What's Your Favorite Book

[Jonny Ryan Mac]

Whats your favorite book, what book made you want to start writing, how much of an impact did it have on your life? What are you reading now?

My favorite book is "This Present Darkness", by Fank E Peretti. (A great read about angels and demons and spiritual warfare.) It was the first Novel I read twice, the first novel I told people about more than "The Lord of The Rings." - Series books.

What made me start writing, well, it was the thought I had after finishing "Angels and Demons", by Dan Brown. I said, i can do that. Loved the book, but knew the whole plot as it unravelled so effortlessly at my feet, the ending was cool, but like "The Village," I had a sinking suspician. Five months later i had my first MS, and my editor loves it, here we go to the Literary world.

Right now im reading, "Eaters of the Dead," Micheal Cricthon, and "Decipher" By Stel Pavlou.

[RGame]

I edited out my reply. I referenced something from a past conversation for a joke and got a "troll" remark when I clicked on the little feedback button. I thought it was a joke, not a "troll" remark, but I'll edit it out so as not to get anyone else angry. Yeesh.

[KTC]

The book that made the most influence on my decision to be a writer is A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I read it when I was about 8 or 9 and it caused me to be a fanatic reader. My favourite book(s) are: A Separate Peace, Franny & Zooey, The Wonder Boys, The Bell Jar, Too Loud a Solitude and To Kill a Mockingbird. I can't pick just one and on another day I might give you five different answers.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the book that made me think...this is what I want to do...WRITE!

I am presently re-reading The Picture of Dorian Gray.

[BlueTexas]

Yikes...I can't pick one.

Some of my favorite books are East of Eden, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Red Tent, The Lovely Bones, The Year of Wonders. Tomorrow I'd probably have a different list.

I can't say what book made me want to write...I think I just always have. Reading Robert Frost's poetry may have done it, though.

I'm currently reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Wizard and Glass and a book of Edwardian ghost stories.

[Jamesaritchie]

Whats your favorite book, what book made you want to start writing, how much of an impact did it have on your life? What are you reading now?

My favorite book is "This Present Darkness", by Fank E Peretti. (A great read about angels and demons and spiritual warfare.) It was the first Novel I read twice, the first novel I told people about more than "The Lord of The Rings." - Series books.

What made me start writing, well, it was the thought I had after finishing "Angels and Demons", by Dan Brown. I said, i can do that. Loved the book, but knew the whole plot as it unravelled so effortlessly at my feet, the ending was cool, but like "The Village," I had a sinking suspician. Five months later i had my first MS, and my editor loves it, here we go to the Literary world.

Right now im reading, "Eaters of the Dead," Micheal Cricthon, and "Decipher" By Stel Pavlou.

I don't have a favorite book. There are just two many I really love, and a list of those tied for first place would be pages long.

But I can say which novel first influenced me, made me realize fiction can evoke strong emotion, and even make the physical senses hear and smell things that aren't real. It was "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne, and I was a wee lad of nine or so when I read it.

But there wasn't a book that made me want to start writing. I started writing for money. The only book I can point to that made me think I could make money from writing, and could keep doing it for years and years, and that the writing life was one worth living, was a nonfiction book. It was "Call it Experience," the writing autobiography of Erskine Caldwell.

But even "Call it Experience" came after the fact. I was already selling fiction before I read it.

The only novel I have in progress right now is "Look Homeward, Angel" by Thomas Wolfe. I've read it a couple of times before, but I'm now reading through all the Thomas Wolfe novels again.

I'm also reading "Walden" again. I've lost count of how many times I've read it, but pretty much once a year for more than two decades.

[scribbler1382]

Beyond comics, my first introduction to the book as a whole thing was probably Lester Del Rey's The Runaway Robot. That, along with every Hardy Boy book I could get my hands on. A few years later, the ones that made an impression were James Blish's All The Stars A Stage, but more significantly, Frederick Pohl's Gateway. All of these taken together explains a LOT of the direction my taste runs in to this day.

What book made me want to write? Hmmm. I don't think I can pinpoint that. I know that Gardner Dozois' story The Visible Man from the anthology of the same name had a huge affect on my wanting to put things down on paper. But most of the first things I wrote were suspense/mystery stories, so I'm going to say it was probably Lew Archer's The Blue Hammer or any number of more contemporary (at the time) novels by Lawrence Sanders or Robert Ludlum. My muse has pretty much been doing battle between the Fantastic and the Mystery/Suspense genres every since.

And that's the short answer. :)

Oops...almost forgot. Right now I'm reading Stephen Coonts' Liars and Thieves and I'm trying to find a copy of The Postman Always Rings Twice.

