My top ten most influential books.

Good morning!

Something making its way around Face book lately has been a top ten list of most influential books in a person's life.  I was going to get a list together, but then I decided it would make a nice year end blog post for you all, especially since I haven't done a top ten list in a while.

I'm giving you my top ten list with a couple caveats:  First, I'm leaving the Bible off the list.  For me, it's THE most influential book, but my list, for the purposes of this blog, is about human authors, not deities.  Second, I'm not putting my books on the list because...well, that's sort of cheesy.  (However, if you'd like to purchase one of my books all you have to do is click on the following links:)

Novels under Sarah J. Bradley for electronic media other than the Kindle:

Novels under Sarah J. Bradley for Kindle or in print:

Elsie Books under Sarah Jayne Brewster for kindle or in Print:

Elsie Books under Sarah Jayne Brewster for electronic media other than Kindle:


Okay, that's out of the way.  Now...the top ten books that influenced me through my life.

10) Stephen King:  On Writing

I'm not a fan of horror, but I am a fan of Stephen King's, especially after reading this.  One part autobiography, one part how to for the aspiring novelist, it's a winner and I keep it close.

9) C. D. Payne: Youth in Revolt

Don't let the awful movie by the same name fool you.  This book is heartbreakingly good.  A big reason it's on the list is a few years ago my son told me to read it.  He'd never told me to read a book before.  He thought the book was hilarious.  I thought it was shattering and sad.  And I realized that a book can be completely different things to different people.

8) Laura Ingalls Wilder:  Little House on the Prairie

In the days before "YA" was a category in the library, there were pioneering authors  (pardon the pun) bridging the gap between children's picture books and adult novels.  Wilder was one of them.  Still the gold standard of writing, I remember, as I read these books in third and fourth grade, thinking:  I can do THAT.  I can write about stuff in my life.  Which is probably why I begged for red covered notebooks every Christmas for years.  I thought it was the key to literary success.

7) Joan Aiken:  Wolves of Willoughby Chase

While all my girl friends were reading Laura Ingalls' books, I was entertaining my youthful dark side by reading and rereading Joan Aiken's wonderful, dark, children's books.  "Wolves" is the first of three I read on a monthly basis:  Blackhearts in Battersea and Nightbirds on Nantucket were the other two.  As a child who saw adults as villains all the time, I found a kindred soul in Aiken's heroic children characters' battles.  As an adult author, I look to the unexpected for my villains, thanks to Joan Aiken.

6)  Charlotte Bronte:  Jane Eyre

Many of my books are the study in the dark side of people, how we try to hide behind a pretty facade.  I blame my mother for this because when I was in 8th grade she was my school librarian and she suggested we all read Jane Eyre.  She painted a wonderful, dark picture of romance entwined in mystery and insanity.  I was hooked from the first reading, although I didn't completely understand the full content of the book until much later.

5)  Adrianna Trigiani:  Big Stone Gap


Think of her as a modern day Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Her Big Stone Gap books reopened my eyes to the ideal of "writing what you know."  I realized regular people can be interesting in books and, bigger bonus, overweight girls can have a fun life and a dash of romance.  Since reading Big Stone Gap, I've read everything she's written and enjoyed every minute. Her work reminds me that it's okay to have a normal, mundane setting. Knowing your characters and how they live in their every day settings can build a very compelling story.


4)  Thomas Hardy:  Jude the Obscure

Jude enjoys the rare distinction of being the only book on the list I was assigned to read as part of one of my million English classes in school.  The book itself is what I deem a dark comedy, which is exactly what I said in class when I announced I'd nearly finished reading the book far ahead of the assigned date.  My professor, a dear man I adored, asked me what I thought of it.  I said, "It's HILARIOUS!"  He looked shocked.  "What is wrong with you?  How can you find this funny?"  Maybe it wasn't so much the book itself, but my reaction to it that put this book on the list.  I realized that day that I find humor in the strangest places, in places many don't.  To my professor's credit, the end of the book is shattering.  But I maintain, until the very last page, Jude is one of the most entertaining dark comedic characters I've ever read.

3)  Judy Blume:  Blubber

I could fill this list with Judy Blume's works, but I'm pretty sure Blubber was the first book I read by her.  Judy Blume was to me, as she was to almost every girl growing up, the "go to" for advice on how to handle every situation.  As an author she did not shy away from the difficult topics.  Blubber, dealing with bullying in the days before bullying was a hot button political topic, is the magna carta of the topic still today.  Having been on both ends of the bullying stick by the time I was in 5th grade, I knew the pain of it all too well, and Judy Blume's book was a reprimand and a comfort at once.  Later, I delved in her books about getting a period, teen sex, scoliosis, and divorce. Every parent with a child needs to read Blume aloud to their kids.

