Success only flourishes in perseverance -- ceaseless, restless perseverance.
--Baron Manfred Von Richtofen

Friday, January 13, 2012

The Book That Started It All

Back in 1988, I went into the back room of Blockbuster Video for my dinner break. Bored, I picked up a book on the table and started reading. I read three chapters before my break was over and I had to put it down. I loved those three chapters. I couldn't wait to read more! But the next day, the book wasn't there anymore. I didn't know who had brought it and I couldn't remember the title or the author. Oh, well. I didn't think about it again. Until...

1989. I'm in college and a friend told me I just had to read this wonderful book. He handed me Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I was delighted to realize that was it! The book I started to read at Blockbuster. Naturally, I loved it. I remember reading the end of the book in a car with a guy friend who was driving us back to BYU after visiting family in Vegas. I was bawling my head off! He must have thought I was so weird.

That's the book that really sparked my love and science fiction and made me want to write it too. Now, finally, it's going to be made into a movie! With Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley and all sorts of other wonderful actors. Am I excited? Oh, just a little. =D

Is there one book you can name that sparked something wonderful for you?

13 comments:

Danyelle L. said...

I love it when books do this. For me, it was Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. I still remember getting it from a book order in 4th grade and reading through a couple of subjects (math was one of them ;-)) and recess.

Showed me that not only can fairy tales be awesome, but that they can be funny and wry and wonderful. :)

Linz said...

Pride and Prejudice. I gained a life long love of reading with that book!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Even though I write science fiction (sparked by things such as Star Wars and Battlestar Galalctica) Terry Brooks and the Sword of Shannara started it for me.

Stephanie McGee said...

Tamora Pierce and David Eddings are the two authors whose books opened my imagination and set me into the world of fantasy.

Rocky Rudd said...

That's so cool that it's becoming a movie! Now I need to go read it again. :)
For me, the book was "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale. I'd always loved fantasy, but that was the book that really got me into fairy tales and rewriting them. Definitely a game changer.

T. M. Hunter said...

Not one single book, but the entire Hardy Boys series...both the originals and then the "Casefiles" series that came out later. If I had to say that anything spurred me into writing the books I do today, those would be the ones.

Angie said...

I liked The Goose Girl too, Rochelle. Great book.

The Hardy Boys! That's awesome, Todd.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.

Michelle D. Argyle said...

Love, love, love Ender's Game! I just read it not too long ago. Didn't know science fiction could be up my alley. :)

Misha Gerrick said...

Ooh I've heard so many good things about Ender's Game. I really want to read it. :-)

tiffany said...

twilight sparked it for me and now im not a twilight fanbut i still like to read

Angie said...

Tiff, I'm so glad Twilight sparked a love of reading for you! Reading is fun. =)

Krista said...

I have given you an award on my blog. Stop by to claim it.

Gyran Gymble said...

It was a novel called Butterfly which, when you read it seems to be a fairly racy book about a high class brothel for rich women.

But eventually you find out that it's all about Revenge!
That's really as much as I can say without giving the game away.

But it is so good that I can't have it in my house since if I pick it up then I HAVE to read it.
Instead mum keeps it under lock and key at her place.