Here are some of the authors I have enjoyed. Leave your thoughts in the Comments below and share the authors and books you loved reading.
I don't recall many specific books up until my teenage years, although I do vividly recall my mother reading to me after she tucked me into bed. She almost always observed me falling to sleep after a few pages.
Reflecting on my article, I'm from the wrong side of the tracks, it's fair to say my peer group were not overly bookish, meaning my interest in books was not something I discussed with my buddies.
As a father, I enjoyed reading Nicholas Stuart Gray, The Seventh Swan and Grimbold's Other World, to my three boys.
My favourite book growing up
The House on the Strand, a novel by Daphne_du_Maurier (available on Kindle). The book has a supernatural element, exploring the ability to mentally travel back in time and experience historical events at first hand. I recall being utterly transfixed by the concept and absolutely riveted.
The book that changed me as a teenager
Roger Zelazny’s novels Lord of Light and Creatures of Light and Darkness (very reasonable price on Kindle). He was a beautiful writer, with a marvellous prose style, and he just made it look so much fun to write. Zelazny poured fuel on my desire to read, and maybe even write.
The writer who changed my mind
It wasn’t until my 20s that I realised I how very important it is to be widely read. It was Harlan Ellison’s fault, from his introduction to a short story called Count the Clock that Tells the Time, in a collection called Shatterday. He wrote about wasting time, how you look around and time’s gone. It plugged straight into everything I had ever thought or dreamed about and in that moment I was determined to ensure I'd never take time for granted. I thought better to try and fail than not to try and let the time blow past.
Immersed in the work of great philosophers
In recent years I've enjoyed developing a much deeper appreciation of the great philosophers, in particular, Socrates (470–399 BC), the Stoics (3rd century BC), and Joseph Campbell (20th century). I have also read extensively on the history and development of Pedagogical Models to inform my work developing innovative experiential learning interventions.
Please share the books you have loved reading in the Comments below.
Greg Twemlow, Editor, Publishers Studio
