Books that influenced my life

Since I had a streaming cold last week I took a break from Long and Short Reviews' blog hop, but this topic had me thinking. I've read a lot of books in my life, but how many could be considered influential? I did, however, come up with a few possibilities.

Royal Blood - Bertram Fields. I love reading history, but my main interest at the time was Henry VIII. This book made me a staunch Ricardian and plunged me into the Wars of the Roses.

Gavin Maxwell: A Life - Douglas Botting. This was the first biography I ever read and was about a man I knew nothing of at the time, but introduced me to Maxwell's writing and also to the joy of reading biographies, even when you may not know much of the person in question.

Kiss Me Like A Stranger - Gene Wilder. Gene Wilder has always been a favourite of mine and was also the primary inspiration behind my novel Photograph. To get an insight into his life was fascinating.

So which books have influenced you?

A strange or useless talent I have

This prompt from Long and Short Reviews took some consideration. I'm not saying I have no talents - I like to think I'm a good writer, I'm an OK singer, and I'm great at languages - but none of those things are strange or useless. However, one of my hobbies is collecting autographs, and I realised that this has given me an ability which a lot of people close to me have found both strange and useless.

If you name an actor, I can usually come up with at least three films they've been in.

"Was that Claire Danes in that trailer?"
"Who's Claire Danes?"
"Oh, she was in Igby Goes Down, Brokedown Palace, Terminator 3..."

This is actually quite handy if you're writing to a celebrity to request an autograph, because standard practice is to tell them which films of theirs you enjoyed, and it helps to be able to come up with more than one. That said, IMDB is pretty good for that. I just have the ability to remember them on my own.

I do, however, tend to check IMDB anyway, just to make sure I haven't got two similar-looking actors mixed up.

So what's your useless talent?

Books I've recommended and why

This topic from Long and Short Reviews was a tough one as I don't often recommend books to people unless specifically asked - everyone's tastes are different, after all. There were, however, a few I was asked about recently which I had to recommend.

Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas - Adam Kay. The sequel to "This Is Going To Hurt" and absolutely hysterical, despite convincing me I was right never to consider going into medicine.

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood. Primarily because someone caught me reading "The Testaments", queried it, and was shocked to discover that the TV show had begun as a book.

So Brilliantly Clever - Peter Graham. "Heavenly Creatures" is my favourite film and so I decided to do some reading up on the original Parker-Hulme case. This is the best book I've read on the subject, giving fascinating background information without lingering too heavily on the nastier parts.

So what have you recommended?

Things that scare me

This one from Long and Short Reviews was easy, because there are only a few things that particularly scare me. I watch so much horror that I'm pretty difficult to scare now. However, despite my constantly reading about the paranormal, one of the things that scares me...

---is ghosts.

I admit that the more I read about the paranormal, the less likely I think I am to see one. I even spent two nights in a haunted hotel suite and saw nothing. I am, however, open to the possibility, but also terrified at the thought. Ghosts don't act according to the rules - they can do whatever they want. I don't fancy encountering a spirit that can appear wherever and however it wants.

Which leads on to my second fear - mirrors in the dark. I've seen enough films to know that if our heroine looks in a mirror in the dark, either there will be someone standing behind her, someone other than herself will be looking back, or her reflection will tell her to get out before it's too late. Needless to say, I've never tried scrying, because that would really ruin me.

My third fear is much more basic - tidal waves. I appreciate that living in the middle of the country means I'm unlikely to see one, but the sheer size and power of them scares me to death. If you turn round and see a giant wave coming towards you, you've had it. I have tried to bully myself out of this fear by watching a lot of films with giant waves, but so far it hasn't worked.

So what scares you?

Books I read on someone's recommendation

These days I find it difficult to find time to read books on someone else's recommendation, since I have so many on the go myself at one time. However, this wasn't always the case, so I do have a few books I've read and enjoyed which someone else has mentioned to me.

Blott on the Landscape - Tom Sharpe. I didn't manage to get into all of Tom Sharpe's books, but this one is wickedly funny and subversive.

Girl With a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier. Recommended to me by a bookshop worker after she saw me wandering around with a gift card. I'm happy to say I enjoyed this one, although again I didn't get into any of her others.

His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman. I'm currently reading the new trilogy - I enjoy these books far more than I would have expected, since as steampunk fantasy they're not usually my type.

This Is Going to Hurt - Adam Kay. This is an absolute classic. I read this in one sitting, laughing hysterically all the way through. He has just released a Christmas sequel which I also read all in one go.

So what have you had recommended to you?

Popular/famous books I don't plan to read

This topic from Long and Short Reviews was an unusual one since, frankly, I'll read almost anything. It's rare that a book will come up that I won't at least consider. However, I did find there were a few that I would avoid no matter what.

Remembrance of Things Past - Marcel Proust. I did once have this on my reading list until a friend attempted it and couldn't get past the first three pages. I don't mind a challenge, but I think I'll pass.

Divine Comedy - Dante Alghieri. This is primarily because I studied part of this at university in Italian. I'm sure it's a worthwhile read but I have terrible memories of Dante.

Any Dan Brown not in the Da Vinci series. I may surprise some people when I say I don't mind Dan Brown, but only the Da Vinci books. I tried one of his others and found it to be a poor imitation of Michael Crichton.

So what do you never plan to read?

Books that did a great job of explaining films

This topic from Long and Short Reviews was an interesting one, because it's been a while since I read anything that could be considered to be explaining something. But I do love film, and I recently found two books that are a great addition to any film lover's collection.

Men, Women and Chain Saws - Carol J. Clover. All about the treatment of men and women in the horror industry, and an excellent in-depth read for a horror lover like me.

The Science of Interstellar - Kip Thorne. For anyone (like me) who loved the film but found the science a little complicated, this is an accessible read which goes into the background and explains it perfectly.

So which books would you recommend?