THE BIBLE:
Whether you believe it to be a work of fiction or divinely inspired, one really cannot dispute the impact of this one book, both good and bad. In all honesty, this is the #1 book that has stayed with me over the years. Where I was told from the crib that God couldn't wait to smite me the minute I stepped out of line, reading the Bible actually opened my eyes that a religion that bathed in blood and scandal was a lot more than I had ever been told. I spent my childhood learning about it and my adulthood un-learning what I had been taught about it. Though I'll be the first to tell you I'm not religious, almost every single one of my ideals was either crafted or validated within these pages. (This may surprise some, given I'm no saint.) The Bible taught me the best stories come from extremely flawed people, and no matter how flawed you are, you are worthy of redemption, which I fear is a concept lost on far too many of those who attempt to preach it. It is, however, a recurring theme in my own writing. We are united in our human fallibility and strengthened by the struggle, held up by our love for each other. (Or supposed to be anyway.) THAT is my religion. And those are the sermons I preach.
ON WRITING:
Stephen King's ON WRITING is a master class in the craft, but also great insight into the heart of being a writer. We got to see how he became Stephen King, and I love that sort of thing. I inhale bios like this because I want to learn how to join their ranks. This, I would argue, is one of the Bibles of writing. Soak it in and learn from the master.
WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS:
I was a voracious reader from the moment I learned how. My childhood was filled with books and book challenges from teachers, to read whatever I could get my grubby, greedy little paws on. I found SUMMER OF THE MONKEYS, another Wilson Rawls book, courtesy of my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Borger. I loved the Americana tale from the Ozarks, crowning it the best book I had read in 1979. In 1980, in fifth-grade English, our teacher, Mrs. Sherwood, decided to read - aloud - WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS. And I expected it to be a grand ol' time. I was so very sadly mistaken. By the time our PA got to the end of that book, I was gutted. So was she, frankly. For the last couple of chapters she had to pass the book off to Mrs. Sherwood and leave the room to cry. I remember placing my head in my arms on my desk so that none of my classmates could hear me sob. From that moment on, I was hooked. It was the first story that ever made me cry and I liked it. I discovered that some of the best stories didn't have happy endings and I wanted more, more, more. I think it was because I found this book after my father died, and I knew that life had shadowy, dark places that people were sometimes forced to explore. From then on, I was ready to do just that. There is beauty in rising from the ashes, and sometimes that is the happiest ending of all.
SEASON OF PASSION:
I was converted to romance courtesy of Janet Dailey's SIX WHITE HORSES in 1981. When my best friend suggested I read Danielle Steel three years later, I was all for it. I like to read by author (win my respect and my trust with one book, I would read everything you have thereafter,) and Danielle Steel was quite prolific with a wealth of books to explore. SEASON OF PASSION was the first. Suffice it to say, I was hooked, for the very reason I spoke about above. Danielle Steel made me cry and I loved her for it. I can't even TALK about the scene that did me in without tearing up, even all these years later. This book also expanded my reach beyond the typical "cute meet/will they - won't they" romances I had been reading. These were complicated stories that described lives, not just loves. I knew then these were the stories I wanted to tell.
FULL CIRCLE:
Another Danielle Steel offering, this time taking us through some very important events in American history. I loved how Danielle could take the reader everywhere in any time or place, and you felt like you were a part of it, getting to know actual people who were affected. Though Danielle and I have since parted ways, her early work stays with me for this reason. With FULL CIRCLE, we are introduced to a character who gets to see the civil rights movement and the aftermath of Vietnam first hand, in a strong heroine who blazes her own rule-bending path. The real love story in this book is a friendship, and it was beautifully executed in a way that devastates me every single time I read it. Which is why I read it... and re-read it.
