1. Goosebumps: Monster Blood
I like creepy things. Not necessarily outright scary things, but I definitely love things that give most people the creeps. This was the start of that--at least, as far as I can remember. Also, this was the first chapter book I ever read that was offhandedly suggested to me by a stranger (a librarian). I didn't have to read it for school and my mom didn't suggest it. Someone who didn't know me at all pointed me in this direction. This led to me reading every single Goosebumps book I could get a hold of--including one that gave me a paranoia about making sure fires are completely out. I remember not being able to put this down as it wound down to its conclusion. This was the first book that excited me. For that, it's very important.
2. Wishbone Classics: The Odyssey
This one seems a little silly. First, allow me to explain to people who only ever saw these books in stores but never picked one up: this wasn't exactly like the popular PBS show. Wishbone didn't play the lead role in this book. No, this was just a... child-safe version of Homer's The Odyssey with small cartoons of Wishbone (the dog pictured, in case you don't know) making quips about what was happening on the page. So, this was the very first time I ever read The Odyssey, which is the tale of Odysseus trying to get home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. I love Greek Mythology, and thanks to starting here, I have read the Odyssey--in more grown up versions--several times over the years... I'm probably gonna say that I read it once a year for at least five to seven years in a row. This dog is what started my love of Greek myths.
3. Silver Moon, Bloody Bullets: An Anthology of Werewolf Tails
Okay, so I'm a little biased here, but the answer to why I chose this book is simple. This anthology--published by PillHillPress and sadly no longer in print--contained the first short story I ever published. It was a piece called "The In Crowd." I remember thinking, as I emailed it in to the submissions call, that there was no way anyone would want to read the piece of crap I had just written. (Sounds like I was down on my writing, right? Nope. It just has a lot of action in it, and I always doubt my ability to convincingly write action sequences.) Much to my joy and surprise, it was accepted. Also, if you've made it this far in reading this post, I'm thinking about podficcing an original piece of mine and posting here as one of my regularly scheduled posts. Let me know what you think about that, dear reader.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I really struggled with this one. Because I love this whole damn series. I do. I mean, yeah, there's a few that I haven't read in a little while... but honestly, I was torn between this one and The Half-Blood Prince. I adored both of those. And HBP was probably my overall favorite in the series (and I know, everyone else is either Order of the Phoenix or Prisoner of Azkaban). But I had to go with this one because... it had all the answers. Everything I had pondered and theorized about (two of which I was 100% right about, btw) was wrapped up in here. Also, I had much more emotion during this. Not only because it was the end of an era, but also because it's just really sad what happens in that last 100 or so pages. Ah... I love it.
5. Queen of the Damned
I read The Vampire Chronicles largely out of order. And, honestly, I can't remember how far along I was before I picked up and read this, the third one in the series. I know I wasn't far. I had just seen the (God-awful) movie (and loved it at the time). I loved the soundtrack from the film (which still holds up). So, naturally, I decided to read the book. This book... was so good I can't even watch the film (which gets just about everything wrong). To this day, whenever someone asks me about The Vampire Chronicles, I make it a point to mention how this one is a favorite. My favorite character in the entire series is--most obviously--Lestat. However, the story of the creation of the vampires was so compelling that Lestat's parts during this telling (it's told in multiple points of view) were aggravating. For the first--and only--time in the Chronicles, I didn't get two pieces of crap what Lestat had to say. I wanted the story of the Queen and the red-haired witches who could commune with the dead. Still my favorite today, but in case anyone wanted to know, the first book in the New Chronicles of the Vampire series in which Rice continues her Chronicles mirrors this one in its writing style in all the best ways.
6. Sherlock Holmes
Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat. I grew up watching a lot of different versions of Sherlock because my mom was a huge mystery buff. When it was time to read a short story or two in school, I was no stranger to the detective that lived at 221B Baker Street. I've read a ton of short stories--my favorite being "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." I've read the story where Sherlock "dies." I've read the one where he comes back. But, out of the five (it is five, right... *quickly Googles*) no, sorry, four... Well, this makes me feel better. Out of the four Sherlock Holmes novels, I've read two. A Study in Scarlet (the first) and Hound of the Baskervilles (the most popular). I liked Study better, honestly. Sherlock isn't in Hound a whole lot--at least, not through Watson's point of view. I fully intend to acquire and read the other two novels. But this has greatly influenced me... I love characters of Sherlock's type, and although I don't overly claim "mystery" as a favorite genre... I do like to read one occasionally.
7. Batman: No Man's Land
*laughs loudly* I know, you must think I'm nuts. I've included literary classics on this list--as well as new literary favorites. I've listed childhood favorites because of their influence on me as a person. So what the hell is this book doing here? Firstly, I'm a die-hard Batman fan. Like, no joke. Moreso, I'm a die-hard Joker fan. This is the novelization of the game-changing graphic novel series of the same name. And, honestly, back when I read it, it was probably the best book I had read that year. Well written with a crazy compelling story. That story, btw, is that Gotham City has been hit with a ginormous earthquake, reducing most of it to rubble. Arkham Asylum has been cracked open, and chaos reigns as crooks and crazies run the streets. People are advised to evacuate because, instead of sending help to the city, the government blows the bridges to the island-bound city and declares it a No Man's Land. There's so many story lines here, but they all blend perfectly. And the ending... oh, that ending. If you've read the comics, then you know what I'm talking about, even without this novel. But when I think of great Batman novels... this one is tops.
So, that's it. Seven books that I either loved or that influenced me. What books do you love? Let me know. As always, see you next Thursday!
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