," Stephen King

HISTORICAL

Favorite movie: Gladiator (2000)

Novel: Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett

TV/streaming series: Rome (HBO, 2005-2006)

Short story: "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson

FAMILY

Favorite movie: It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Novel: The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien

TV/streaming series: Little House on the Prairie (NBC, 1974-1982)

Short story: "Charlotte's Web," E. B. White

ESPIONAGE

Favorite movie: Goldfinger (1964)

Novel: Eye of the Needle, Ken Follett

TV/streaming series: Slow Horses (Apple TV+, 2022-)

Short story: "Deep Down," Lee Child

SOUTHERN

Favorite movie: Deliverance (1972)

Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

TV/streaming series: Evening Shade (CBS, 1990-1994)

Short story: "Poachers," Tom Franklin

SPORTS

Favorite movie: The Natural (1984)

Novel: The Hustler, Walter Tevis

TV/streaming series: G.L.O.W. (Netflix, 2017-2019)

Short story: "The Swimmer," John Cheever

LEGAL/COURTROOM

Favorite movie: 12 Angry Men (1957)

Novel: Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow

TV/streaming series: Goliath (Amazon Prime Video, 2016-2021)

Short story: "Witness for the Prosecution," Agatha Christie

WAR

Favorite movie: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Novel: The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy

TV/streaming series: Band of Brothers (HBO, 2001)

Short story: "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," Ernest Hemingway

Before you ask . . . Yes, there was a lot of indecision in coming up with these. For example, I almost chose The Godfather for favorite crime movie, Galaxy Quest and Raising Arizona for funniest, Somewhere in Time for romance, Shane for Western novel, the first few seasons of The Walking Dead for TV horror, etc., etc., and if I'd waited until next month to make this list, it'd probably look a lot different. And yes, I also made a list of what I thought were the worst movies, novels, etc., in every category, but decided to keep those to myself. There's already enough acid indigestion in the world.

Which brings us to my question: What are some of your favorite movies, novels, TV series, and shorts? Do we agree on any of them?

Now, where'd I put that remote . . . ?