One Book To Keep

There is that one book on your shelf that defines you. One book that, while you may not have read it for awhile, makes you gasp in horror if somebody mentions you might want to let it go. We all have one and it is mind blowing to make the choice of which one is your favourite.  I have asked a few people in the book industry, what is that special book is for them and the response has been quite interesting.

Abigail Nathan from Bothersome Words Editing Services.

“ You know this is just a fancy way of asking "if you could only have one book..." and those questions are IMPOSSIBLE! I shall go with sheer sentiment and say Diana Wynne Jones's 'Charmed Life'. That was my first DWJ novel and I think it's the most reread book I own. It's one of the books that got me properly into fantasy/speculative fiction and probably the book that made me realise I wanted to spend my life working with books and words and fictional worlds.”

Alan Baxter – author of the upcoming martial arts/fantasy book Bound

“Oh, man, that is almost impossible to answer! One book? The horror! Errr. first that comes to mind is Clive Barker's "Cabal". And his book "The Great and Secret Show". And Le Guin's "A Wizard of Earthsea". And and and... I can't just pick one!”

Michael Pryor, Author of the Law’s of Magic series and the new Machine Wars.

“The hardback copies of 'Lord of the Rings' I got when I was thirteen”

Kim Wilkins, author of Rosa and the Veil of Gold and winner of an AUREALIS Award.

“Beowulf”

Jason Fischer, author of the Tamsyn Web series and the short story collection Everything is a Graveyard.

” Definitely Mary Stewart's "Crystal Cave", beautiful piece of Arthurian storytelling.”

Karly Lane, author of Northstar

“Mine would be Cross stitch by Diana Gaboldon . I think it's called Outlander in the US. Best. Book. Ever!”

Pamela Freeman, author of the Princess Betony books

“So many... the poems of WB Yeats. Or Lord of the Rings. Tough to decide.”

Fiona Palmer, author of Outback Heart

“Vampire Academy series. It's my big escape “

Fiona McIntosh, author of the Quickening series and Tailor’s Girl

“Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay”

Carla Caruso, author of Catch of the Day

“Mine would be 'Looking for Alibrandi' by Melina Marchetta - I read it when I was an Italian-Australian teenager, like the main character, finishing high school and wondering what the heck I was going to do with the rest of my life. It still resonates! 'The Undomestic Goddess' by Sophie Kinsella is also a feel-good, comfort read I love dipping into again. “

Jacqueline Harvey, Author of the Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose series.

“The Book Thief with a beautiful inscription to me from Markus.”

What is even more interesting is the fact the genres that these author’s write does not always reflect what they love to read. A lot of people assume that just because you write in a particular genre then that is all you will read. This goes to show that is not the case at all.

For myself, I don’t have favourite books. I am like most people who, when they are asked this question recoil in horror at picking just one book. It is simply a hard question that can make your mind go blank when you are trying to pick a title. If I had to choose on the basis of a book that I read the most, then I would have to choose Tamora Pierce’s ‘Song of the Lioness #1 Alanna the First Adventure’. I re-read that book (which leads into 20 others in the series all following the same characters for about 30 years) at least once a year. I’m not sure why that series draws me to it, but I love the relationships of the characters and I think it is one of the books that really cemented it for me that I wanted write.  Also there is Patricia C Wrede’s Lyra books.  I loved the grittiness and emotion found in that series.

A big thank you to everyone that participated in my post and I hope you all go and check out these wonderful authors and their many books and you may find that one book you can never get rid of!

What is your One Book?
Tarran