If you're brave enough to fly

Day 10 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving

This is another tough one, because frankly – why would I read something I didn’t think I’d like in the first place?

Then I remembered Stephen King.  I always thought of him as a hack writer churning out useless horror novels.

I’d read a few of his books – Carrie, Christine – and been unimpressed.  Then I read The Stand and The Talisman.  I began warming to him, then, but for a long time I thought that these would be the only books of his that I enjoyed.

And then I read On Writing, which changed my opinion of him forever.  From this, I moved onto the Dark Tower books, and I began seeing the way he intertwined this massive mythology with other books.  And I became a huge, and very impressed fan.

I’ve gone on to read much more of King’s work, and while I’m not overly fond of all of his books, there’s always something in them that attracts me.  It’s not the horrific – it’s the characters.  King is a master of writing real characters, people who live and breathe.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.

Day 09 – Best scene ever

There are a few that spring to mind for me.  The first is the scene in Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels books where Jaenelle is saved by falling through the webs (being vague here in order to avoid spoilers, just in case).

The second is from Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel books where Phedre is saved from being skinned by Joscelin, who is prepared to end both of their lives to save hers.  I fell utterly in love with the character of Joscelin at that point.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.

Day 08 – A book everyone should read at least once

I find this kind of question hard, because there’s really no one book that *everyone* should read.  And I hate the word should.

So I’m going to take this from a slightly different perspective – the book that people should read to get an idea of who I am and what really triggers my interest.

There are many that I could suggest here, but I’m going to have to go with Clive Barker’s Imajica.  It contains one of the things that really interest me in fiction – in worlds behind the world.  I love the dark worlds that Barker imagines, and his characters always live and breathe.  It’s something that I would have loved to have written myself.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.

Day 07 – Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise

I’m going to have to go with the same thing that I’ve seen a few other people point out – where rape or torture, usually of a female, but not always, is used as a plot device, especially to give another character motivation for revenge.

Even when it works in the context of the book, it always sets my teeth on edge.  Because it often just feels like a short-cut, and often feels almost off-hand.  And characters often recover very easily from something that should have shattered their lives.

Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels books are guilty of this – but I add a caveat.  The characters who go through these situations do suffer repercussions from them, and they are used as more than just a short-cut and make sense in the greater context of the world of the books.  But even with that, it still sets my teeth on edge to read.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.

Day 06 – Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time

Going with Charles de Lint’s Newford books as my favourite series, my favourite book of them is Memory and Dream.

I first picked up Memory and Dream as a remaindered copy.  I don’t remember exactly why I grabbed it, apart from the fact that it looked interested and was cheap.  At the time, I hadn’t heard of de Lint at all.

And then I read it, and was enthralled from page one.  I’ve reread it so many times, and find joy and enchantment every time.  I’ve given copies to many people, and recommended it to many more.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.

Day 05 – A book or series you hate

This is actually really hard, mostly because I don’t read books that I hate.  There are plenty of subjects that don’t interest me, and which I’m sure that I’d hate books about, but I just don’t read them.

There are certainly some books that I don’t hold in high regard for whatever reason, some of which I still read as guilty pleasures.

The closest I’m going to get to an answer here is anything by Dickens.  Who, to be fair, I only read in high school as part of English class.  And hated.  This could reflect on the teachers I had at the time, but I also got to read a lot of great stuff – like Fowles’ The Collector and The Great Gatsby.  Maybe I should have a go at Dickens again and see how I go.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.

Day 04 – Your favorite book or series ever

Charles de Lint’s Newford books.  Which may or may not technically be a series.

I feel like I cop out every time I bring up de Lint in an answer, but his books are just magic.  I know plenty of people who find them too saccharine sweet, or who tire (perhaps justifiably so) of the intertwining between magic and the homeless.  But I find myself turning back to these books time and again, searching for the magic in the streets and characters, and longing for Newford.

And hell, I am Sophie, even though I’m a writer and she’s an artist

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.

Day 03 – The best book you’ve read in the last 12 months

Catherynne M Valente’s Palimpsest.

Fascinating idea, gorgeous language.  I make no secret of the fact that I’m utterly in love with everything Cat writes, and Palimpsest is my favourite book of hers to date.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.

Day 02 – A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about.

I’m going to hark back to a series that I read many years ago – Christopher Hinz’s Paratwa trilogy – Liege-Killer, Ash Ock and Paratwa.

I’ve only ever come across a few people who’ve read this series, though I’ve foisted it on many others.  I’m pretty sure that it’s out of print now, too, and my battered copies are much treasured.

I really should read them again to make sure that they’re as good as I remember.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.