[brinkett]

Like James, I don't have one favourite book. Several books have influenced me and made me think. I'm sure if I read some of them now, I wouldn't feel the same way about them, which is why I rarely re-read books. Perspective can change as one's journey in life progresses.

[hoyateach]

I guess I'd define a "favorite" book as one I've read many times... so I'd have to go with:

Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.
The Stand and On Writing by Stephen King.
All three of Barry Eisler's John Rain novels (and the 4th comes out June 23rd!).
Caribbean by James A. Michener.
Creationism on Trial by Langdon Gilkey (nonfiction, obviously).
Paramedic by Paul Shapiro.

I'm sure I'm leaving a book or two off the list.:tongue

[BlueTexas]

I guess I'd define a "favorite" book as one I've read many times... so I'd have to go with:

Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.
The Stand and On Writing by Stephen King.
All three of Barry Eisler's John Rain novels (and the 4th comes out June 23rd!).
Caribbean by James A. Michener.
Creationism on Trial by Langdon Gilkey (nonfiction, obviously).
Paramedic by Paul Shapiro.

I'm sure I'm leaving a book or two off the list.:tongue

You made me realize I forgot to mention The Drifters by Michener. I re-read the mass-market pb so many times the cover fell off!

[SeanDSchaffer]

I don't have a single favorite book. I have several favorite books. They include, but are not limited to:

Dragon's Blood by Jane Yolen
Slan by A.E. van Vogt
Dragon on a Pedestal by Piers Anthony
The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Dragon and the George (I can't for the life of me remember the author's name!):Smack:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis


All of these books have influenced the way I think, the way I write, and the way I imagine. They've been quite helpful to me in my writing career.

[Jonny Ryan Mac]

Boy, I guess i should have listed more. I love Frank E Peretti, of course, but in others i really like the classics. One of my absolute favorites is "The count of Monte Cristo", Then "Brave New World", and "Hiroshima" (i picked in school because it was short, but i had no idea the impact it would have on me.)
I liked both Dan Brown's Langdon thrillers, "Homeland" By Salvatore. Im with you guys the list just goes on.

[aadams73]

This like being asked to choose a favorite child.

JK Rowling's Harry Potter Books
The Lord of the Rings (I reread this every year)
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult
East of Eden
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Jemima J and Mr Maybe by Jane Green
All of the C.S. Lewis Narnia books
Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree books.
All of Roald Dahl's books.


and a million others

[moblues]

Hello everybody. Still a neophyte to the site. To this day, my favorite book has been "Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I voraciously read and read again anything by this author during my formative years.

Anything by Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and some Fred Saberhagen could be considered as well.

Present day favorites include Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, as well as Michael Creighton. An honorable mention goes to Caleb Carr.

If you were to check out "The Mound Builders" in the 'Share Your Work' section of this website, you would notice that nods go to nearly all of the writers mentioned above.


I'm glad I found this site. Thanks.

[THenry]

Won't pick a favorite, but Truman Capote's Other Voices, Other Rooms finally made me put pen to paper.

[katee]

I have too many favourite books to list, but I can answer "what book made you want to start writing". All the mediocre books out there that I've read.

The books I love are amazing, and whenever I read them I'm totally in awe of how great the writer is - and they intimidate the heck out of me as a writer. But the mediocre books are the books that made me think, I can do this too.

Now, considering I haven't finished writing my first novel (yet!), the memory of those mediocre books keeps me going: If that book can get written, I can finish my book too.

[triceretops]

The guy who started all for me was Poul Anderson's Virgin Planet. He became a penpal and mentor. Couldn't ask for a better teacher! Alan Dean Foster's Ice Rigger--Peter Benchley's The Island--Speilberg's Close Encounters was surprisingly well done for such a little book. George R.R. Martin's The Sand King was the best short I ever read.

Don't know why but read everything by Joseph Wambaugh--now that's a real shocker.

Kudos to the person who picked H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard!

Triceratops

[brinkett]

But the mediocre books are the books that made me think, I can do this too.

There are published books that encourage new writers in a backwards sort of way, yes.

[Marcusthefish]

Stephen King and J.R.R. Tolkien made me want to write. Misery is my favorite of King's novels.

Books that I really love and admire are Hyperion by Dan Simmons, Watership Down, by Richard Adams, and Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry.

MTF

[Liam Jackson]

No particular order and no way to seperate them in terms of enjoyment and influence: (Top Ten List)

Nine Princes in Amber, R. Zelazny
Martian Chronicles, R. Bradbury
Rift War Saga, R. Feist
Ivanhoe, W. Scott
It, S. King
Talisman and Black House S. King/P. Straub
Ghost Story, P. Straub
Wars of Light and Shadow, J. Wurts
The Deerslayer, J.F. Cooper
Catch-22, J. Heller

There really isn't a way for me to seperate these by degrees or worth or influence. Each brought, and left something different with me.

