Guestpost: I, Walter author, Mike Hartner's Top 10 Fav Classics

My top 10 favorite classical books 
of all time and why I love them

by Mike Hartner

10.   Any Shakespeare play. The play is the thing. The emotion and the story are fantastic. My favorite of all of his plays would be either MacBeth for the drama or Taming of the Shrew for the comedy.

9. Victor Hugo. French period pieces around the revolution. Les Miserable is by far one of the best of its time.

8.  Alexandre Dumas. The Three Musketeers. This is actually a three part series of the life of D’Artagnan. And another three part series focused on others in the life of D’Artagnan.

7. Mark Twain. Huckleberry Finn, Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. These are books that were read and should be read by all children. Fantastic adventure, and social commentary on the times.

6. Jules Verne. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Fantastic adventure. Loved Nemo. The descriptions of what could be still haven’t been equaled.

5. Jules Verne. Around the World in 80 days.  

4. Alexandre Dumas. The Count of Monte Cristo. By far the world’s best revenge novel.

3. H.G. Wells. The Invisible Man. For imagining what we could do if we were invisible.

2. Chaucer. The Cantebury Tales. Each of these poems are about a different person and job. What makes them even more interesting is that Chaucer has written quite a bit of erotica into each description. Well done, sir.

1. Bram Stoker. Dracula. 

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I, Walter

by Mike Hartner

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

I, Walter is the first in a series of books in a saga which will span continents and time to arrive in present day North America. Each in the series will be connected, though that connection may not be obvious for several more books.

It's almost like looking at a menorah (sic). Many lines, seemingly individual, connect to center at different points.  

Walter Crofter was born into Elizabethan England. In a country and a time where favor and politics were both deadly, can an honest boy stay true to himself?

Especially given his family background?

Goodreads

Mike Hartner was born in Miami in 1965. He’s traveled much of the continental United States. He has several years post secondary education, and experience teaching and tutoring young adults. Hartner has owned and run a computer firm for more than twenty-five years. He now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with his wife and child. They share the neighborhood and their son with his maternal grandparents.

Review Excerpts

"I, Walter is a grand tale of adventure that reminds me of the Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin adventure series but with a noble innocence and, a most refreshing, charming slant. Romance, adventure, mystery, rescues, deception, and vivid descriptions make I, Walter a most enjoyable and inspirational read of chivalry. This CBR reviewer looks forward to reading more of the Crofter saga from Mike Hartner" Chanticleer Book Reviews

“This book truly is New York Best-seller material!" Charity Langley, Author

www.mikehartner.com