What are your five favorite books, and why?
My top favorite books are:
- Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. I love Bradbury's lyrical prose and how he made the characters feel real and authentic.
- Raptor Red by Robert Bakker. This insight into the mind of a female velociraptor had me so engaged, I kept finding myself thinking like a raptor myself while reading it!
- Rich on Any Income by James P. Christensen. I read this book when I was still in high school and I’ve been creating and (for the most part) sticking to budgets every since. Knowing where your money is going and how you can manage it is so empowering. I think this book should be required reading in high school and/or college.
- Writing for Story by Jon Franklin. This is not only an excellent primer for learning how to write engaging creative nonfiction, but can inform your fiction writing as well. Well written and engaging.
- The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. I’ve read this book three times and listened to it on tape two times. I’ve even seen the TV mini-series. Bradbury’s soft poetic style has been a great influence on my own style. I feel blessed to have seen him speak several times and actually met him in person. In fact, when I did, I handed him a letter telling him how impactful his work has been on my life. (Good thing I had that letter, because I was struck speechless in his presence.) He wrote me back! I plan on framing that letter some day.
What do you read for pleasure?
At one time, to help me read through my library in an organized fashion, I divided my books into six categories:
- Science Fiction
- Fantasy
- Other Fiction
- Science
- Books about Writing
- Other Nonfiction
These days my go-to books tend to either fall into the speculative fiction genre or the self-improvement/business genre.
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