When I was growing up, my parents provided a large library of encyclopedias, dictionaries, fact books for kids, and literally hundreds of books of all kind – classics, famous works of literature, fiction, science fiction, kids books, compilations of fairy tales, etc. I think we literally had close to a thousand books in the house.
By the time I was two, I was not interested in kid’s picture books. I was reading kid’s adventure novels. I’d moved on to classic literature by my 9th birthday. One of my schoolteachers tried to reassure my parents that I wasn’t slow by informing them proudly I was reading at a 4th grade level, unlike some of her other students. My father explained I’d just finished reading Melville’s Moby Dick. She couldn’t think of a response, and simply repeated herself.
Before 4th grade was over, two things happened – my parents pulled me out of the gifted program (yes, that was the gifted program) and put me back into grade school, and I’d branched out to sci-fi, Tolkien, and eventually into a wide variety of books. I’m sure I remember myself running around outside, and my parents probably remember me lying on my bed reading for hours.
Tolkien led to sci-fi, which led to adventure stuff. I had star trek novels, Clarke, Aasimov, HG Wells, Heinlein… My favorite books growing up were an eclectic mix of LOTR, The Great Impersonation, The Scarlet Pumpernickel, Hunchback of Notre Dame, War of the Worlds, HP Lovecraft, Where Eagles Dare, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and a myriad of other books.
Certain Books had an impact on me as a writer. Click To TweetCertain books had an impact on me. LOTR of course. Wizard of Earthsea. I only had the first two books, and never got the other. Dune. Works by Heinlein & Clarke. And in later years, I was introduced to Clancy, which I think coupled with Tolkien and Heinlein shaped my writing style.
What do you like to read, and why? Was it a movie you saw and wanted to read the book? Did your parents provide a library of printed matter numbering in hundreds of volumes? Or did you stop by a bookstore as a kid and buy your first book yourself?
What was the path that led you into what you’re reading now? Was there a single book so good it affected your reading preferences to this day?
