The most recommended drama books

If I asked you whether you fancied reading the entire history of British television from its beginnings on the BBC in the 1930s to its position today, you’d probably tell me to get lost.

But the evocative writing of Lez Cooke makes this a far more pleasurable experience than it otherwise ought to be. I guarantee you will be stimulated yet entertained as you are walked through the key creatives, technologies, dramas, and genres that captured the imaginations of millions of avid British telly addicts each decade. You will put down this book as an immediate expert in the field, guaranteed.

I love the author’s style, which goes deeply into character and motivations in an unhurried way. 

The suspense in this noir builds powerfully as it takes the time to detail the remote setting of the events and interactions. Here is one thriller that definitely cannot be called a guilty pleasure, given the intense involvement to which it compels you.

This book really influenced the direction I took with my own thriller writing. I remember not being able to put it down.

Julia Crouch is supremely talented at setting the happy family scene whilst bringing in an underlying threat that may bring the ‘perfect family’ to its knees. The joy of psychological thrillers like this one is the feeling of being a voyeur. You are invited into this deliciously idyllic life which slowly disintegrates in front of you. A must read!

Meteorologists generally regard this 2004 two-volume set as the definitive tome in describing the major snowstorms which have impacted the northeastern US since colonial times. These two highly credentialed and well-known former National Weather Service experts provide a detailed analysis of each storm, along with their painstaking reconstruction of surface and upper-air pressure patterns for many of them. The result is an enormous wealth of information offered up in this 821-page magnum opus (with some 500 references) which will satisfy both the interested layperson and the seasoned professional meteorologist. 

I’ve enjoyed most of Grisham’s novels, but I’m picking this legal thriller (as are most of his books) because of the fascinating plot. It’s a David vs. Goliath story, in which the underdogs are seeking righteous justice from a huge corporation by using the legal court system. The planning involved to make it happen and the attempts by the opposition to destroy the effort gives an inside-baseball look at how multi-million dollar lawsuits are put together. The book also made a great movie!

Another excellent book about plot and the importance of making sure you have a good one. The difference between a good plot and a great plot is a bestseller. If you want your story’s plot to speak of mastery, do not miss out on reading this insightful book. Add it to your personal library for good measure. It’s always a good idea to have it there, so you can reference it in the future even after finishing it.

This is a collection of a dozen essays allowing us to feel the fun, the drama, the craziness of travel, and the effect it can have on both our personalities and views after the journey. In other words, this book teaches us to feel these stories, which show us the more you risk the more rewards you will gain from your travel adventures.

It also reminds us to worry or at least be concerned for whom you are traveling with. After reading this, I believe it is not what we accomplish by traveling but what we take away from traveling.

A motley assortment of people in a small town descends on a home, believing they're invited to arrive to play a "murder game." The surprised hostess does her best to accommodate her unexpected guests... until the lights go off and an actual murder occurs. Miss Marple, our sleuth, is at her finest. This story was one of Christie's favorites.

I was able to grasp and comprehend Ibsen’s entire dramatic output and see it as one continuous and coherent whole.  The twelve plays included here actually comprise one single work, which shows human beings in every major aspect of their lives.

The plays are written in a variety of styles, from detailed realism to near dreamlike symbolism, but over and over they bring out clearly the roles society forces on women, the ways family guilt poisons future generations, the force of sexual desire, and the ways society confronts individuals who are unable to fulfill the destiny expected of them.

You may think Ibsen is old-fashioned, but for me reading this book struck many live nerves.

Lucy is a screenwriter and script consultant and has created a whole eco-system around supporting writers, with frequent blogs, courses, newsletters, and consistently good advice. It is almost like having a writing partner.