Notes From an Amateur Writer #41
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKS?
This Blog series is an exercise in creative writing. Sometimes expressed in short story form, sometimes as a journal, or just my thoughts written down. This is my attempt to help coalesce my writing ideas and knowledge into usable form. It is a nursery of sorts for the stories that are on their way, or yet to be written.
This is post 6 in @dragosroua's January 30 day writing challenge.
Tell Me About Your Favourite Books
I have posted several times lately discussing my reading habits from 2017, and detailing what my reading goals are for 2018. I received many comments and suggestions for other books to look at also. All very helpful, especially for someone wishing to broaden his reading amount and styles.
It got me to thinking – why not just go directly and ask others what their favourite books are? But not even such a broad question. Such a thing is often impossible for an avid reader to answer. From what genre? From what year? Year of publishing or the year it was actually read? And many more can lead from even this little expansion upon the initial question.
So I will leave it open ended. And it's not just favourite books I am interested to hear about. Even those you found to be interesting, for whatever reason. I would love to hear other people's reading habits, and suggestions. What grabbed you the most? What surprised you the most? Did any leave you disappointed, or even make you throw the book away in disgust? Did you read something so good you proceeded to look for more from the author immediately?
I discussed my own reading interests here and here, but would love to hear your thoughts and ideas about books that grabbed you for whatever reason. Even books you are looking forward to reading sometime soon.
Images from unsplash.com and used with permission.
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@naquoya
Links to earlier works
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Firstly, thank you for not asking which books were my favourite. After 35 years of compulsive reading (I read Lord of the Rings at about 12, though I don't think I understood it properly.) there is no way I could answer that question. Also, I tend to forget books very quickly.
I like a good story, preferably fast paced, but not always. I think the characters are what makes me fall in love with a book. Think Stephen King's The Green Mile or Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. I love epic stories, especially about world-ending scenarios. (Mmmm, seems weird if I put it that way.) Some of Michael Crichtons books have fulfilled that need. I like odd, bizarre and a little creepy. For haunting books (literally and figuratively, James Herbet is a favourite.) I read most of Peter James, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. I wish I could find more authors along this line, so any suggestions would be welcome.
I've touched on fantasy and sci-fi, more so when I was younger. I re-read the CS Lewis Narnia series more times I can count when I was in my early teens/pre-teens. Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern too. My dad had a huge sci-fi collection, Philip K Dick; Isaac Asimov, etc, but I think I read them when I was too young to fully appreciate them.
Now I have so much less time, but when I need to checkout of life for a while I will read a book in an entire sitting, so I have a cupboard full of books waiting to be read. (My husband buys loads of books at the auctions.)
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Answered like a true avid reader. I think books appeal to us for so many different reasons. And as we grow and change as people so do our tastes. They can mark times in our lives, if we think back upon them, like good music.
There is so many books that I find hard to recall from my late teenage years and early twentys. That's why I am rereading some of the ones that really stood out to me to try to refresh my memory of what made them great.
I do agree that characters are so central. Some people are either into strong plots, or strong characters, but I think both are key. But without good characters to drive the plot then forget it. The Jack Reacher series are great. I am way behind on them, but I like what I have read. Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider is one I need to reread.
I always wished I could read quicker. My sister always had the ability to read a book in one sitting. As a child I took several weeks to finish one. Not sure why, as I was a good student and never struggled with reading, but books would bore me. I had to address that because I wanted to read and experience the wonder of reading. That's why I think so highly of Philip K Dick - it was his writings that snapped me out of that. I ended up reading at least 30 of his books in about 6 months. I think my problem is I just was never given anything as a child I enjoyed.
So now I am playing catch up. Seeing what great books I have missed over the years that others recommend. Thanks for the comment and suggestions.
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I think people's brains are wired differently. Either you are a binge reader or not :)
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Stephen King's and Ernest Hemingway's works are always favorites of mine. I like the Dune books, and I also like Heinlein's stuff. I'm holding off on mentioning the other books that we have in common, mostly Philip K Dick, etc. I like the Cthulhu books, Hugh Howie's stuff, Jonathan Franzen's work. Oh, and The Last Girlfriend on Earth. Obviously, there are tons of many others but those are the things that came into mind.
