I am often asked, what do I read, and my usual answer is: Are you kidding me? The only thing I get time to read these days is my own work, needing either proofing or editing.
Now, I could tell you my favourite books. I could even tell you the names of the, oh, 200-odd books I have in my “To Be Read” pile, and I can give you list of authors (rather than specific titles) you ought to try.
What I can’t tell you, is the last time I got to sit down and enjoy someone else’s work just for the fun of it.
Truth is, mostly what I read these days are non-fiction books for research. But I’m happy to tell you my top five favourite books.
Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
My children went hungry while I ignored them for three days so I could finish this book. Paid a fortune for a first edition hardcover a few years ago, too. I don’t read it, though. I save that for the second paperback copy I own. (The first paperback died of overuse)
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Oh, to be able to write about such grown-up things through the eyes of a child and still make it believable. I’d kill to be able to write this well.
Eye of the Tiger – Wilbur Smith
Pretty average adventure fare really, but Smith makes you fall in love with a wretched boat, of all things, and then *spoiler alert* he sinks it, halfway through the book. To this day, when I kill off a beloved character unexpectedly in my books, I think of it as “sinking the boat” and hope it has the same emotional, gut-wrenching impact on my readers.
Show Me a Hero – Patrick Alexander
This is a lesson in how to mess with a reader’s head. By the end of this book, you’ll be cheering for the bad guy, weeping in sympathy for the good guy when he does something unconscionably bad, and be a complete cynic about politics and protestors agitating for a better world.
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Sci-fi masquerading as mainstream literary fiction. Cleverly written, brilliant conceived and a very cool twist at the end. Loved every minute of it.
