Books That Have Influenced Me
Sep. 7th, 2014 11:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meridian_roseI was tagged on a Facebook meme to talk about ten stories that "stayed with me", which I took to be an invitation to mention a few books, including non-fic, that are, or have been, important to me. I thought I'd post it here too.
Hogfather, Terry Pratchett. My favourite story, full of ideas around belief and existence, the importance of story, and featuring great characters like Susan Sto Helit and the Death of Rats (aka The Grim Squeaker). Funny, clever, and never fails to be enjoyable. I've read it almost annually for years.
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett. A stand alone Discworld novel, taking place years before the rest of the novels. Again, lots of ideas about belief vs religion, and the power of belief to create and change the world. Not a favourite read (I've read it twice) but a powerful story.
Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett. Yes, Pratchett has been a huge influence on me. This novel deals with the concept of narrative causality, and what happens when you try to change how a story ends. Lots of humour (Nanny Ogg's postcards and her attempts to spell banana, Granny's broom, a Gollum-like creature, Granny beating a crocodile with a snake, and so many more).
I could probably name some other Pratchett but I'll move on.
The Captive Soul, Josepha Sherman. A tv tie-in for the Highlander: The Series that exceeds most other tie-ins. Focussing on the character of Methos, the novel takes place in Egypt as the native people plan to overthrow the Hyskos invaders. Beautifully written, this is a story of war, romance, the pains and priviledges of being immortal, leading to a showdown with Duncan and Methos against an old enemy who has never forgotten what he sees as Methos's betryal. I've read it several times.
This made me interested in the history and I've read other novels set in the same time period and can highly recommend Pauline Gedge's "Lords of the Two Lands" triology and Wilbur Smith's "Warlock".
The Hobbit, Tolkien. For all it's shortcomings, it's an enjoyable adventure romp that sets the scene for the LOTR trilogy and the Gollum riddle scene always stands out for me.
Essential Celtic Mythology (Stories that change the world), Lindsay Clarke. One of the first books I read about while exploring Celtic myths. I'd previously been most familiar with Greek and Roman mythology but when I seriously began to explore paganism, I found myself drawn to more diverse sources and to the Celtic pantheon. These easy to read retellings introduced Arawn and Lugh in a way that made me want to know more.
From there, I'd recommend The Mabinogion, and Evangeline Walton's retelling of the story of Pwyll and Arawan, "Prince of Annwn"
On the subject of spirituality/paganism and witchcraft, "Embracing the Moon" by Yasmine Galenorn, and "Book of Shadows" by Phyllis Curott have been very influential.
"Will You Be Mother" is a non-fiction text and while each subsequent re-read leaves me less enamoured of it (couldn't they find more animal lovers, for one thing, the childfree come across rather unloving as a whole, but then this was a long time ago socially and few people were willing to "come out" as childfree not childless) this was the first book of its kind I'd come across. Nowadays I find there is much better material available online, and there are other books available, to talk about the childfree experience and the social pressures and expectations that women in particular face who do not want to be mothers. At the time, however, this book was very important to me, a recognition that there were others who felt the way I always had.
"The House of Gabriel" (Rafaella) and "Juliet Rising" (Cleo Cordell) are two of my favourite Black Lace novels (erotica written by women for women). The storylines provide a backdrop for all manner of sensual as well as sexual scenes; it's never just PIV sex in a Black Lace novel, there are various kinks and mixed gender pairing/threesomes usually featured. Just because I'm asexual, doesn't mean I don't enjoy well written erotica.
There are probably a lot of other novels, non-fiction texts, and short stories and fanfic that I could name, but these are a few things that have stuck with me over the years.
Hogfather, Terry Pratchett. My favourite story, full of ideas around belief and existence, the importance of story, and featuring great characters like Susan Sto Helit and the Death of Rats (aka The Grim Squeaker). Funny, clever, and never fails to be enjoyable. I've read it almost annually for years.
Small Gods, Terry Pratchett. A stand alone Discworld novel, taking place years before the rest of the novels. Again, lots of ideas about belief vs religion, and the power of belief to create and change the world. Not a favourite read (I've read it twice) but a powerful story.
Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett. Yes, Pratchett has been a huge influence on me. This novel deals with the concept of narrative causality, and what happens when you try to change how a story ends. Lots of humour (Nanny Ogg's postcards and her attempts to spell banana, Granny's broom, a Gollum-like creature, Granny beating a crocodile with a snake, and so many more).
I could probably name some other Pratchett but I'll move on.
The Captive Soul, Josepha Sherman. A tv tie-in for the Highlander: The Series that exceeds most other tie-ins. Focussing on the character of Methos, the novel takes place in Egypt as the native people plan to overthrow the Hyskos invaders. Beautifully written, this is a story of war, romance, the pains and priviledges of being immortal, leading to a showdown with Duncan and Methos against an old enemy who has never forgotten what he sees as Methos's betryal. I've read it several times.
This made me interested in the history and I've read other novels set in the same time period and can highly recommend Pauline Gedge's "Lords of the Two Lands" triology and Wilbur Smith's "Warlock".
The Hobbit, Tolkien. For all it's shortcomings, it's an enjoyable adventure romp that sets the scene for the LOTR trilogy and the Gollum riddle scene always stands out for me.
Essential Celtic Mythology (Stories that change the world), Lindsay Clarke. One of the first books I read about while exploring Celtic myths. I'd previously been most familiar with Greek and Roman mythology but when I seriously began to explore paganism, I found myself drawn to more diverse sources and to the Celtic pantheon. These easy to read retellings introduced Arawn and Lugh in a way that made me want to know more.
From there, I'd recommend The Mabinogion, and Evangeline Walton's retelling of the story of Pwyll and Arawan, "Prince of Annwn"
On the subject of spirituality/paganism and witchcraft, "Embracing the Moon" by Yasmine Galenorn, and "Book of Shadows" by Phyllis Curott have been very influential.
"Will You Be Mother" is a non-fiction text and while each subsequent re-read leaves me less enamoured of it (couldn't they find more animal lovers, for one thing, the childfree come across rather unloving as a whole, but then this was a long time ago socially and few people were willing to "come out" as childfree not childless) this was the first book of its kind I'd come across. Nowadays I find there is much better material available online, and there are other books available, to talk about the childfree experience and the social pressures and expectations that women in particular face who do not want to be mothers. At the time, however, this book was very important to me, a recognition that there were others who felt the way I always had.
"The House of Gabriel" (Rafaella) and "Juliet Rising" (Cleo Cordell) are two of my favourite Black Lace novels (erotica written by women for women). The storylines provide a backdrop for all manner of sensual as well as sexual scenes; it's never just PIV sex in a Black Lace novel, there are various kinks and mixed gender pairing/threesomes usually featured. Just because I'm asexual, doesn't mean I don't enjoy well written erotica.
There are probably a lot of other novels, non-fiction texts, and short stories and fanfic that I could name, but these are a few things that have stuck with me over the years.