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Yes, Dune is a classic. I have only read the main one, and I need to reread it. There is a long series of them. I've been meaning to look at some of Ernest Hemingway's material. Still haven't yet. But it would bode an aspiring writer to have even a rudimentary knowledge of his work and style.
Thanks for the list. Some I am very familiar with, and some not so. As always new material for me to study up on.
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I think you'll notice that how I write is heavily influenced by Hemingway's style. It was unintentional of course, but yeah.
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Well now I am intrigued to know more. I will have to add one of his to my reading list sooner rather than later.
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Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 is on top of my favorite books. Why? Murakami is master and magician with words and to my opinion, 1Q84 is his masterpiece. In 1Q84 the atmosphere and the characters were presented in such a way, that the whole period while reading this book, I actually felt like part of me is living also in the book's universe. Magnificant book!
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I second this. 1Q84 is a masterpiece!
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I have heard of that novel, but I never taken the time to look into it or what it is about. Your post piqued my interest, and a very quick read of the synopsis at wikipedia and I must say I am intrigued.
Thank you for sharing this. One more to my list.
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You will not regret, I am sure. I enjoyed every minute of reading it!
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I can see why. I have downloaded it on my Kindle and already the first few pages read so smoothly. Very nicely written style so far. Thanks for the tip.
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You are welcome! Lots of reading pleasure!
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I love reading Tom Robbins, very quirky, especially liked his book, Another Roadside Attraction. His subjects are all over the place, sci-fi, surreal.
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That's a name I have heard, but I haven't read his books. SciFi and Surreal interests me, so I will take a look. Thank you.
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For me, I'd have to see David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. A sprawling, complex, humane and absolutely magnificent novel.
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Another new one to me. Thanks for letting me know about it. When did you read this novel?
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I've read it twice (it's that good). The last time was around 5 years ago.
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I have just downloaded a copy to my Kindle, so over the next few weeks I will start reading it. Glad you enjoyed and and I appreciate the share.
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Excellent! Enjoy!!!
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Sounds awesome thanks for sharing!
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Whenever people ask me what my favorite book is, I always say, there are too many and it is hard to choose. It is easier to choose my favorite books from childhood. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The book's descriptions of the garden and the healing power associated with it really struck me. I also like how Mary is a character who is not very likable at the beginning but she gradually transforms because of the garden. As an adult, I saw a book called Return to the Secret Garden or something like that (can't remember the name of the book) which was supposed to be a sequel to the beloved classic. I read the book standing in the bookstore in a few hours and hated it so much! Of course there have been a lot of criticisms of The Secret Garden from a post colonial point of view, but it still stands out as a childhood favorite.
A book that I enjoyed recently is Peter Carey's The Chemistry of Tears. I love the descriptions of the museum and the sense of mystery in the book. It also describes how a woman deals with grief in a very interesting way.
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It is an almost impossible question to answer, isn't it? That's why I broadened it. I think books interest us and appeal to us for a variety of reasons. perhaps they were our favourite but they still struck us some how. This, to me, is still important.
Exactly as you explained your reasoning for why you listed The Secret Garden. I get it. I know I have loved stories from childhood that I don't want to revisit, in case it isn't like I remember and I destroy my found recollection of it.
Thanks for sharing some books that you have enjoyed. Glad to have read your thoughts. I will add these to my list to have keep a look out for in the future.
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Ooooh, I had forgotten all about the Secret Garden until you mentioned it...I loved it too.
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The book was much better than the movie!
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I never watched the movie, books generally are though. :)
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Two of my most favourite authors are Dan Brown and Agatha Christie. I enjoy reading thrillers a lot. But that doesn't mean I don't read other genres.
The thing that I liked most with Dan Brown is his way of presentation and the research he do for his plotline. It feels like watching an edge of the seat thriller while reading his novels. The scenes transforms swiftly raising suspense at the end of each chapter and takes it till the very end.
The reason why I prefer Agatha Christie over Conan Doyle is the simplicity in her language. Christie's novels are easier to understand. She always has something new in store.
Dan Brown's all books are exceptional. But if I have to pick one then it is Digital Fortress. That may be because I love computer science. Even my username ensei-tankado is the name of a character in this book.
Christie's famous detective character Hercule Poirot's last case Curtain is my best pick of her. It plays with your grey cells and leave you awestruck at the end. There are still a lot of her books that I haven't read.
