7 books that every author should read (you’ll be surprised with #1)
Hemingway’s debut novel about a group of British and American expats - the Lost Generation - in 1920s France and Spain is arguably his greatest work. Perhaps the finest example of ‘show’ not ‘tell’, it documents Bret and Jake’s romance (the brilliance is you really have to interpret this) in the years immediately after WW1, together with the hedonistic lifestyle that all too many of them lead. Featuring Hemingway’s distinctive- avoid similes and metaphors at all costs - prose style, it’s a novel that should be on every author’s reading list. Literary gold dust.
6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone
JK Rowling’s eponymous debut propelled her to the top of the bestseller charts and international literary fame. It maybe a children’s (well middle grade) book but word for word it’s one of the best novels out there. Never have so many great protagonists and antagonists (don’t you dare reject the Dark Lord!) been thrust together in just under 77,000 words. And then there are the spells and the potions (Felix Felicis anyone?) and the Houses and the ghosts and pretty much every last brick and tile of Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic. Come on, who hasn’t at some point imagined themselves being spirited away on the Hogwarts Express or else appear out of nowhere in Diagon Alley (whatever you do - don’t say diagonally!)? No wonder it got an entire generation of young (and old) people around the world hooked on reading. Now that’s what I call a legacy!
5. A Song of Ice and Fire books 1-3
The first three books of what is commonly known as Game of Thrones can pretty much be viewed as one long narrative from the rise of the white walkers in the prologue to Sansa’s escape from Joffrey’s clutches in King’s Landing at the end of book 3. They feature a host of memorable characters that have also graced our tv screens from Daenyrs Targareyen and John Snow to Tyrion Lannister and Arya Stark to name but a few. For my money (and anyone else’s for that matter) it’s the finest example of a multiple POV narrative out there and what’s more it’s loaded with thrills, spills, and unexpected twists and turns that keep the reader (especially me) hooked. Think the Red Wedding or Joffrey’s bloody capitulation at the feast before his wedding to Sansa. This series has it all. It’s fantasy writing at its very best and you’d be a fool to skip past it. Unmissable.
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4. The Hobbit
‘In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit’. So began one of the finest examples of Western literature and with it the entire fantasy canon. In JRR Tolkien’s masterpiece we are introduced to some of the finest protagonists to have ever graced the page - Bilbo, Gandalf, and Gollum. The episodic nature of the book also provides a template for all authors to emulate. From his humble beginnings in The Shire, Bilbo is thrust into a world of trolls, spiders, elves, and eagles, not to mention an epic battle with goblins at the end. And what’s more it perfectly sets up the next novel on the list: The Lord of the Rings.
3. The Lord of the Rings
What would Western literature look like without The Lord of the Rings? Like the Hobbit it gives us a dazzling array of characters, a gripping plot, and a wonderful world full of magic, elves, and monsters. And it does so with some of the finest language in twentieth century literature. The icing on the cake are its enduring themes - greed and power, scientific progress vs scientific restraint, the beauty of nature, responsible leadership, and so much more. Every fantasy novel that was ever written pays homage to this totemic series. It is quite simply irreplaceable.
“Whenever you ever feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had”. This quote sets the stage for an enduring novel that is crammed with compelling characters that are all flawed in one way or another. Their dark and sordid pasts have helped create who they are, Daisy and Gatsby (the love affair that isn’t) especially. Oh and it’s stuffed with some of the most beautiful descriptions in the English language. Think of the green light at the end of the bay beckoning Gatsby on to his inevitable end. If you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for?
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Word for word this is the best book ever written. So much happens to so many well developed characters in such a short space of time. There’s no fat on this book - every word matters; there is no fluff to please the book seller. It tells you how to write juxtaposition, create compelling characters (George and Lenny are perhaps the finest literary duo around) and weave complex themes - racism, segregation, rich vs poor - into an engaging narrative that comes directly from the writer’s experience. And it has an ending to quite literally die for. Pure genius.
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