NOTE:
King's On Writing planted the seed that I could write commercially. Inspiring and straight from the shoulder.

An author, rather than a book, convinced me the notion of writing for a living wasn't so far fetched. Out of respect for the author as a human being, I won't mention his name or works, but dear gawd, reading that stuff gave me nose bleeds. Still, he gave me tons of hope. Maybe I'll have the opportunity to pay it forward and give some of you folk nose bleeds, someday. Then, you can charge ahead and write your own. :)

[stranger]

I remember reading a book and thinking it was abysmal; I categorized it as 'author must be sleeping with the publisher'. Then I thought: I could do it better. (Write a book, not sleep with a publisher.) And whenever I'm reading a brilliant book and get depressed about my ability to write well enough, I look at that book or read a passage or two.

Favourite books.
First 6/7 of Wheel of Time:Robert Jordan
Song of Fire and Ice: George RR Martin (He's just finished his latest, yey!)
Gone with the Wind: Margaret Mitchell
Ender's Game: Orson Scott Card
Catcher in the Rye: JD Salinger
To kill a Mocking Bird: Harper Lee
Cannery Row: John Steinbeck. (Or anything else by Steinbeck)

[Pat~]

Whats your favorite book, what book made you want to start writing, how much of an impact did it have on your life? What are you reading now?

To be truthful I'd have to answer 'the Bible' to all of those questions, (though there are many, many 2nd favorites that have also influenced me greatly.) Claimed to believe it for a lifetime, but didn't actually read it cover to cover until 5 years ago. It was my "Aha" experience, and had a major, 'turning point' impact on my life (I was in a self-destruct mode at the time). It first inspired and continues to influence my writing. My first writing venture was a Bible study for women (being considered at 2 publishers right now) based on that "aha" experience, and though I've got one article due out in a magazine, most of my writing is devotional (poetry, devotionals for devotional publications).

What am I reading now (besides the above)? I am constantly in the middle of about a dozen books (I'm ADD), mostly non-fiction with a few fiction thrown in. I favor the Christian mystics, from early church fathers right up to 20th c. Am reading alot of those titles (which would not ring a bell with most of you, so won't list them here--check out www.ccel.org (http://www.ccel.org) if interested); also reading Obsessed by Ted Dekker, The Grace of Catastrophe by Jan Winebrenner, The Glorious Pursuit by Gary Thomas, Future Grace by John Piper, and want to squeeze in a reread of Tolkien's trilogy.

[Ruukah]

Whats your favorite book, what book made you want to start writing, how much of an impact did it have on your life? What are you reading now?

My favorite book is The Bible. How much of an impact did it have on my life? Well, it changed it completely. Or more specifically God did, and still is. I'm inspired to write stories because Jesus was a storyteller. Every story contains messages and I want mine to align with scripture. Most of all I hope that my writing will encourage others to seek a personal relationship with Christ. That's what drives me.

[pixiejuice]

Whats your favorite book, what book made you want to start writing, how much of an impact did it have on your life? What are you reading now?

What a fun thread!

My favorite books:
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Saftety of Objects by A.M. Homes
Birds of America by Lorrie Moore

It wasn't a book that made me want to start writing, actually, it was a video game. Final Fantasy X. And I started writing when I wrote a fanfiction story about it. After which I left fanfiction behind and started writing original stuff. Weird, huh? I don't know if I'd be a writer today if I hadn't played that game.

Reading right now: I just finished Kiss Me, Judas by Will Christopher Baer, and I'm about to pick up The Cider House Rules by John Irving.

[SheliaRudesill]

Does anyone like their own books better than all the rest? A woman who read my first novel told me that it was, "the best book she'd ever read!" Unfortunately, she was the only one who told me that. I'm constantly trying to improve my writing as I'm certain you are. But, really now, is there someone here who thinks one of their own books is their favorite?

[ymmatrysk]

My favorite book of all time is The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk. It is one of the few books that actually made me cry, it was so visceral in some parts. I had a chance to meet her at a signing for another book and chat about it, which was really exciting for me. I also love Alice Hoffman books, I hear her voice in my writing sometimes but I don't think I pull it off as well as she does...

Jen

[Roger J Carlson]

Most of Robert A. Heinlein. Of these, I think I like "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" the best.

[Marcusthefish]

Most of Robert A. Heinlein. Of these, I think I like "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" the best.

Great choice--I was a big Heinlein reader during my formative years. The book that got me into SF was Time for the Stars.