2)  Emily Bronte:  Wuthering Heights

It's not a top ten book list without Emily Bronte's gothic novel.  Say what you want, every single woman dreams of fixing the bad boy and let's face it...there just wasn't anyone more of a bad boy than Heathcliff.  I read it every year starting in eighth grade and until I got married and got busy with kids and whatnot.  Now, I still love to escape to the bleak, windy swept moors.  It's the atmosphere of the book that is most haunting, and is probably the best part of the book.  The setting is every bit as much a character in the book as Catherine or Heathcliff.  And it's something I strive for when I'm writing my own fiction.

1)  Erma Bombeck:  anything

Erma Bombeck is my sensei.  When I was eleven, I would run home from school so I could get the newspaper and read her daily column.  I knew from a young age that I wanted to BE Erma Bombeck.  I wept the day she passed.  I read her books all the time, marveling at how she managed to make the every day hilarious, and hoping I can, in some very small way, do her honor by writing something people can laugh at.


There are so many other authors and books I'd love to put on this list.  One I wrestled with was Beverly Cleary, who was every bit as much a part of my childhood reading as Joan Aiken and Judy Blume.   Beverly gave me Ramona Quimby, who remains to this day sort of my alter ego.

Finally, friends, I want to share with you a quote from Erma Bombeck, because it's fitting and, as writers, I think we all need to keep this in mind:

Who's your muse?

Good  afternoon my friends!

So Emma and the gang at Accredited Online Colleges once again shared with me a fairly brilliant blog about muses.  You can read the whole thing here or you can scroll down.


The 10 Most Famous Muses of All Time



The Greeks attributed their creative and intellectual pursuits (largely the liberal arts) to the influence of nine goddesses. All daughters of Zeus, they bestowed gifts of inspiration and innovation to mortals they deemed worthy. Over millennia, the concept of muse remained largely intact, but swelled to encompass something far more ephemeral than divine. Whether they pique songs, poems, art, films, a combination of many or another product entirely, muses will continue to exist so long as humanity turns towards itself for ideas and insight. Far, far more than these 10 have given, are giving and will give someone else the tools needed to forge self-expression. Unfortunately, not all of them attain quite the same level of acclaim — or, as the case may be, notoriety.



Alice Liddell

Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, more than likely penned his classic fantasy Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland after befriending the Liddell kids. Speculation about the true nature of Alice’s relationship with Carroll abounds — no evidence pointing towards anything sexual or romantic exists, but that doesn’t stop historians and literature buffs from raising such questions. The celebrated author and his muse’s family parted ways thanks to an ill-advised courtship with the governess (or eldest daughter!), but not after he penned some of the most beloved children’s stories of all time. In addition, he also used the little girl as a model for photography forays. Alice’s legacy has gone on to spawn a plethora of parodies, movies, video games, art and plenty of other adaptations, although the famous character and the very real child do not overlap completely.



Gala Dali

Born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova, the strikingly beautiful Gala Dali is best known as surrealist superstar Salvador Dali’s wife and model. She famously left her husband, painter Paul Eluard, for the youthful Spaniard and remained a major player in his life until her 1982 death. Many times, he credited her with saving his life, as he oftentimes feared dying young and succumbing to overwhelming insanity. Gala served as Dali’s model for most of his career; although she also took on both muse and benefactor roles for plenty of other creative types as well — usually painters and musicians, including Jeff Fenholt. Because the artist himself allegedly encouraged his wife’s extramarital activities for fetish reasons, he certainly didn’t mind sharing her passion and beauty! Even individuals without any real interest in surrealism or even art have still probably caught a glimpse of Gala somewhere.



The Dark Lady

Whether or not William Shakespeare based his mysterious, lusty character on an actual woman or created a pastiche continuously sparks debate amongst the literati. Some think she might be Emilia Lanier. Others say Mary Fitton. And a few even think it could very well be both or neither. About the only thing anyone knows for certain is that she possessed seductively dark hair and eyes. The Bard dedicated sonnets 127 through 152 to this closely-guarded figure, oftentimes juxtaposing her with a comparatively more innocent Fair Youth. What makes this cycle so notable is how overtly sexual they read, particularly when compared to the more romantic and spiritually-minded poems preceding and succeeding them.



Yoko Ono

This widely-recognized activist and avant-garde artist and musician probably elicits as much controversy as she does inspiration. Most notably, Yoko Ono acted as John Lennon’s personal muse after he attended one of her exhibitions. She handed him a card simply reading, "Breathe," and the Beatle immediately felt compelled to abandon his wife and young son. Many of the band’s later songs either outright reference ("The Ballad of John and Yoko") or allude to ("Julia") Ono, and the pair released their own albums while Lennon continued rocking with the Fab Four. Beyond that, she encouraged him to take up human rights and peace causes — though how exactly staying in bed for an entire week was expected to end the Vietnam War is quite the mystery. Whether or not Ono directly contributed to the Beatles breaking up remains firmly in the realm of "he said-she said" bickering, anecdotes and individual opinions. Regardless of one’s views, though, she certainly fits the description of a creative muse.



