Most Inspiring Books – Part I
Hi everyone,
I’m back and ready to blog! I’ve finally handed in the next draft of Stolen with Style and have a few deadline-free (sort of) days over Easter. Yay!
Many of you have asked me what my favourite books are…but the fact is, if I were to make a list it would be waaayyyy too long because there are just so many AMAZING books out there! So instead I thought I’d blog about three books that really inspired me the first time I read them – and still really inspire me today!
What’s great about a book you love – no matter how old you were when you first read it – is that you’ll always love it!
And don’t worry – no spoilers!
This is the official trailer to my fave Jane Eyre film (there have been many versions made).
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë - I love, love, love Jane Eyre! This was the first big, thick, juicy romantic novel I can remember reading, and I found its passion, mystery, and romantic location absolutely gripping.
I love Jane’s clear, strong voice, and am (still) in awe of how fiercely she clings to her principles – even when faced with circumstances that would make most of us crack and take the easy road. Jane is a heroine’s heroine, and through the force of her character (she’s somewhat famously described as being ‘plain’) she renders herself unforgettable.
For me she is the original sassy girl. I don’t think you can go too wrong by asking yourself, What would Jane Eyre do?
Of course, I can’t discuss Jane Eyre without bringing up him – him being Edward Rochester, the heartthrob of the moors, and my first literary crush. I remember thinking, “Wow! Please jump out of the book and come to life now!” I won’t go on in case you haven’t read the book, but suffice it to say, Rochester set the gold standard to which all my other literary crushes are compared.
Check out Judy’s website here. Isn’t she cute on her kayak?
Forever by Judy Blume – Let me just start by saying that it took me weeks to build up the necessary courage to take this book home from the library – and still, I nearly died with embarrassment when the librarian took it from my hands. Why? Because of the sex. I remember how much whispering at school there was about the sex in this book. Having said that, the book isn’t about sex only. It’s about falling in love for the first time, having responsible sex, and then learning to live with the consequences of all that that entails.
Anyway, if you’re unfamiliar with Judy Blume you could start with another fave of mine, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret.
I don’t see how anyone could fail to love Judy Blume because she’s quite simply the most amazingly generous writer. By that I meant that she lets her characters do things without judging them, and she allows them to come to their own conclusions about life; she gives them the space they need to glow with reality and depth.
I was so into dogs and horses that it took me forever (no pun intended!) to get into Judy Blume, but once I did, I became a fan. Her characters are like people you know – and importantly, like.
Agatha Christie at her desk at home. I’d like to think she kept those impossibly high stacks of books on her desk all the time!
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – Before getting into Agatha Christie, the only detectives I was familiar with were Nancy Drew, Scooby-Doo and Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther films. But thanks to them I was a huge fan of detective fiction – so after reading my first Agatha Christie, there was no question of ever turning back: she opened up a whole new, big world for me.
I can’t remember how this book came to be in my hands, but I’m just glad my parents weren’t into Agatha Christie or they probably would have taken it away from me! There are something like ten deaths over the course of this book (and I was about ten when I read it), all dispatched on a remote island off the English coast with that quintessential Christie jolliness. I remember racing to the end to find out who the murderer was – never mind that I was terrified. She’s apparently the best selling author of all time – which is not a surprise if you know her!
Of course, her mysteries all took place eons ago, so as much as I loved reading her mysteries, I was nevertheless also pining for a young sassy detective who was dealing with mysteries in the here and now. In that sense, Agatha Christie’s mysteries definitely fuelled me to finally write about my own detective.
So that’s it – three of my top faves. I’ll follow this up in a couple of weeks with three more faves. In the meantime, happy reading!
Carina x
