Looks like I was tagged for this meme by Andrew Wheeler (a/k/a G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.). So here it goes:
1. One book that changed your life?
I’ll give you two, for two different reasons. One is Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. That might seem like an odd book to change one’s life, but it was what opened me up to reading SF in a serious and hardcore way. I’d read a bunch of SF and fantasy when I was younger and then kind of drifted away from it; mainly, if for no other reason, that I was not really aware of publishing categories because I mostly used to just read whatever my sister gave to me. So Crichton hooked me in the mainstream section of the bookstore, and my search for more stuff like that lead me to SF, which I had a lot of misconceptions about at the time. Luckily, someone explained to me that if I could handle the science in Jurassic Park, then I could handle any of the science in an SF novel.
The other book is The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. Perhaps not coincidentally, this is my favorite novel. The reason I think of it as a book that changed my life is because I read it at a point in my reading career at which I was not particularly well-read in the genre, and Stars completely blew my mind and made me realize Holy shit, this is what SF is capable of. Once I read that book, there was no turning back. I started reading SF almost exclusively after that, and eventually grew inspired to try my hand at writing (and, eventually, editing) it. In fact, my Very Bad Novel (which was later adapted into my Very Bad Screenplay, which though Very Bad, was once optioned for cash money) is very much inspired by The Stars My Destination–not so much so that just anyone would recognize it, I think, but there’s a lot of Gully Foyle in the protagonist.
2. One book you have read more than once?
I haven’t read many books more than once, as I tend to be more interested in what’s in that next book, than revisiting what I’ve already read. That said, I’ve re-read both of the abovementioned books, and I’ve also re-read Crichton’s Sphere (which was my favorite novel for a while, and is a book I still have a great fondness for).
3. One book you would want on a desert island?
I refuse to name the book I’d want on the off chance that I do end up on a desert island. Because if I say the name of the book aloud (or in pixels), that’ll pretty much guarantee I won’t end up with it. I mean, come on: if my luck is bad enough that I end up on a desert island, you think I’m going to end up with the book I want?
4. One book that made you laugh?
You can take your pick of Terry Pratchett Discworld novels, or Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide books. But I usually find there’s at least some humor in most novels. For instance, I know there were moments where I laughed during Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, even though it’s by no means a comedic series.
5. One book that made you cry?
I’m not sure I can think of any books that have made me cry, though it’s entirely possible, as I know I’ve teared up at films. I’m pretty sure I got a little weepy at “Flowers for Algernon,” though that would have been when I read the novelette version (it’s possible that it happened when I read the novel too, but unlikely since the emotional impact would have been lessened since I knew how it ended at that point).
6. One book you wish had been written?
One more Alfred Bester novel, to have been written during the 50s, at which point he was at the height of his creative prowess.
7. One book you wish had never had been written?
I don’t hate any book enough that I’d wish it had never been written. Even if I think it’s rubbish, I’d rather the world had more books in it, so I wouldn’t wish non-existence upon any book. Although it would be an interesting alternate history premise to imagine how the world might have developed differently if no holy books (The Bible, The Koran, etc.) had ever been written.
8. One book you are currently reading?
I’m currently reading Paragaea by Chris Roberson, and I think it’s pretty great so far.
At lunch today, I was just perusing a writing business book called Freelance Forever, which I bought at The Strand for a dollar yesterday. A lot of it is probably outdated since it was published in 1982, but there’s some good advice in it so far.
9. One book you have been meaning to read?
George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Oh, and the Harry Potter books too. Those two series are what I get asked about most often, it seems, and receive appalled looks in response to my confession that I have not read them.
10. Now tag five people.
Doug Cohen
David Barr Kirtley
Jeremy Tolbert
Trent Hergenrader
Samantha Ling
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