Apart from these two writers, as I mentioned I read and enjoy all other genres and authors.
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Thank you for sharing some of your favourite authors and books with me. I have read Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, but not any of his other ones. It is a fast paced thriller, so I know what you mean by it being like an edge of your seat thriller.
I read quite a few of Agatha Christie's novel many years ago. She was a prolific and talented author. And the Hercules Poirot character is a classic, no doubt. I think there is currently a remake of the Murder On The Orient Express movie just been released.
I haven't read the book Curtain, so I may look into that one. Thanks for letting me know about it.
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This post is great, i love that you opened it up to us to tell you the books we are interested or not interested in reading or sharing. my fav is Jane Austen and way before it was popular, as well as the Hobbit. I grew up reading the Hobbit series and Lord of the Rings. Fantasy and Faeries, yay! However, i do love crime, mystery and love the Girl with the dragon tattoo series because she's a BADASS. Your fellow STEEMengineer, casandra
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I think my reading interests started with the Hobbit. Back when I was about 12 years old. Took a little while longer before I read The Lord of the Rings, but when I did I loved it. Such a wonderful world he created.
And yes Lisbeth Salander is BADASS. Wonderfully so. I am just now reading the third in the series.
I haven't read any Jane Austen, but I am very aware of her. Do you have a favourite from her?
Thank you for participating and sharing some of the books and authors you love. Very much appreciated :)
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Sorry, I meant the book Jane Eyre by Bronte. However, I do love the books Sense and Sensibility and Emma. yes, the third book is AWESOME!!! My mom just read the rest of the series (Tattoo) written by a different writer and she said they are so good! I am thinking about reading them but I do not want to be disappointed. Thank you for writing back! xx
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Hey no problem. I know the book you mean. I haven't read it yet, but it's good to know you think highly of it.
I did notice there were books called the same as the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo but written by another author. I was curious as to what that was all about but never followed up on it. Are they a continuation of the series, or a complete rewrite?
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Yes apparently a continuation, just by a different writer? I'm wondering if they are as BADASS and gritty? My mom is sort of unreliable as she pretty much says everything is good. LOL
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I will have to look for reviews online on that one. She is such a specific character and personality that you wouldn't want that messed with in any way.
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Exactly!!
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The original writer died before he could complete the trilogy, I think. The first book is the most memorable, but the other two are well worth the read.
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He had actually written all 3 but died before they got published. Turns out the series has been continued by the publisher. Was just reading about it at Wikipedia. So there are now more (or will be) in the series, but by a different author.
But the first 3 are Steig Larsson's work.
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Okay thanks for the research I was too lazy to do myself! ;)
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Don't mention it :)
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The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. It's an epic 3-volume masterpiece of historical fiction with a small amount of science fiction mixed in. It's set in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, with the simultaneous invention of Calculus by Newton and Leibniz as the centerpiece. The entire trilogy is a 3000+ page monster, so it requires quite a time investment (I think in paperback it's actually divided into 8 books). But totally worth it. Stephenson weaves his fictional events and characters into real history in a fascinating way, and uses language in a rather unique way, with a lot of archaic words to give his writing a feel of the time period. I've never read anything else like it.
Another favorite is the Hyperion series (sci-fi, 4 books) by Dan Simmons. I've read another book by Simmons that I found a bit boring, but this particular series is very engaging and full of big and thoughtful ideas.
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The Baroque Cycle sounds fascinating. The mix of the historical and the SciFi has me curious. Instead of alternative history it sounds like something slightly evolved from that. I will seek it out and see how I go. Sounds like it will take a while to get through, but I'm fine with that.
If I get the chance I will see how I go with Hyperion. Is that more straight up SciFi? Always happy to get recommendations for new SciFi books and authors.
Thanks for your comment.
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The sci-fi in the Baroque Cycle is subtle and minimal. Just a few details. I'm not even sure that sci-fi is the right word, to be honest. Maybe I should rather say that it has a few elements of 'speculative fiction'.
Yes, Hyperion is straight up sci-fi. Takes place in the far future on other planets. But it's not very actiony, more slow-moving and philosophical.
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Sounds like the sort of SciFi I like - Speculative. I understand that The Baroque Cycle is minimal, which is fine. Love the concept so I will give it a go.