Oh, and I'll second George R.R. Martin's novella "Sandkings" (mentioned above). If you like that or Martin's new stuff, you should dig up a copy of Fevre Dream, a great historical vampire story. I think it was reissued last year.

MTF

[MarkEsq]

My favorite book is Catch-22, it's one of the few books I can read over and over.
No book really inspired me to begin writing, it's just something I've always done and wanted to do.

[BlueTexas]

I've been thinking more about what book it was that inspired me to write. It's hard to remember what exactly you read in your formative years...

I can remember being little--bedtime story little. There was this book that I insisted be read to me over and over every night for what my mother says is years. It was called The Little Roar. I think maybe then I learned how books could take you to magical places that left the dark, scary world behind.

And I think Robert Frost and The Diary of Anne Frank had something to do with it, too. I wish I could remember more of what I read in school...too many concussions wiped that out, maybe, cause I can't recall more than three or four.

[Niku]

There was no particular inspiration to write, just a varacious appetite for books, poetry, facts and images generally as a child plus an unwillingness to write a straight piece of work at school, turning everything into a story, a poem or a play...

The most inspiring books i've ever read are 100 years (Marquez), the Impressionist (Kunzri), a fine balance (mistry), curious incident (Mark Haddon), chronicle of a death foretold (again Marquez for its startling brevity and inevitability), but there are hundreds of other fine books which have not come to mind in these few minutes but are no less wonderful.

The most inspiring quality of a book is that it consumes you completely and you are mixed with a desire to hurriedly devour the work and immerse yourself in it completely and the conflicting sadness that you did not savour it for long enough and it is over all too quickly. It was the first time a book made me cry and laugh, each loudly and whole-heartedly, that I realised the full potency of the written word.

[Kiva Wolfe]

I can never narrow a favorite book down to one, but two invaluable How-Tos still rank amongst mine:

How to Get Happily Published by Judith Applebaum and The Writer's Journey, by Christopher Vogler. While mostly geared to screenwriting, Vogler's work can help any novel writer exploring the concept of the hero's journey.

For all those seeking further inspiration, a third would be Stephen King's, On Writing.

Thanks for asking us to share.

[Pat~]

The most inspiring quality of a book is that it consumes you completely and you are mixed with a desire to hurriedly devour the work and immerse yourself in it completely and the conflicting sadness that you did not savour it for long enough and it is over all too quickly. It was the first time a book made me cry and laugh, each loudly and whole-heartedly, that I realised the full potency of the written word.

Wow...that's exactly what a favorite book does! Well-said :) .

[EminemsRevenge]

For writing purposes...Finnegans Wake:)

[BradyH1861]

I have quite a few:

Bridge to Tarabithia (loved it when I was younger...not sure if I spelled it right)
Brotherhood of War Series by W.E.B. Griffith
American Bicentennial Series by John Jakes
Paradise Alley by Kevin Baker
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Rifles for Watie (what inspired me as a boy to study the Civil War)
A Report from Engine Company 82 by Dennis Smith....nonfiction, but it was one of the things that inspired me to follow this line of work....and continues to inspire me to this day.

There are others, of course, but those are what comes to mind first.

Brady H.

[katdad]

My main novel and most beloved book is "Ulysses" by Joyce.

I have made a personal, private study of this immortal novel. I have maybe 40 books on the subject, and about 8 varied editions, including a wonderful first edition, 10th printing, from Shakespeare & Co., Paris (the original publishers)

I've had this book appaised for about $3k but it's not for sale. My intent is to have an original typeset copy to compare with my "Gabler" corrected edition.

Later

[Jamesaritchie]

My main novel and most beloved book is "Ulysses" by Joyce.

I have made a personal, private study of this immortal novel. I have maybe 40 books on the subject, and about 8 varied editions, including a wonderful first edition, 10th printing, from Shakespeare & Co., Paris (the original publishers)

I've had this book appaised for about $3k but it's not for sale. My intent is to have an original typeset copy to compare with my "Gabler" corrected edition.

Later

It's interesting how tastes differ, even with such books as Ulysses. That's one of the extremely few books I simply can't get through without wishing the written language had never been invented. I hate the writing more than any I've read anywhere, at any time. If we had a least favorite, novel you thought the worst of all time thread, Ulysses would be at the top of my list. Everything else by Joyce would follow it.

Yet many love the book to no end, and I've known people who could quote darned near the entire novel. Go figure.

[faerydancer]

I thought I'd chime in as well. As a child, I really enjoyed "A Wrinkle in Time." I remember wishing I could write a story like that. I also adored the "Goosebumps," series. Not the best literature but developed a love for a good creepy tale that I still possess. During my teens, I picked up many of Stephen King's works and he's become one of my favorite authors. I really enjoyed "Bag of Bones." It was about an author, of course. I always feel his, "On Writing," is a fabulous look into the life and struggles of a writer. It was an inspiring read.