Edie Sedgwick

Dubbed an "It Girl," "Youthquaker" and 1965′s "Girl of the Year," Edie Sedgwick’s bubbly social butterfly persona landed her straight in the presence of such luminaries as Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground and more. Tragically plagued with an eating disorder and addiction issues, she launched her muse career at The Factory, where she modeled and acted for the artists and filmmakers involved — and Warhol in particular. At least two Dylan songs off the legendary Blonde on Blonde ("Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat" and "Just Like a Woman") came about because of their baffling relationship, and The Velvet Underground composed "Femme Fatale" in her honor. Patti Smith wrote a poem about Sedgwick, even naming it after her. And it just stretches on from there. While more notable for her influence on Warhol and Dylan, this fascinating figure left quite an impression on almost an entire generation of creative movers and shakers.



Frida Kahlo

"I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best," one of Mexico’s most beloved artists once quipped. Although her tumultuous, frequently adulterous marriage to fellow painter Diego Rivera frequently sent him scrambling towards the canvas as well, Frida Kahlo most notably acted as her own muse. She despised the "surrealist" label, but her deeply personal work certainly reflected many of its and magic realism’s tenets. Focusing mainly on self-portraiture, Kahlo channeled her most intimate pain and pride into her vivid, visceral paintings. Other artists obviously threw plenty of themselves into their own work, but not nearly at the same level as this incredible, veritably immortal woman.



Beatrice Portinari

Italian epic poet Dante Alighieri figuratively walked through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven for his beloved. The Divine Comedy features Beatrice Portinari as the author’s guide through the last book of Purgatorio and the entirety of Paridisio, replacing the pagan Virgil. The real Portinari’s life was far less charmed than her literary counterpart’s, however. Born into a Florentine banker family, she only met Dante twice, though he pined for almost an entire decade between encounters. Portinari died at age 24, only a few years after marrying Simone dei Bardi, but continued charming the poet throughout his existence. And it wasn’t just The Divine Comedy upholding her memory, either. The collection La Vita Nuova bursts completely under Dante’s love — even after he himself had married and sired children.



Pattie Boyd

While not a household name in the vein of Yoko Ono, Pattie Boyd definitely played a significant role in shaping music history. One of the most infamous love triangles of all time centered right on her, after all. She married Beatle George Harrison in 1966 and Eric Clapton in 1979, inspiring the both of them to pen some of their most famous tracks. Allegedly, Clapton’s "Layla," "Wonderful Tonight" and "Bell Bottom Blues" as well as Harrison’s "Isn’t It a Pity," "Something," "For You Blue" and "I Need You" all contain some very personal allusions to the model and photographer. Even outside the romantic craziness realm, Boyd created something of a fashionable splash. No less than Twiggy herself cited her as a major influence!



John Nettleship

Given the muses’ Greek roots, it makes perfect sense that most would tend to associate the concept with women. But one of the most iconic fictional characters of the past decade either would have never existed (or at least existed in an entirely different state) without one chemistry teacher’s harshness. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling based Hogwarts potions master Severus Snape on her grim instructor John Nettleship at Chepstow Comprehensive School. His wife eventually brought the apparently obvious similarities to his attention, cycling through shock and concern before eventually (if a bit grudgingly) accepting the immortalization. Most people can’t brag that Alan Rickman sort-of played them in one of the most popular, beloved book AND film franchises of all time, after all.



Someone so vain, he probably thinks this song is about him

David Geffen, James Taylor, Warren Beatty, David Bowie, Kris Kristofferson, Cat Stevens, David Cassidy, Mick Jagger and a plethora of other men have all been speculated as the true identity of chanteuse Carly Simon’s most famous tune. Only the singer herself and NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol — who won the privilege (and a private performance) in a charity auction — know, and they prefer staying coy. Simon frequently claims the song’s central character is really a composite of three different people, though Ebersol states the individual in question has an E, A and R in his name. Honestly, the fact that people still clamor to know despite the 1972 release date means the muse should remain obscured. Telling everyone now would just stop the publicity train from a-chuggin’.



 
So now my friends, who is your muse?  You all know very well who mine was for Dream in Color and while my muse for Lies in Chance might not be as obvious, I still have a very, very clear picture that kept me going when writer's block threatened.  So...who is your muse?
 
 
Figure that out and then go forth and write!