previously posted on Imaginary People 8/14
1. Cold Fire by Dean Koontz- I know, I know, but Koontz is an excellent suspense writer, and the way he describes the creepy things that happen in his novels is Lovecraftian. When I first started reading grown-up books at twelve I was drawn to Koontz’s work. Also, my Dad was a big fan and I devoured his little collection of paperbacks within a month. I was hooked. I will always keep a copy of this book.
Cold Fire is about the chance meeting of a bored reporter, Holly and an extraordinary named Jim who goes around the country rescuing people from random misfortunes. Jim is called to this work by an unknown force that compels him to the right place at the right time. Though determined to keep his heroics a secret, the intrepid reporter Holly uncovers his deeds and the two embark on an adventure to find the source.
2. The Stand (the uncut edition) by Stephen King- If horror books are drugs, then Koontz was what could be called a gateway drug. I was still in my early teens when I got into the hard stuff. The Stand was the first epic I ever read: multiple characters, and multiple plot lines that all fit together seamlessly.
The Stand is an apocalyptic piece that follows more than a few characters as a deadly flu-like disease called Captain Trips kills just about everyone. This was the first book I read that told the story of villains. Because of The Stand I always wonder if I have Captain Trips when I get really sick with the flu.
3. Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell- In my mind to late teens I picked this book up at the local library and caught Scarpetta fever. Gruesome murders, suspense, forensic science, police procedure. What more could a girl ask for? Though the series is lacking these lately, I will always recall the good old Scapetta days.
4. The Occult by Colin Wilson- I have always been a student of unexplained phenomena. When the X-Files came out none of the strange stuff that happened was new to me because of this book. It is nonfiction, an account of Wilson’s studies of the metaphysical and the occult. It’s all about ghosts, vampires, werewolves, psychic abilities, witchcraft, spontaneous combustion and reads like a philosophy textbook. I did not know when I was reading this, but I was loading my brain with years of writing material.
5. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe– A Nigerian friend gave me a copy of this book. I love reading books about other cultures, not just made up ones. This is a heartbreaking study of life for the Igbo, specifically a warrior names Okonkwo, after colonialism takes hold.
6. Beloved by Toni Morrison-AP English turned me into a bonafide literature snob. This story haunted me, a ghost story about ex-slaves and how they struggled with the price that came with their freedom. Chilling.
7. Three Lives by Gertrude Stein-Way off my weird spectrum, but it was about this time I strangely became interested in stories by and about lesbians. For a while I was enamored with Gertrude Stein, her works, her life and how she influenced so many writers and artists.
8. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson- I have never been a big fan of Sci-fi, but I loved this sweeping space epic about a group of scientists taming the red planet.
9. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess- Read the book, it was so good I decided I would never watch the movie. Until this day I haven’t.
10. Juliette by The Marquis de Sade-I was in college, and one of my history professors mentioned de Sade so I went to Barnes and Noble and plopped down thirty bucks for this gem. I still have it. The book is about the sexploits of Juliette, her initiation and rise to the top of libertinism. This book is twisted and features scenes of murder, and sexual depravity. De Sade’s writing is often dismissed and though the material is daunting it encouraged me to push the limits of the dark sides of my characters.
11. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger- I still pull this book out every now and then and chew on it. Holden Caulfield always makes me laugh with his talk of phonies.
12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris- My favorite of the Hannibal Lecter book. I believe Hannibal Lecter is the most actualized literary character ever. He is a compendium of every nasty psycho killer in history. Yet, this is my favorite of the Lecter books because of Francis Dolarhyde the serial killer Lecter helps the protagonist Will Graham to hunt. Dolarhyde is a sick mo-fo who eats original William Blake watercolors. What compelled me to this character is that he falls in love with a blind woman. No one can ever say I don’t enjoy a good romance.
13. The Sunne in Gold by Nene Adams- I read this book online along with countless others by lesbian authors on websites like The Royal Academy of Bards.
14. Wild Seed by Octavia Butler- I was about 17 when a teacher introduced me to this African American female novelist who wrote the weird stuff I liked. It was one of the first paranormal themed books I read with black characters. Doro and Anyanwu are shape-shifting immortals. Their adventures take them to the new world and destiny they cannot escape.
15. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood- In this book, the world goes all dystopian after a conservative faction takes over the world. Women are robbed of their rights and reduced to slaves. The main character is stripped over her family and forced to be a handmaid, a forced baby maker for a top commander dude.
16. Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien- Wizards, Elves, Dwarfs, Orcs and of course Hobbits. I must admit I did not really get into these books until the movies came out, but when I saw the caliber of the prose, I devoured the entire trilogy. Not to mention this treasure, straight from Bilbo Baggins hisself: “I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” One day, I am going to say that in a toast, I swear.