"The Hobbit," is a favorite as well as the "Lord of the Rings," series. Tolkien's creation of an entire world filled with history made me long to have such commitment to a vision.

My English literature classes have taught me an invaluable appreciation for the classics, like Milton and Chaucer. The works of many poets have influenced my entire outlook as well, like Wordsworth, Yeats and Keats.

But back about novels. "The Diary of Anne Frank," kept high school English as something I enjoyed, as did "To Kill a Mockingbird."

I don't read as much as I'd like to these days, but reading everyone else's favorites is creating quite a little list for me to pick from.

Best,
Brenda
:)

[mdin]

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay.

[jules]

Like many here, I can't say that I have a favourite book. I've loved lots of the ones that have been listed, as well as others.

David Weber's Honor Harrington series (I read all 10 of them in about two months)
MZB's Mists of Avalon
I'm sure I'll think of more later!

I was inspired to write by Stephen King's "It". Started writing my first novel the moment I finished reading it.

[EminemsRevenge]

It's interesting how tastes differ, even with such books as Ulysses. That's one of the extremely few books I simply can't get through without wishing the written language had never been invented. I hate the writing more than any I've read anywhere, at any time. If we had a least favorite, novel you thought the worst of all time thread, Ulysses would be at the top of my list. Everything else by Joyce would follow it.

Yet many love the book to no end, and I've known people who could quote darned near the entire novel. Go figure.

Stay away from Finnegans Wake then:Shrug:

It took me ten years of studying to be able to understand Ulysses without all the explanatory books written on the subject, but it WILL take a few more lieftimes to put a dent into the Wake:flag:

What i did learn from Joyce though is that he sincerely loved what he was doing...and the fact that neither you or i can fully understand that has him laughing in his grave:)

i got http://www.techwebsound.com/The%20Jimi%20Hendrix%20Experience%20-%20Are%20You%20Experienced%20%5BU.S.%20LP%20Cover% 5D.jpg when i was nine-years-old and thought it was complete garbage...but when i learnt how to play guitar, somewhat, three years later i realized some of what Jimi was doing.....

Eddie VanHalen has since become sort of a landmark of what can be done with a guitar, but there is also Malsteem, Vai, Satriani and a host of other with stupendous technical abilities...but Jimi was still the one that made the guitar electric!!!

Since my just completed novel uses Ulysses as a template & falls woefully short of the mark, i came up with my own cliche---Americans who strive to be like Joyce most often end up being imitations of Faulkner---and while this is obviously not a disparaging remark about the creator of Yoknapatawpha County, it is an indictment of our limited educational experiences:Lecture:

Deus vult was once common knowledge to the reading public, yet it is now lost in translation to us!!!

James Joyce is like that auld army recruiting slogan---Be all that you can be---and you either go for it, or you become another Hubert Selby

[SheliaRudesill]

I thought Clapton was God....

[gp101]

The first book I read voluntarily, that is to say, I bought with my own money (cuz the title was cool) was Jules Vernes' 20,000 Leaugues Under the Sea. Good choice because that book turned me into a novel whore, inspiring me to find more adventurous, captivating tales. Which I rarely did. I was in 3rd grade when I got that book. But I had wanted to be a writer even before that... I have no idea why. A self-masochistic fetish I guess.

My fave's since then are the Sun Also Rises, Atlas shrugged, The Stand, A Separate Piece, and Grapes of Wrath. May have to add Davinci Code to the list... we'll see after I read it again in a few months. Loved it the first time, see if does it for me a second time. Maybe right before the Ron Howard's movie version comes out with Tom Hanks as the lead (too old for that part!).

Fave authors are Hemmingway, Ryand, Poe, and Elmore Leonard.

[aadams73]

I thought Clapton was God....

He still is, that hasn't changed. :)

[Godfather]

hmm... i love the wheel of time series

autobiography of malcolm x

chronicles: volume 1 (bob dylan autobiog) is brilliant and fascinating.

[Demonica]

"Joy of Man's Desiring" by Jean Giono. I bought this book about 15 years ago, attacted by its elegant cover to discover its astonishing contents. If you don't know the author (as I didn't), look him up. He was a bank clerk in the Piedmont region between Italy and Southern France. His writing is lyrical in style but with a keen sense of the forces that drive human behavior. His subjects are mostly the small townspeople and the farmers of his region, but he invests them with a mythic grandeur and dignity of universal reach.

[Snuffaluffalee]

My ultimate two favorite authors have to be:

George RR Martin and
Dorothy Dunnett

*heart* *heart* *heart*

[EminemsRevenge]

I thought Clapton was God....