FAMILY ALBUM:
Honestly seven of Danielle's books stay with me, and could legitimately be listed, taking over my entire Top Ten. The three that have made this list are more for writer-y purposes. In this book, she opens to a funeral, and then goes backward in time to let you fall in love with someone you know is going to die, which seemed revelatory to me at the time. I neverevereverevereverever read the last page first. My brain is a spoiler-free zone. I want it to unfold just the way the author intended. Only this time, that was just how she wanted it to go, which was a new experience for me. This book introduces the reader to an entire family in one generation, dealing with the changing landscape of American culture through - quite literally - the eye of a camera lens. Danielle's typical storyline involved a woman who had it all, lost it all, and got it all back, many times within the same book. Whether it was wealth or love, fame or family, a DS heroine was put through her paces to fight for her happily ever after. Often this didn't include any one specific man, allowing her to love (and lose) more than once. (If you think I put my characters through the wringers of emotional angst, you might want to avoid ZOYA at all costs.) This is not just a romance, it's a saga. It is probably where I learned that supporting characters could have stories of their own, giving me permission to stretch own fictional universe far and wide. (V.C. Andrew's HEAVEN series taught me to do that in more than one book, for which readers usually love me or hate me.)
CHRISTINE:
CHRISTINE was the first Stephen King novel I read. I had spent the night at one of my best friend's houses, and we watched the first half of the movie. I wanted to see what happened next, so I grabbed the book within the week. Within the first few pages, I forgot all about the movie. Suddenly I felt like I was sitting in his front room while he regaled this story in a contemporary, first-person account of the not-so-distant past. He talked about the movies I had seen or the music I listened to. And his respect for the reader became clearer with each passing title I inhaled. I squealed with delight the first time I found one of those "Easter Eggs," where he referenced one story within the other. I was in on the secret! How wonderful! I still smile when I see, "Dear Reader," which made my first connection with the storyteller himself, rather than just fictional characters in a fictional world. He understood we were building these worlds together, which made me feel like a part of it all. It was a beautiful thing I had never before considered till SK. He's the master, what can I say more than that?
THE BLESSING STONE:
I like feminist fiction that masquerades as mainstream, going back to the Earth's Children series by Jean M. Auel, which I read as an impressionable teen girl of the 80s. It reinforced the message of the decade: we could do anything and have anything, and we owed it to those women who came before us to do so. This title weaves this message perfectly into stories in which I'm already familiar, since it pretty much encases the history of our world within its pages. We go from the African plains to the time of Christ all the way to the American Gold Rush. I loved the historical bent and the strength of the women who endured similar struggles in contrasting circumstances. It empowered me and it enlightened me. What a rare and wonderful combination for a work of fiction.
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS:
Since I participate in National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) every November, I was curious to read a published book that got its start that way. I was in a bit of a reading slump at the time, turned off by favorites because of the limited attention span I adopted since learning to read/write screenplays. But this book captured me from the first chapter with a hook so well-hidden that I didn't see the twist before it happened. And it was EPIC. If you've seen the movie, you've been ruined for it, because there was absolutely NO way they could have done it justice. Not that the movie was bad, it just couldn't execute the same story devices used in the book (which was a HUGE lesson in and of itself.) Since I want to write both for the screen and for the page, it was invaluable in teaching me that both mediums can have different, equally positive outcomes. If you haven't seen it or read the book, READ THE BOOK. This is how you leave clues in plain sight. Gorgeous, gorgeous book that restored my love of reading. It is one of the few I honestly wish I could un-read, just so I can read it again for the first time.
FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY:
This is not fiction, but my copy is dog-eared and well-read. This book gave me some valuable insight from going to a passive character in my own life to being a heroine ready to brave those things that used to keep me paralyzed. I can't even tell you how helpful this book has been. No matter what has you immobilized, whether you're at a crossroads, unsure which path to take or afraid of making a wrong decision, or whether you are stymied by that negative voice in your ear telling you that it's all pointless anyway, this is the book to read to jump-start your battery. Invaluable tool in the arsenal that keeps me going AND reaching for those impossible dreams.
Now I tag all of you. In the comments, please list any of the books that you've read that has stayed with you over the years, renewed your love of reading, inspired you or touched you in some way. Every comment will enter you to win a $15 Amazon gift card! The giveaway closes by Sunday night, 11:59pm, September 7, 2014.
Your #FridayFreebies for September 5, 2014:
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