So, I was in Barnes & Noble with my wife and son over the weekend. My son wanted to buy matching journals for himself and his girlfriend. While they picked out journals, which I wasn’t all that interested in, I browsed the stacks.
“I need this one. Oh, and that one too. Ohhhh that cover is so shiny!”
I don’t need more books. I have a stack on my nightstand that I haven’t even started yet, just sitting there waiting. I have others I’m halfway through. I have two audiobooks on Libby I’m working on during my work commutes.
And yet at the same time, I 100% absolutely need more books. I’m Tyrone Biggums for more books. I get the shakes and the itchies if I don’t get my daily fixes.
Alas, we left B&N with exactly two journals and zero books. I was proud of myself. I had earned my silver AA chip for making it 24 hours without a single book purchase. It was not easy, but I did it.
For me, reading and writing are inseparably connected. I pay attention to the way a great story makes me feel. I’ve wandered off and become totally lost in a good story (pretty much anything Stephen King). Many have lingered with me long after I’ve closed the pages (Lauren Oliver’s Delirium trilogy). Some have filled me with rage and made me want to rise up and fight The Man after reading them (Suzanne Collins and the Hunger Games books.)
There are other books too, by authors who’ve made me literally roll my eyes and scoff at the laziness. “Pffft. Yeah right. That would never happen,” or, “Give me a break; no one actually acts like that,” or “Puh-leeze. You honestly made your characters say that?”
All these books have value, and I learn from all of them. They are fantastic teachers. They teach me what to do. They also teach me what not to do.
I’ve read several good books this year. This was originally going to be a Top Five, but then I said, “Screw it, I’m gonna rebel and do what I want. Top Five lists aren’t the boss of me!” So, you get seven books. If it makes you feel better, you can think of it as a Top Five with two bonuses. Just for you. Because you’re just that cool.
Here Are Da Books…
Hooked by Matt Richtel
This one was a little disappointing, but only because it was billed as a cyberpunk novel. I was excited to read it. I love the whole vibe of cyberpunk. This book was not cyberpunk. At all. Once I put that behind me, I was able to get into it for what it actually was, which was modern crime story fiction based on very loose sci-fi elements.
How the book fuels my creativity: Richtel does a great job at immersing me in the story, and I dig that. I want to be able to do that in my own stories. I pay attention to this area specifically when I’m reading a story. It gets difficult though with really good stories, because you’re trying to figure out how the magician does his trick, but the trick is so cool that you end up getting mesmerized by the magic. “Crap!” you say. “I was supposed to be watching that other hand.” Oh well. Fooled again. The nice thing about books though is you can always go back and re-read to see what happened.
Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
I’ve been a Scalzi fan for a long time, ever since I read Fuzzy Nation. I also follow his web posts on Whatever. Plus, he lives in Ohio not too far away from me. Kaiju was a fast, fun read. I wouldn’t put it in the same league as Old Man’s War or The Human Division, but it definitely has a place of its own.
How the book fuels my creativity: Kaiju reminds me that you can create some terrific stories from the simplest concepts. Stories don’t all have to be optioned into Hollywood blockbusters to be entertaining. It reminds me to ease off the throttle and stop trying to fly with my hair on fire. Just relax and write a fun, simple story, my dude.
The Dark Half by Stephen King
Listen, I’ll be the first to admit I suffer from a bit of hero-worship when it comes to King. I’m only including one book from him in this list, okay!? Be grateful, because I could fill the whole list with only King books. Yes, it’s true, I’ve forced myself to branch out over my lifetime and read other people’s stuff too!
How the book fuels my creativity: As much as I like King, I’ll also be the first to admit that his endings don’t often land the plane, okay? Anyone who’s ever read the Dark Tower series knows exactly what I’m talking about. The ending gave off heavy Lost Series Finale vibes. Multiplied by a rough factor of, oh, I dunno, sixty-three. You ever hear that old saying that the trip is all about the journey and not about the destination? That’s a King story for me. No, the endings don’t always stick. But that journey, man, that journey is really something. Total and complete immersion. No one can suck me into a story like King. And learning how to do that is a whole master class in itself.
The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood
I read the first book in the series, Oryx and Crake, and then couldn’t help myself. I had to read books two and three just to see what happened and how this all came about. My experience reading the story reminded me of my time reading Hugh Howey’s Silo series. The more I learned, the more I had to know more.
How the book fuels my creativity: This was, at times, a horrifying book to read, like that car accident you pass on the highway with bodies lying in the ditch and ambulances all lined up. You can tell yourself, “Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look,” all you want. But you just can’t help yourself, can you? As awful as some of the events were, this was another incredibly immersive book. What it taught me was this: even the most mundane things can be rendered fascinating if told correctly. And Atwood tells it correctly.
Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams
I love me some apocalypse stories. It seems the older I get, the more I love them. I wonder why that is. Maybe it’s because, the more I see what’s going on in the world, the closer I think we’re approaching one. Maybe deep down I really want to see it happen, the collapse of government, the destruction of the billionaire bourgeoise, satellites falling out of the skies so people’s eyes and attentions are no longer glued to their cell phones. Maybe it’ll somehow help us connect again at a human level. I dunno. But what I really like about apocalyptic stories is not the death and destruction; it’s the ability of us to rise from the ashes and survive, to keep going, to not give up.
How the book fuels my creativity: This was a collection of short stories, which I’ve been reading more of lately, mostly because I’m studying how it’s done. I am, in fact, putting together my own short story anthology. I guess this is my way of doing market research: formatting, layout, artwork, organizing, etc. Every time I read someone else’s short story anthology now, I can’t help but think to myself, “I’ll be able to hold mine in my hands in the not-too-distant future!
So there you have it, my Top Seven Five stories from this year and how they’ve sparked my creativity.
“But wait, you monster! You promised us seven stories!”
I did, didn’t I. Alas, I changed my mind. This post is already getting too long, and I don’t want to belabor the point. I think you get the idea though, right? Reading what’s possible really can open up the worlds of your imagination and creativity. Other people’s ideas spark ideas of your own. And those ideas spark still more ideas. The important thing is to catch those sparks and do something with those ideas. Capture them. Use them to fuel your own creativity. Books can do that for you. And if you REALLY must have more than five suggestions for stories, you can always review my Reading Room for more book recommendations.