The original quote was originally supposed to be Clapton is good, but the due who wrote it on the phone booth was too drunk & forgot an "o"

http://www.concertshots.com/images/cs-SteveVai1-Atlanta71901.JPG

is god....

[Thekherham]

I like anything by Stephen King and Robert Ludlum.

But if we're talking favorites here, it would probably have to be Watership Down, by Richard Adams.

[Nangleator]

Favorite book is way too hard. Favorite author is easier. (As in, the Atlantic Ocean is easier to drink than the Pacific Ocean.)

Heinlein, Niven, Tom Clancy, Robert Parker, Douglas Adams, Timothy Zahn... Hell, I still read the Lensmen series from time to time, so add Smith.

Favorite books have been:

Chuck Yeager's autobiography.
Ender's Game
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Threshold
Dragonquest
The Number of the Beast

For anyone familiar with The Number of the Beast: I suspected Heinlein of attempting with that book to communicate with the future to have himself and his wife rescued and brought forward to a more civilized time. I don't think it worked, because their deaths were so many years apart.

[Supafly]

First of all, if we're talking about guitarists, the top three are Hendrix, Clapton, Santana, not in any particular order.

For books:

His Dark Materials-Philip Pullman
Shogun-James Clavell
LOTR-Tolkein
The Stand-Stephen King
Garden of Eden-Ernest Hemingway
The Foundation series (7 books now?)-Isaac Asimov (the God of SF)

I might have forgotten a few, but I can't say one definitely.

[SJB]

The following books have meant a lot to me.

- Rudyard Kipling's complete works
- Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy
- George Eliot's Middlemarch
- EM Forster's Maurice

Books that I've read recently which have impressed and inspired me but which haven't yet passed the reread-a-million-times milestone include Marilyn French's The Women's Room, Stephen King's The Stand and Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

I also *adore* the poetry of Frost, Tennyson and Robert Browning.

I look forward to investigating some of the hitherto-unknown-to-me books that have been mentioned in this thread. Thanks.

[WVWriterGirl]

Chuck Yeager's autobiography.


Nangleator - My father is a childhood friend of Chuck Yeager. They used to make molasses together in the summertime when my dad would visit his grandmother.

As far as my favorite books...
I have to say that, although now I know they're not that good, I still really love David Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean series. These were the first books I read that introduced me to the fantasy genre, and they got me hooked. I've been a magic-and-dragon junkie ever since. Other favorites include Stephen King's The Stand and The Dark Tower series...oh, and I also really like The Green Mile. I've only recently introduced myself to the "classics", or more literary-type authors. I'm currently reading I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, and I think it's going to go down as a favorite (I'll probably have to re-read it to be completely positive, though). Frank Herbert's Dune books rank high on my list of favorites, as well. Though tough to read through the first time, I've read them several times now and they seem to just get better.

As far as what inspired me to write in the first place...well, I can't really say it was a book. It was my dad - he used to make up the most fantastical stories for bedtime and tell them to me time and time again. I think I just realized that if he could come up with these tales (my dad's an accountant) I could, too. I've been looking at the world a little differently ever since then.

WVWG

[Supafly]

I forgot Dune. I would place Dune and the Foundation series at the top of the true "science fiction" list. Those are really what sci-fi is meant to be.

[aruna]

The most inspiring quality of a book is that it consumes you completely and you are mixed with a desire to hurriedly devour the work and immerse yourself in it completely and the conflicting sadness that you did not savour it for long enough and it is over all too quickly. It was the first time a book made me cry and laugh, each loudly and whole-heartedly, that I realised the full potency of the written word.

I first felt this when I was about 12, and read My Friend Flicka. I can stil recall the emotions of that time; I can stil quote from that book. That was the first time I understood the power of the written word and of storytelling; and longed to do the same.

I was similarly affected by For Whom the Bell Tolls by E. Hemigway, and Jane Eyre by C. Bronte.

The book becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande was the one that consciousl motivated me to get started. Up to that point it seemed a thing beyond my skill.

Books I love right now? Too many to name but I do love the books of Rohinton Mistry.

[Nangleator]

Nangleator - My father is a childhood friend of Chuck Yeager.
I envy you.

I judged that book great not because of the writing, which I can't remember, but on how much fun I had reading it. The man's life is astonishing.

[Niku]

Books I love right now? Too many to name but I do love the books of Rohinton Mistry.[/QUOTE]

Me too! Although his partciular brand of pathos just kills me - I need a serious pick-me-up once I'm done! He is relentless and brilliant for it! He is the perfect example of a writer who really can write well (sorry for the digs you're getting on this site, Danny B) but does not ever labour the point. He places all the emphasis on the story he is telling with the calm assurance of one who knows that if he lets his story breathe (free of "darlings") it can only conquer. Just thinking about "A Fine Balance" makes me feel melancholy....

