Shapely

Countdown? One. More. Day.

~

#1: The Circle, by Ted Dekker

As per my LOTR post, I couldn't pick which book in this series to focus on. There's so much here that I had to include it all in one post... because really, it's all been hugely inspiring to my writing career.

1. Two worlds

In Dekker's series, there are two completely real and completely believable worlds. One is our own, and the other is one that I would never have imagined -- one where sometimes the world is literally turned upside down so the people can have more fun.

The brilliance, however, is that both worlds are similar enough to make them real. Never once did I doubt the integrity of the story based on the two unique worlds, even when Thomas Hunter was going back and forth between them. In fact, that only seemed to make the worlds more real.

2. Circular storyline

What Dekker did with this series is something I'd never seen before, and haven't seen since.

Black, Red, & White were all released in sequence, in that order, without much time between their releases. They were also written in sequence, as far as I know. But what makes it interesting is the addition of book four, Green. This book takes the original trilogy and throws it on its head.

How, you ask?

Because book four makes the whole series into a literal circle.

If you want to know what that means, then you should probably check out Dekker's series -- because I'm not about to spoil it for you.

[love]

{RD}

P.S. The series isn't over... 

Game Over

First thing's first: We're starting a new countdown.

Four days, and counting...

To what? 

Well you'll have to wait four days and see!

~

#2: Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card 

Goodness, this book. I picked it up one day expecting to have a fun book to read during my busy work schedule, and instead I threw out the work schedule and finished the book.

1. Ender

It's not often that we get to read a book through the POV of a child, and it's even less frequent that the book is actually well written. Fortunately for us, Ender is mature enough that the story seems a little less like a kiddo telling us about his war games.

Orson Scott Card is one of the best authors to read when it comes to this. He keeps Ender very much a child, while giving him enough maturity to show us how smart kids really can be.

If you ever want to write a child character, read this book.

2. The game

As per the title, this book is all about a game. Ender's game.

The fun part is, we don't really get to understand the game, because Ender doesn't even understand it. So we get to come along for the ride, which again adds a unique aspect to the story. Technically, it's written from the POV of an unreliable narrator, but it's only because Ender doesn't really get the full picture either... until the end.

Want to write an unreliable narrator who's still relatable? Read this book.

3. The ending

This is the biggest reason why I recommend this book to people. Even I didn't see the ending coming, and I find joy in the fact that I very nearly always know how books, television shows, movies, etc, are going to end.

So if you want to be surprised by the ending of a book, read this book.


In a word: addicted.

That's what I've been when it comes to this series, since I first picked up Ender's Game.

[love... and four days counting]

{Rani Divine}

Demonic

#3: Demon: A Memoir, by Tosca Lee

If you haven't read anything by Lee yet, I encourage you to do so. And I encourage you to start with Demon, as I did.

It won't disappoint.

1. A study in writing

This is a book written about a man writing a book. He's ghostwriting it, really, as told to him by a demon.

Interesting idea, isn't it?

For me, it became a study in writing. Lee used several techniques I'd never seen before, and she carved everything out into a story that had me itching to find out what was going to happen next. I had great difficulty in putting the book down once I picked it up, and for me, that's saying a lot.

In reading this book, I was pushed to be more creative in the way that I see the world around me, and in the way that I write about it.

That alone would've put it on the list, but the thing that really got it here is...

2. A study in living

Lee was married when she started writing this book. By the time she finished, if I recall correctly, she was divorced. In many ways, from what I understand, that this book cost her her marriage. She'll be the first to tell you that it wasn't a bad thing. After all, she's about to get remarried.

But for me this book showed me what it really is to be a writer. We commit fully to what we do. When we're inspired to write something, literally nothing is going to get in our way.

We're called to write, and we're going to write.

Some of us end up losing things because of that -- but look what we gain along the way! The things that we lose are things that don't line up with our calling, they're things that we'll realize at some point are expendable.

If you can't give things up to follow this calling, then maybe you're in the wrong place. Maybe. Or maybe you'll learn to get stronger along the way.

Maybe we all will.


[love]

{Rani Divine}

P.S.  This time next week we'll have a huge announcement from RAD Writing! Stay tuned for more information!

JP

#4: Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton

It was only a few short years ago that I finally picked up this book. The movie was one of my absolute favorites growing up, and there were a few semesters in high school where I literally watched it every day while I did my homework.

I may have been a bit obsessed.

The book... was more than I ever imagined.

1.Thriller/Sci-Fi

Despite what some people may tell you, Jurassic Park is a semi-horror book. That classifies it as a thriller, in case you weren't sure. It's not terrifying enough to be horror, but it's too tense to be anything less than thriller.

Crichton is good at these. In fact, I might go so far as to say that they were his forte. If you've read any of his novels, you'll understand what I mean.

In my opinion, Crichton is the most successful author at blending the thriller genre with science fictional themes. Dinosaurs aren't exactly the talk of the town, most of the time.

Somehow, Crichton manages to blend the two together and make readers forget that the whole premise is science fiction. In reading this book, I imagine that everything is indeed real, that there is an island out there where dinosaurs were made and thrive.

That's the mark of an excellent writer, and it's a benchmark many of us are trying to reach.

3. Science

This is what keeps drawing me back to Crichton:

I learn something every time I read his work. Even if it's my second time through.

