As a writer, reading is of vital importance (or so I’m told–and it makes sense to me!). What I’m not sure about, however, is whether I should stick to the genre I prefer to write, or if reading outside of the box can help create a more well-rounded story.
For example, would utilizing the western’s affinity for wide-open plains and dangerous travel help create more tense, exciting travel in a fantasy epic, or would the difference in style be a turn-off for fantasy fans?
All the same, as a reader, I find myself quite enjoying dalliances into different genres. Fantasy is like home, but there are all sorts of great vacation destinations out there to visit.
So what’s on the agenda? In no particular order:
1984 by George Orwell. I’ve never read this classic, but now it’s more relevant than ever. A little more than halfway through, I’m surprise at how modern it feels, and indeed, quite relevant. More George Orwell is almost certainly ahead!
Malice by John Gwynne. After the pleasant surprise that was John Marco’s Bronze Knight series, I’m looking forward to my next foray into thick fantasy tomes. I’ve heard good things about Malice, and it’s waiting on my shelf.
The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher. I started this one about two years ago and stopped early into it, not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but because I was enjoying it too much, and I suddenly felt terribly insecure about my own partially-done airship-based fantasy novel. The writing was crisp and snappy, and the handling of the ships in motion was incredibly detailed and mind-opening!
Hamlet by some obscure old poet. I’m intending to slowly work on the Shakespeare catalog in between other reads, and Hamlet seemed like a great place to start. (Of course, it won’t be the same without a spaceman and his robot pals commenting as I go along.)
What else? Both my digital and physical shelves are packed with titles. Dante, Aquinas, Chesterton, Brian Jacques, Robert Jordan, Louis L’Amour, Ray Bradbury, Terry Pratchett, C.S. Lakin… the list goes on.
And I really should read the Harry Potter series sometime–whoops, my fantasy credibility just flew out of the window with that admission!
Turning Nights into Words 