Influential books

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

There's a competition being run by a book shop in London, Win a book a month for the rest of your life. It's a book of their choice, based on what you tell them about your preferences - and presumably they hone their recommendations over time, although it doesn't say that. A nice prize.

The competition is a prize draw, picked from a hat, but the question is quite interesting. Which book, published since 1936, has been most influential on your life?

Well, for me it's always going to be childhood books. Books like In A Blue Velvet Dress (the first time I met a protagonist like me) or My Sister Sif had a deep influence in a way that books I read as an adult. "Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" lead me to Japanese literature and an interest in Japan - but it hasn't been as deep a fascination as that with Iceland, which came about after reading "Iceland Saga" by Magnus Magnusson. For grown up books those are definitely two of my choices, although something like Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto echoes in my mind more than the Murakami.

For modern 'people like me' books I'd say 'A Trifle Dead' by Livia Day. Set in a cafe in Hobart, and peopled with a cast of characters reminiscent of my friends, I love that about it. I don't so much feel that I need that now - I don't need a community of people identical to me. But I do need to know that they're out there in fiction so that other people can see them, feel like they're not alone?

Or maybe it's something like deadkidsongs by Toby Litt. A book that feels like the Mahler of the title, horrific and gorgeous. That feels like an answer that would be approved rather than the right answer, though.

What do you think?

Comments

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

I'm still hesitating over whether or not to enter this competition, because a hardback a month for life...wouldn't give me much time to read all the other books on my To Read pile!

My first thought was The Call of the Wild, then I read the small print and realised it was far too early.

When I think of influential books I think of books that have influenced my writing style, so I'm leaning towards The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Then there are books that have influenced me to get interested in a genre or a period in history; so Dr No, Biggles of 266 or I, Robot.

I love and admire Toby Litt but I wish he would go back to writing cheerful books, like Beatniks (see also Douglas Coupland).

[venta.livejournal.com]

I was also both entranced and daunted (reading- and storage-wise) at the idea of a new hardback a month.

If any of us wins, let's share :)

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

That's a great plan! And now I can enter!

[venta.livejournal.com]

Done!

The reason I'd like to give for my book is actually a bit of a spoiler...I bet they frown on that sort of thing!

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

Good plan. I was assuming we didn't have to *keep* the book anyway, and it could be passed on in whatever way seemed appropriate.

[emperor]

I rapidly concluded that picking the 1 most influence book would tie me in knots for weeks, and I really just had to pick a book to enter the competition. So I went with LoTR.

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

:) a sensible choice.

[jane-somebody.livejournal.com]

Very rational! My answer would also be LoTR, but that didn't require any pondering, as long as I take the question at the most literal level. If I hadn't read that, I wouldn't have joined Taruithorn, and then I would never have met Skordh (there was no other crossover of possible connections) and never have had my children (children maybe, but they wouldn't have been the same children.) And as they are by far the most important, life-changing things in my life, then LoTR has literally been most influential in my life :-) I think of that every Janurary at the Birthday Toast :-)

(Also, it's an excellent book!)

[gerald_duck]

While I adore fiction and most of my reading is fiction, the book which has influenced me most deeply absolutely has to be non-fiction.

Probably, it would be the first Martin Gardner book I read, back when I was ten or so, which got me fascinated with mathematics.

Other contenders would be the Patrick Moore books I read when younger; the BBC Micro User Guide; Gödel, Escher, Bach; The Road Less Travelled; Guns, Germs and Steel; A History of God; Zen Flesh, Zen Bones; or The Penguin Book Of Historic Speeches.

…though some of those compile texts which are much older, which feels like cheating. I mean, would I be allowed the ESV? (-8

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

I think it should really be something completely new :) That's a nice list though.


Nowhere does it say it's looking for fiction, but the examples given are, and prose at that. But I don't see why it would have to be. But even limited to fiction, the date makes it harder. No Alexandre Dumas, no Victor Hugo, no Thomas More. No Plato. How can it be most influential without Plato?

[hooloovoo_42]

Definitely the most influential books in my life have been Arthur Ransome's S&A books. The first I read was Coot Club, followed by Pigeon Post. Both from the library. Then when Pa realised I'd read them, he let me read his copies of S&A, Pict and Martyrs and Great Northern. Bro had Swallowdale. The rest came from the library.

I will have to check exactly when S&A was first published, but Coot Club would probably qualify.

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

I missed Arthur Ransome as a child, and although I eventually read S&A as an adult, I think it didn't affect me as much as most of my friends :)

[hooloovoo_42]

I ended up nominating Pigeon Post, which was the first one published in the required period.

For me, reading the S&A books made me realise what it was that I'd always wanted to do. My first Action Man (3rd birthday present) was a sailor and I've always wanted to sail and go to sea. Reading books about kids who had boats and were allowed to go off on their own in them showed me there was a world I belonged in. I set up a fund to have sailing lessons, but didn't manage to sail at all until I was 13 and we stayed at a French holiday centre that had boats. It took me until I was about 30 to get my RYA cert and when I was 34, I finally moved to somewhere with a nearby sailing club.

[badriya.livejournal.com]

I found it hard to choose a book. Seeing someone here say Arthur Ransome made me think the sailing ones as we did get a dingy, a heron, and sailed for some years, and I married a sailor too and sailed for four years with him :). I wasn't clear if you got to choose a book or got send a random one if you win.

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

They choose, after taking into account your preferences. So not exactly random, but also not your choice.