He masterfully blends reality with his fictional world, while including enough real-world information that you're almost guaranteed to learn something along the way. It's not just any writer who can do that. Most of us have a hard time getting anyone to read our exposition, much less getting them to enjoy reading scientific data.

Crichton, on the other hand, does so without batting an eye.


That's what made Jurassic Park #4 on my list.

[love]

{Rani Divine}

Lordy

#5: The Lord of the Rings

This is another one of those books that I wonder if I even need to state the author... But for the record, it's Tolkien. Not Tolkein, not Tolken, Tolkien.

I'm counting all three books in the series as one, because I can't bring myself to choose which one I like best. I like them all. They're all amazing and deserve to be read over and over and over again.

This man really had to be in the top thirteen, because hey, I'm a fantasy author. So here, the three F's of why Tolkien made the list:

1. Foreshadowing

I'm going to tell you how it is. Foreshadowing is hard to do successfully. It's confusing, it's annoying, and when I'm writing it I don't feel like it's worth it.

But then I read LOTR and I see all the marvelous foreshadowing that Tolkien somehow managed to weave into every single chapter of every single book... and I wonder if it really has to be that hard. Tolkien was a master in this art, and there's a lot to learn by simply reading his work.

Almost everything that happens in the books is foreshadowed. Yeah, it might be a bit much, I'll give you that, but that doesn't mean he wasn't successful in doing it.

If it'd really been too much, people wouldn't have enjoyed the books.

2. Fantasy

Tolkien is one of the foremost writers when it comes to this genre. Mention the fantasy genre to anyone on the street and they'll probably say "like Lord of the Rings?" and your answer will be yes. In some ways, I believe we all aspire to be like Tolkien, to write at his caliber when it comes to fantasy fiction.

That alone would be reason enough to read these books. Everyone knows them, and has either read the books or seen the movies.

Wouldn't you love to be the author who wrote that work?

Learn from him and maybe you will be.

3. Frodo

If there's one character in this series that means that most, it's Frodo.

There's a reason for that.

Tolkien created a character that's interesting, that's fluid and changeable as people are supposed to be. He has struggles, he's a little quirky, and follows his heart. That's a true character--enough so that I could almost call him a person.


When you put those three together, it adds up to #5 in my list of authors and novels that inspired me to start writing. Tolkien's work pushed me to start my first novel. It was terrible, but hey, it was a start.

Everybody has to have one of those.

[love]

{Rani D.}

Mars Bars

#6: The Martian, Andy Weir

Honestly, from the very beginning I knew there were only one or two ways that Andy Weir could've ended this story. We all know that. This guy is stranded on Mars, and either he's going to live or he's going to die. Either way, the story could've been crafted into something beautiful.

No, I'm not going to tell you which way it goes down.

What I will tell you is this:

1. Logged

The bulk of the story is written through the means of personal logs. Watney is alive on Mars, left behind by the rest of his team, and he's writing in the logs for anyone who might manage to find them. In the beginning he doesn't even think he's going to make it through this alive -- though he's determined to try.

The interesting part is that we get a unique glimpse into the psyche of a man on his own.

Really, that was why I picked up this book to begin with. I wanted to know how an astronaut would react when he found out he was the only man on Mars.

And boy did I get my answer.

2. Satisfaction

Never, I repeat never, have I read an ending so satisfactory.

Like I said, I'm not going to tell you what happens. But I will tell you that Weir crafted this story brilliantly. Even when I'd figured out what was going to happen, I couldn't figure out what was going to happen. Yes, I realize that doesn't make any sense.

But for a writer, that's one of the most satisfactory feelings in the world.

You fooled me, Weir, even though I knew your ending all along. It doesn't get much better than that.


As a side note, Weir also taught me how not to do a character -- because there's one in The Martian who simply makes no sense whatsoever. 


Who's read this one, and do you have any thought on the upcoming movie (which may have also been a part of why I read The Martian to begin with)?

[love]

{Rani D.}

Legen... Wait for it...

#7: I am Legend, Richard Matheson

Hey, at least I've finished this one.

1. Vampires

Yes, they're cliched. Honestly, I've grown so weary of vampires that I can hardly bring myself to read a book that has anything to do with them.

But.

Matheson's novel is much more than just a vampire story. And the thing with these vampires is that they're true, that they're like the creatures were originally thought to be. They're not the sexy brooding leading role in a romance novel. They're gritty, they make you cringe, and they'll make you bleed.

That's why I like them, and that's why I called this book #7 on the list.

Because if you're a writer and you're trying to create a creature with real grit, Matheson is your best bet for inspiration. If you haven't read this one, I encourage you to go pick it up right now.

2. Character Development

More than just a vampire story, it's also the story of a human man. Yeah, that might sound a little cliched as well, and yeah you might be able to get this story somewhere else, but not like this. Matheson made his human character as undeniably human as possible. While his vampires are undoubtedly vampires, his human is also one of the best humans I've ever read on paper.

That alone is enough to read the book.

3. How to end a story

Sheesh.

I won't give anything away. Even if you've seen the movie, I won't give anything away. (they're different endings, by the way).

Matheson knows how to end a story, better than a lot of writers I read. He knows his craft, and he's not afraid to use it.

That's the kind of writer I aspire to be.


[love]

{Rani D.}