[Jamesaritchie]

I forgot Dune. I would place Dune and the Foundation series at the top of the true "science fiction" list. Those are really what sci-fi is meant to be.

I loved Foundation when I first read the books, but for the life of me, I can't read them again.

[aruna]

Books I love right now? Too many to name but I do love the books of Rohinton Mistry.

Just thinking about "A Fine Balance" makes me feel melancholy....[/QUOTE]

Yes. When I came to the end of that book I was screaming to myself: No! No! No! PLEASE don't let this happen!!!! Pleading with the author, God, whoever.

That's the kind of response I would like to generate in readers. it seems to me there is very little of it in quality fiction these days. There is a blandness to it all, as if "literary" authors are afraid of strong emotion, or regard it as beneath them. A case in point is the book I am now reading, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. It's extremely well written, the characters are brilliantly decribed, every detail is attended to. And yet - I don't FEEL anything. I don't really care. To tel yoyu the truth, I am bored. I will finish the book because there's no reason not to, but nothing it is demanding that I turn the pages. And I haev that reaction a lot of the time in the books that are supposed to be today's best.

[Supafly]

I know exactly what you mean aruna. Emotion to me is the most important part of a character in literature. It is what takes the character from being a word on a page to being a living, breathing intelligence. Emotions are how people are able to relate to one another, and in this sense, clearly defining emotion in prose allows the reader to connect with the people one is reading about.

One book that I'm trying to get people to find is Garden of Eden by Hemingway. It was published posthumously because he could not get it published during his lifetime because of its implications. It was also unfinished, but actually the point where the book ends is suitable. Everyone who knows his work knows that in most of his books his characters are based loosely on him and have his characteristics. But the plot in this book mirrors his actual life so much that he was afraid that it would substantiate the rumors of his repressed homosexuality, among other things. It is pretty free with its language and sexual content, considering when it was written, but I could not put it down once I started it. The story really flows well and you feel the need to find out how far the three characters spiral into their haze. Just saying its a really good book, arguably one of his best.

Another classic I loved was Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.

[threedogpeople]

I just finished Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Not my absolute favorite of all times but an excellent read. I ran a google search on the title and learned that there will be a movie made from the book to be released in 2007.

While I think the novel could have been tightened with another edit, I could taste, smell and take a walk down the streets of India in its pages. At almost 1000 pages, I kept pushing to the end then had the wonderful feeling that I wanted to know more about the characters. Hopefully Roberts is planning/writing book 2.

There was also an odd thing about this book. As I read there are generally "logical" places to pause and put the book down for the day. I realized after the first 3 or 4 days that Shantaram didn't have many of these natural pauses. The threads of the story, scenes and chapters were so long that I had to just stop at the end of a paragraph and pick the book up mid-scene the next day.

[Garbarian]

The only novel I have in progress right now is "Look Homeward, Angel" by Thomas Wolfe. I've read it a couple of times before, but I'm now reading through all the Thomas Wolfe novels again.

This is also one of my all-time favorites. It's such a good book, and sadly, very under-read. Virtually everybody I mention the book to says, "Oh, the Bonfire of the Vanities guy?" No, no, a thousand times no! Anybody interested in writing needs to savor a Thomas Wolfe sentence or two. I love the quasi-sequel, "You Can't Go Home Again," almost as much.

I will disagree with James on Ulysses, though, which I find phenomenal. It seems odd to me that one can like a book such as "Look Homeward, Angel," and not find "Ulysses" enjoyable. (Interestingly, and obviously, Thomas Wolfe and James Joyce were quite close in Wolfe's expatriate days.) But who knows why certain books strike chords in readers.

[zeprosnepsid]

My favorite fiction novels are The Romance of the Book and The Sword by Louis Cha, The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe and Lost Horizon by Hilton.

Right now I'm just reading some Sherlocke Holmes short stories. I just finished a book and I didn't want to start into anything new until I get the books I asked for for Christmas. I intend to read The Bostonians next due to a new found interested in Henry James.

I don't feel like any book really wanted me to write, but on my current WIP, which is YA, I've started to realize the profound influence that certain books of my childhood had on me like Sideway Stories from Wayside School and Incognito Mosquito.

[blisswriter]

I like most of Stephen King's books, including his non-fiction. I read Carrie first, then the excerpt of 'Salem's Lot in Cosmo. I was in 6th or 7th grade and they both scared the sh*t outta me.

It was the beginning of my obsession with horror novels.


