Most Important Books

[kate_nepveu]

Hmmm. Ten most important books? Well, I only came up with seven eight (plus minor edits to the descriptions of the existing list).

1. Freedom and Necessity, Steven Brust and Emma Bull

   For soppy personal reasons.

2. The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan

   Mom saw the freebie version, the first third or so, at the bookstore and brought it home for me (probably summer 1994, going by the printing date on the copyright page). Sometime in 1995 I started participating in rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan, which was my first fandom, online or otherwise—and here I am now. (I was posting in rec.arts.sf.written before then, but it didn't have the same social dynamics.)

3. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell

   It was, very consciously, my reason for being kind to animals when I was young, and may have had some influence towards empathy generally.

4. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

   This is the first obsessive re-read I can recall. Every year, starting sometime in elementary, we'd take a week at our Vermont timeshare, I'd check the three paperbacks out of the school library, and re-read them cover to cover. Obviously, it still takes up large chunks of my mental landscape.

   Oddly, it wasn't really my gateway drug into sf, because I was still reading everything at that age. That honor goes to:

5. Anne McCaffrey's books up through about All the Weyrs of Pern

   They haven't held up well at all. But I believe these were the first sf that led me into other sf—I specifically remember picking up a Mercedes Lackey book (who, alas, hasn't held up well either) because she'd co-authored one of the Ships books with McCaffrey. And I also think this was about the time I started focusing on sf reading, rather than general YA novels.

6. Manhunting, Jennifer Crusie

   My first Crusie, and a step on the path to admitting publicly that yes, dammit, I read romance novels: you gotta problem with that?

7. Possession, A.S. Byatt

   The joys of the intellect and of narrative voice, two things that have become increasingly important to me, in a novel that I get more out of every time I read it.

8. The Prize in the Game, Jo Walton

   This is kind of cheating, but it's my sole claim to any tiny place in literary history (and every way I try to write that I feel like a different variant of idiot, so maybe I should have left it off after all).

Other people's lists: heres_luck; truepenny; rachelmanija; and the many people listed in these two Melymbrosia posts: 1, 2.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Same on Black Beauty!

[kate_nepveu]

The funny thing is, I'd almost forgotten about it until someone posted it in the "if X had written _The Lord of the Rings_" thread on Making Light. I still haven't re-read it; haven't dared, for fear it wouldn't live up to my memory of that ending.

[kate_nepveu]

(And, I just got around now to following the link to your user info--hi and welcome to LJ! You may recall that I really really liked the Exordium books--_Crown Duel_ is currently on the stack.

(*goes off to read posts at your LJ*)

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yep--Dave Trowbridge found your review, and linked me to it. We were delighted to find someone actually reads them, so long after they blipped on and off the stands during the Great Distribution Mess. I've been reading "Inside Dog" since!

Exordium

[kate_nepveu]

Thank Doyle & Macdonald; it was their mention of them that led to me chase them down. I read 'em, Chad read 'em, and I found a copy of the first (new! local store that never does returns) and hooked rysmiel thereby. I keep a lookout for copies, and have two spares of the fifth waiting for a good home (I know, fat lot of good they'll do most people).

Re: Exordium

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I'm astonished that anyone could find them--especially in Canada. (Isn't Rysmiel in Canada?)

I've given away all but half a dozen or so of my author copies. The second and fourth one were probably on the stands mere days, as near as I can tell.

Re: Exordium

[kate_nepveu]

Rysmiel is in Canada, but I don't know if they were found in person or not. abebooks.com sent me e-mail whenever one turned up, and though I missed a few by hours, it didn't take too long to collect the set. (And checking ABE & bookfinder.com now, there are copies of all of them listed as available.)

(Oh, and I've remembered someone else who bought them all, but I can't remember if she read them yet.)

Re: Exordium

[papersky.livejournal.com]

rysmiel found two of them in Volumes, on Rue Wellington, in Montreal, on Boxing Day.

I haven't read any of them yet, as I'm holding out for the whole series, but I have heard very good things.

Re: Exordium

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Well, if you folks want me to fill out any missing ones, I'd be glad to plop 'em in an envelope and mail. Just drop me a line and an address.

I have to tell Trowbridge. He's trying to get back into writing--this might give him the boost he needs.

Re: Exordium

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

Thank you kindly, and it would greatly cheer me to think of being able to contribute to boosting a writer I like.

For completeness' sake, I found #3 in Astra, a comics/second-hand books shop on Ste. Catherine, also in Montreal, just the other week.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I chased down two of the five at a used book store on California Avenue in Palo Alto; now just waiting to find the other three (never yet been able to find them at in a public library, and I have been looking).

--Trent

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

A guy named Chris Weuve who really likes the books and made an Exordium page looks for used copies regularly. There seem to be more, or maybe better, used bookstores in the DC area as he finds 'em more often than anyone I know, and usually for a buck or two. Anyway he's sent sets off to people who write to the Exordium-List over on Yahoo.

[kate_nepveu]

Trent, which ones do you need?

[(Anonymous)]

Uh, it was one, three, and five as I recall, but that's based on a very hazy memory, and I'd have to go check to be sure (I'll try to remember to do so tonight).

Oh, and I forgot to say earlier, nice idea doing "most important" books rather than "best" or some such, since it comes at it from a different, and in some ways more interesting, slant (not to mention it's the only way that, say, The Eye of the World would get on such a list).

-Trent

[kate_nepveu]

I have a spare #5. Actually I have two spare #5s. E-mail me if your memory turns out to be correct.

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

Oh, I really appreciate this post! I've seen these lists, and I keep wondering why are the books formative for these people, because no one has been terribly explicit. And that's what's interesting, is knowing why.

I had a similar experience with McCaffrey, except that she was the first author I went to after reading the books that got me interested in fantasy. But, the dragonrider books of hers that I read clinched my love for the genre.

And, Robert Jordan! Someone recommended his books to me years ago, and I've been trying to remember his name. Thanky!

[kate_nepveu]

Oh, don't read Robert Jordan. You notice I talked about his books in social terms, not literary terms? There's a reason.

(Okay, the first, oh, six or so? are pretty good. But he's completely lost control of the pace and has started playing games with the fans--hah hah, I know who killed X and you don't, and I'm not going to tell you! I didn't even read the last one, just had Chad spoil it thoroughly for me.)

Anyway, the meme-starting post (heres_luck) points out that people have to decide what "most important" means for themselves, to start. Mine seemed to be social and eye-opening/gateway-drug literary, but a lot of people are talking about prose style and such. It's interesting reading them.