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Although the kid inside of me is a little jealous of all the cool stuff that children of today have available to them, I generally consider myself fortunate to have grown up in the 60s and 70s. We had our own cool stuff, of course – Thunderbirds, Star Trek, Captain Scarlet and men landing on the Moon. It was a time when every newsagent had a huge variety of British comics on sale every week and it was safe enough for me to be allowed to go to the library on my own from about the age of ten.
Although I’ve always been an avid reader, I think it was access to three public libraries in fairly easy walking distance that really sealed it for me. What’s not to love about huge numbers of free books?
The range of books was obviously enormous, so there was never any risk of coming away with empty hands, but often, because there was so much choice, I would take a long time making up my mind. And in spite of being able to take out up to four books at once, I rarely took out more than two, because I loved going to the library so much and fewer books meant more visits. I remember once going early one morning and having read the whole book by the afternoon I returned that same day for more.
In case it seems that I spent all my childhood reading and in danger of developing illnesses brought on from lack of daylight, I actually loved to play outside with my friends, too. We played games of exploration and imagination, in many instances fired up by the numerous books I read. Any waste bit of ground we could find would turn into an African plain, deep jungle or dangerous streets filled with cops and robbers. I was always a little disappointed when we didn’t find previously undiscovered dinosaurs or tunnels that led to secret laboratories.
Although many years have passed since those great days, I find that I still approach books and reading in a similar manner – I want them to entertain and excite me before anything else they might stand for. This may seem a little naïve on the surface, but a well crafted plot, captivating characters and a writing style that keeps the flow going takes skill to pull off in proper combination and something I really admire. This kind of storytelling through strong plotting is what inspires my own writing and story creation.
That may suggest I have a limited style of book I read, but that’s certainly not the case. Beautiful writing and wonderful characters can always win out over a strong story told badly or one that contains weak or unbelievable characters.
I was thinking of taking photos of my bookshelves, but they are such a disorganised mess – filled with games, DVDs and CDs – that it wouldn’t fit the theme of the piece properly. Instead, I’m going to look at a handful of books that I love. This isn’t a “my top books” list, although they are all up among my favourites, but more of an illustration of the variety of my reading and influences.
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
It’s hard to pin down any one of his books over the others because they all work so well, without exception. I’m only listing Storm Front as it’s the book that introduces the wonderful Harry Dresden. Some writers, when writing in the first person, fail to put over the richness of the main character, but not Butcher – the Harry Dresden creation is wonderful and you feel every little (and large) pain he goes through.
Butcher is a writer who’s not afraid to put his characters through the mill during the course of the story. Things are never so bad that more trouble can’t be heaped upon the heroes – nothing is easy and there’s always a sense of “phew” when the tale is over. But such is the nature of Butcher’s book series, you know that any respite will be short-lived at best and looking forward to his next book is one of the best anticipatory pleasures in life.
Franny and Zooey by JD Sallinger
I love this book.
It’s probably the closest I’ll get to a favourite book of all time. It’s one of the few books that I read just for the writing alone. And for the characterisation, which, although covers people who seem to inhabit a world I could never know, makes those characters come to life at the same time as bringing me into that world.
Although the two “stories” that make up the book feel more like extended vignettes at times, there is this sense of completeness at the end. The best thing is that as I read it I feel I’m looking in on part of a much larger world, that these characters have rich, full lives that extend far beyond the pages of this relatively slim book.
The Collector by John Fowles
Although Fowles went on to write a number of deeper and richer novels with more powerful imagery or complex situations and relationships, it is the first of his books that I find the most enjoyable. Much of this is due to the fact that I find it easier to relate to the characters it contains than those in his later works.
The Collector was written in the early sixties, but with recent stories of women held prisoner against their will for years, it’s still relevant today. Perhaps more so. I love the way the book is split into two halves and we get the situation from the perspective of both characters.
The Enchanted Schoolhouse by Ruth Sawyer
I read and re-read this book as a child and it remains in my mind as a perfect tale of how the simple things can often teach us more than all our many advances in technology. Although written many years ago, I think it still has relevance and would make the perfect gift for any child who loves to read.
At the moment I cannot find my copy, but I remember it had the most wonderful illustrations – all done in pencil – which I think were by a guy called Hugh Troy.
Domu: A Child’s Dream by Katsuhiro Otomo
While Akira is, in many ways, greater in an epic sense and certainly a wondrous creation, for me this book by the same creator hangs together much better. The characters seem much more human and often more humane.
I’ve long had a love of the comics form, from strips to comic books to the graphic novel. I’ve lately lost all interest in super-heroes, mostly because they’re a constant re-hash of characters that were invented sixty years ago. Domu deals with super powers and has a really exciting climax, but it’s the mix of ordinary characters in this lower-class microcosm that really lifts it, through the writing and the art, to a high level.
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
This, to me, is the perfect comic strip. Partly this is down to the integrity Watterson maintained throughout its ten year run, stopping it when he felt he’d done all he could with the characters and the strip form. Mostly it’s down to the wonderful characterisation and the humour that derives from that. It is the perfect combination of writing and comic strip art.
The idea that Calvin’s stuffed tiger, Hobbes, comes to life in his imagination is a wonderful one, but one which regularly questions their whole relationship, particularly when Calvin loses out so regularly in his arguments with Hobbes.
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