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Jun. 22nd, 2009 09:33 pmAn interesting book meme I have snagged from ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lady_elina:
Name fifteen books you've read that will always stay with you, and don't take too much time to think about it (the first fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes). Copy this into your own post.
More or less in the order of importance - though that is, of course, subject to certain fluctuations:
1) Mary Renault, The Persian Boy (or the entire so-called 'Alexander trilogy', of which this book is the central part)
2) Mary Renault, The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea (I am treating those as one book, because they comprise one story - a magnificently epic retelling of the myth of Theseus)
3) Mary Renault, The Charioteer
4) Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
5) Jeanette Winterson, The Stone Gods
6) Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat
7) Christopher Rice, A Density of Souls (Christopher is Anne's son, and this was his first novel and so far the best, imo - though I haven't read the latest one yet)
8) Sara Maitland, Angel Maker (this is actually a collection of short stories, but most of them had a PROFOUND effect on me, so I think it totally qualifies)
9) Cherry Potts, Mosaic of Air (again, a short story collection, significant because of the author's unique perspective)
10) Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
11) Monique Truong, The Book of Salt (another first novel by a young author that left me open-mouthed with awe)
12) Patrick Suskind, Perfume
13) Kathryn Harrison, Poison
14) Margaret Atwood, A Handmaid's Tale
15) Alice Borchardt, 'the Wolf Trilogy' - comprised of The Silver Wolf, Night of the Wolf and The Wolf King (Alice was Anne Rice's sister, and she also wrote novels with supernatural themes - but instead of vampires, she favored werewolves ;)
Most of these are historical fiction and/or fantasy. Many have supernatural elements. Most are written with great epic skill and in unique, beautiful language. Some (notably the antologies by Maitland and Potts) retell famous mythical or biblical stories from a decidedly feminist (and/or lesbian) perspective. Most have prominent gay characters - or characters who are 'different' and/or feel excluded from society for some other reason. This is probably the essence of why these books took up a permanent residence inside my brain. Which tells you a lot about my brain, I suppose - perhaps all you need to know.;)
lady_elina:Name fifteen books you've read that will always stay with you, and don't take too much time to think about it (the first fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes). Copy this into your own post.
More or less in the order of importance - though that is, of course, subject to certain fluctuations:
1) Mary Renault, The Persian Boy (or the entire so-called 'Alexander trilogy', of which this book is the central part)
2) Mary Renault, The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea (I am treating those as one book, because they comprise one story - a magnificently epic retelling of the myth of Theseus)
3) Mary Renault, The Charioteer
4) Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
5) Jeanette Winterson, The Stone Gods
6) Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat
7) Christopher Rice, A Density of Souls (Christopher is Anne's son, and this was his first novel and so far the best, imo - though I haven't read the latest one yet)
8) Sara Maitland, Angel Maker (this is actually a collection of short stories, but most of them had a PROFOUND effect on me, so I think it totally qualifies)
9) Cherry Potts, Mosaic of Air (again, a short story collection, significant because of the author's unique perspective)
10) Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
11) Monique Truong, The Book of Salt (another first novel by a young author that left me open-mouthed with awe)
12) Patrick Suskind, Perfume
13) Kathryn Harrison, Poison
14) Margaret Atwood, A Handmaid's Tale
15) Alice Borchardt, 'the Wolf Trilogy' - comprised of The Silver Wolf, Night of the Wolf and The Wolf King (Alice was Anne Rice's sister, and she also wrote novels with supernatural themes - but instead of vampires, she favored werewolves ;)
Most of these are historical fiction and/or fantasy. Many have supernatural elements. Most are written with great epic skill and in unique, beautiful language. Some (notably the antologies by Maitland and Potts) retell famous mythical or biblical stories from a decidedly feminist (and/or lesbian) perspective. Most have prominent gay characters - or characters who are 'different' and/or feel excluded from society for some other reason. This is probably the essence of why these books took up a permanent residence inside my brain. Which tells you a lot about my brain, I suppose - perhaps all you need to know.;)