As for Hyperion, the philosophical type stories usually grab me more than any others. Started with Philip K Dick, so that's my main SciFi background.
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Holy Cow! Sounds intense ... my head hurts just thinking about calculus ...
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Lol, nice picture! Don't worry, no calculus in the book, although it does explain a bit the process of inventing it. I passionately hated calculus in college, couldn't do well in it no matter how much time and effort I put in, so I would have given up on the books pretty quick if there was any calculus, haha.
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Thanks for the reassurance :)
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lol, love the image.
Hopefully it's a story involving calculus in its storyline, and not requiring the knowledge of it. Otherwise I am in trouble.
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Me too! Lolz
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I would be too, haha!
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I always pick up the annual Journey Prize anthology of short stories—and they are always amoung the most memorable pieces of writing that I read each year.
The Journey Prize is a $10, 000 award to an emerging Canadian writer (I think the deal is they can’t have a book contract to be eligable). The stories are all really different in terms of content and craft.
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Thank you, that's another new one to me. Took a quick look via Google, but will follow up to learn more. I like the premise, and it's good to know that the quality is there.
Did you have any standouts from those books?
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Yeah, the quality is there for sure. They way the stories are selected is that Canadian literary journals are able to submit the best pieces they published that year (or, I guess, the ones they think have the shot at winning the prize). So the shortlist of stories is sort of the best new writing.
25 and 26 are standouts for me. But I haven't read the newest one yet. I'd love to hear what you think about the stories if you pick up a copy! And that's my CanLit plug for the day ;)
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Okay well I shall take at look at the 2 you mentioned to start with. Put them on my ridiculously long reading list (my own fault, I have wide and varying interests). But I will get to them, and share my thoughts when I do. Thanks for taking the time to share with me, and plug away. I'm not familiar with much Canadian Literature, and always happy to learn.
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Well, last year was the time I finally got back into reading for pleasure. Years as a post-grad really sucked the 'joy of reading' right out of me. But I've gotten through some awesome scifi recently (Cixin Liu, Nicky Draper, Ann Leckie) and am on the look out for more this year.
My all time favourite? Robin Hobb. Particularly the Liveship Traders series :)
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Thank you for letting me about these authors. Robin Hobb I am familiar with but the other names are all new to me. And in a genre that I like, so I will check them out. There have been many great SciFi suggestion in the comments section, not sure if any are what you are looking for.
Years of schooling certainly stifled my desire to read for the joy of it. Took awhile to get back into it, but glad I did.
I appreciate the comment.
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Oh, and great idea for a post. I have some new reading suggestions too!!!
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That's good to hear. Thanks for participating. And yes, my own reading list is going to keep me super busy for a while.
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I love to read at night to relax. The books I read know have changed by what peaks my interest at the time.
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Thank you for your comment. I tend to do a lot of reading at night also. Very good way to relax and unwind. And enter someone else's created world.
Are you reading anything at the moment?
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My favourite off all the time is Naked Masks from Luigi Pirandello, but my current favourite is My genial friend from Elena Ferrante, A must read. :D
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Thank you for sharing these titles with me. I haven't heard of either of them (unfortunately I can say that about so many good books), but now that I know of them I shall do some research.
What was it about them that appealed to you?
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Naked Masks ironize society at the start of 20th century. And problems are still present and really actual - fisical appearence, double moral, death, wait... So many different topics with humor, critics and good irony. An incredible book (group of short novels, actually). The book was published in the beggining of the 20th century and it's so modern that I sometimes forget that is not really recent. The author, Pirandello, was incredible guy. He even won a Nobel.
Elena Ferrante is from 2011, I think, it speaks about 2 girls growing up in Naples in 1950es. It's a modern feminism, incredibly well done. :D
About Elena Ferrante
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Thanks for sharing some more about these books. It's interesting that Naked Masks was written about a hundred years ago yet comes across feeling so modern. That does make me curious. And to win a Nobel is quite an achievement.
These sound like great books to read, and new worlds to enter into :)
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Once you read them, send me what you think :)
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Will do. They are my 2018 reading list. So it may be some time, but I hope to get to them this year. I am aiming to make review posts about all the books I read this year, and I'll let you know.
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