My other favorites are:



Black Boy
Octavia Butler's fiction
Stranger in a Strange Land
Chocolat
Xaviera Hollander's stuff (shhhh... don't tell my mommy)
Celestine Prophecy
Love; Paradise (both by Toni Morrison)
Jane Eyre
The book that pushed me to write was Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume. I began keeping a diary when I finished it. I was in 3rd grade, I think.

I tried to write in my diary every day. Initially, I started out sounding like Margaret. But once I found my own voice, I realized I liked writing.

After I read lots more fiction, I knew I wanted to give it a try.



Right now I'm reading:


Foundation
all about love

[SusanR]

There are books that have a grip on me, that live on in my mind no matter how many years go by, and here's that list:

1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle.

2. The Giver by Lois Lowry

3. The Odd Woman by Gail Godwin

4. August by Judith Rossner

5. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

6. Water Dancer by Jennifer Levin

7. The Yearling by Margary Kinnan Rawlings

8. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris



SusanR

[ANNIE]

The first book I read that go me intrested in writing was probably

The Lord of the Rings. I read it before anyone knew what it was, I loved it thenand I still love it today, I read it once a year at least. But I don't ussualy write in fantasy. I do have one WIP though that is in the genre.

Other books- Dandelion Wine

The last caotholic in America

Do black patent leather shoes really reflect up?


Anything by Lee Child, Robrt Crais, Jonathon Kellerman, Michael Connelly

my tastes are constantly changing and I'm open to any genre.

[cwilliard]

Fiction-The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It was the book that the movie Gettysburg was based on.

Non-Fiction-Mafia Dynasty by John Davis. It was about the rise and fall of the Gambino Crime Family.

[SusanR]

How could I have forgotten? A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith. It isn't a perfect novel, but it's a perfectly wonderful study in how to make characters real and settings vivid. It's an example of a "living book"--one whose story remains real in the mind after the book is closed.

SusanR

[ATP]

Sadly, as a full-time non-fiction writer, at the end of the day, I don't seem to have the energy - or perhaps more importantly, the internal quiet - to read novels.

But, of the books I remember well, in no particular order:

Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
100 Days of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Dune series (#3 was scraping the bottom of the barrel)
Russell Braddon -

Yukio Mishima (Japanese)

Edward Marston - his Elizabethan mysteries are both funny and evocative

Quite a number of the books already mentioned here eg.A Separate Peace, and one in my impressionable youth, a satire on the Vietnam war by a journalist, The Only War We've Got (don't remember the author). And many others.

I used to read and write poetry a lot in my earlier years (and some drama), so there is a good percentage of poets in the mix.

No one book started me writing, or gave me that "aha!" moment; it was the continuous pleasure that a book managed to provide (or not). Oh!, and a mother who was a voracious reader, and a lover of the word. She is perhaps the single most influence on my dealing with words, of their mood, tempo, texture.

Concentrating solely on writing non-fiction doesn't really allow or stimulate the creative juices in the same way as with novel writing or reading.

ATP

[blargh]

My list is long, and ever-changing, but here are a few that come to mind:

Confederacy of Dunces
Raintree County
Dune
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Don Quixote
Secret Sea
Call it Courage
Lonesome Dove
The Sound and the Fury
Gone With the Wind
Dubliners--The only Joyce book I *really* enjoyed, although Ulysses was great.

[Shadow_Ferret]

I don't have a favorite book. I'm not even sure I have the requisite "If you were stuck on an island, what 10 books would you bring?" I rarely re-read books.

However, I can tell you what books got me interested in writing. I was in middle school and reading was still an "eh, so what?" kind of thing to me what with Hardy Boy mysteries, Wizard of Oz, and those sorts of books.

One day found me in the grownup area and I found a book called "Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar," (I think it was Burrough's 5th book in the series. I just remember enjoying the movies, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was floored. Action! Adventure! Half-naked man swinging through the jungle killing things with a knife!

My next trip to the bookstore and that small shelf of books, my eyes alighted upon this fantasic cover art by Frank Frazetta of this massive muscled man standing on a pile of dead bodies with this nude girl at his feet. It was "Conan the Adventurer," by Robert E. Howard and was one of the series of 12 books re-written and edited by L. Sprague de Campe and Lin Carter that came out in the late 60s, early 70s.

Both Tarzan and Conan sent me on a quest for books of this type, sword and sorcery, action/adventure, fantasy. And opened my eyes to a whole new magical, mystical world filled with demons, dragons, wizards and beautiful damsels. And I realized that's what I wanted to write.

And as far as favorite guitarists, mine are Tony Iommi and Al DiMeola.

[KelseyF]

My Sister's Keeper - Jodie Picoult
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley