We're bringing something a bit different to Writing in the Modern Age today. Awhile back, I had an idea for a new feature so I reached out to some author colleagues to see if they'd like to participate. I thought it might be nice to show readers a few books that have inspired authors. You might find it enlightening, and at least be able to answer the age old question, "What the heck do authors read?"
Writers are readers too! Most authors love to collect books for their vast personal libraries. The written word is fascinating to us, and many newer authors as well as those in the past have helped to shape who we are today.
Without further ado, our guest today is Vivienne Vincent, a romance author. Won't it be interesting to hear about a few books that have inspired Vivienne on her writing and publishing journey?
Sounds pretty awesome to me. So, take it away, Vivienne!
Thank you so much for having me on
your blog. I had no idea it would be so difficult to narrow down the list to
five books. But here it is.
1. Bond of Hatred by Lynne Graham
Blurb:
Tug of Love…
Alex Terzakis took Sarah's breath away. Marrying him was the last thing she was thinking of! When she impulsively flung that proposal at him, she had two things on her mind: revenge for her young sister's death, and the chance to raise Nikos, her sister's baby son. True, family was all to Alex, and he would fight to keep Nikos, who was his nephew. But, in her anger and her grief, Sarah had believed that her demand would send him packing—she had never expected that he would accept!
Alex Terzakis took Sarah's breath away. Marrying him was the last thing she was thinking of! When she impulsively flung that proposal at him, she had two things on her mind: revenge for her young sister's death, and the chance to raise Nikos, her sister's baby son. True, family was all to Alex, and he would fight to keep Nikos, who was his nephew. But, in her anger and her grief, Sarah had believed that her demand would send him packing—she had never expected that he would accept!
Vivienne's Thoughts:
Bond of Hatred is the first one on
the list because I absolutely adore Lynne Graham’s work and this was the first
book by her that I read. In fact, this was the first Harlequin book I ever read.
There isn’t a single Lynne Graham book that I did not enjoy reading but Bond of
Hatred remains my darling. It is very well written and has a solid storyline.
The misunderstandings between the characters are genuine. I rarely like female
protagonists but I loved Sarah. Also, the narrative is kind of witty. If a book
makes me laugh or smile, I fall in love with it. There isn’t a single moment in
the book that’s boring or where it starts to feel like I need to take a break.
Bond of Hatred is the first one on
the list because I absolutely adore Lynne Graham’s work and this was the first
book by her that I read. In fact, this was the first Harlequin book I ever read.
There isn’t a single Lynne Graham book that I did not enjoy reading but Bond of
Hatred remains my darling. It is very well written and has a solid storyline.
The misunderstandings between the characters are genuine. I rarely like female
protagonists but I loved Sarah. Also, the narrative is kind of witty. If a book
makes me laugh or smile, I fall in love with it. There isn’t a single moment in
the book that’s boring or where it starts to feel like I need to take a break.
2. Impulse by Nora Roberts
Blurb:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts comes a classic story about following your heart…and falling in love.
For once in her life, Rebecca Malone has decided to follow her impulses. After quitting her job and selling all of her belongings, she heads to Greece in search of adventure. So when a sexy local restaurant owner pursues her, she can't resist playing the role of sophisticated, well-traveled woman. But falling in love with Stephen Nickodemus was not part of the plan! Now she'll have to find a way to break the news of her true identity…without also breaking his heart.
For once in her life, Rebecca Malone has decided to follow her impulses. After quitting her job and selling all of her belongings, she heads to Greece in search of adventure. So when a sexy local restaurant owner pursues her, she can't resist playing the role of sophisticated, well-traveled woman. But falling in love with Stephen Nickodemus was not part of the plan! Now she'll have to find a way to break the news of her true identity…without also breaking his heart.
Vivienne's Thoughts:
I read Impulse quite recently and it
might sound strange but this is the only book by Nora Roberts that I have read.
Impulse was very short and I no longer have the stamina to sit through a
five-hundred page romance so it was perfect for me. I have come across some bad
reviews and while we can keep arguing over technicalities, at the end of the
day, reading is a form of entertainment and I enjoyed reading it. Someone said
that the story was too cliché. But I think that all stories have been told.
What matters is how they are told. When I was reading Impulse, I was constantly
amazed by Nora Roberts’ style of writing. There was nothing pretentious. There
was no flowery language. It just felt like this lady was born to do what she
has been doing. No wonder she is a prolific writer.
3. Shame by Salman Rushdie
Blurb:
The novel that set the stage for his modern classic, The Satanic Verses, Shame
is Salman Rushdie’s phantasmagoric epic of an unnamed country that is
“not quite Pakistan.” In this dazzling tale of an ongoing duel between
the families of two men–one a celebrated wager of war, the other a
debauched lover of pleasure–Rushdie brilliantly portrays a world caught
between honor and humiliation–“shamelessness, shame: the roots of
violence.” Shame is an astonishing story that grows more timely by the day.
Vivienne's Thoughts:
This book mocks one of the darkest
eras in recent history and does a brilliant job of doing so. It’s very funny
and deeply rooted in a particular culture and history. So unless you have some
knowledge of the background, it might not be your cup of tea. But I have a
feeling for postcolonial literature and I loved the book.
4. The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell
Blurb:
“Should be read by every parent, teacher, minister, and Congressman in the land.”—The Atlantic
In The Conquest of Happiness,
first published by Liveright in 1930, iconoclastic philosopher Bertrand
Russell attempted to diagnose the myriad causes of unhappiness in
modern life and chart a path out of the seemingly inescapable malaise so
prevalent even in safe and prosperous Western societies. More than
eighty years later, Russell’s wisdom remains as true as it was on its
initial release. Eschewing guilt-based morality, Russell lays out a
rationalist prescription for living a happy life, including the
importance of cultivating interests outside oneself and the dangers of
passive pleasure. In this new edition, best-selling philosopher Daniel
C. Dennett reintroduces Russell to a new generation, stating that Conquest
is both “a fascinating time capsule” and “a prototype of the flood of
self-help books that have more recently been published, few of them as
well worth reading today as Russell’s little book.”
Vivienne's Thoughts:
I read this book for the first time
when I was in the fifth grade. I try to read it every now and then. If you are
feeling down, this book will surely lift you up. It reminds you of the simple
joys that we tend to overlook. We are always talking about our differences but
when you really get down to it, those differences are too insignificant
compared to everything that we have in common. The bottom line is that all of
us want to be happy and all our endeavors are in that pursuit. It’s just that
simple.
5. Masters of the Planet by Ian Tattersall
Blurb:
50,000 years ago – merely a blip in evolutionary time – our Homo sapiens ancestors
were competing for existence with several other human species, just as
their own precursors had been doing for millions of years. Yet something
about our species separated it from the pack, and led to its survival
while the rest became extinct. So just what was it that allowed Homo sapiens
to become Masters of the Planet? Curator Emeritus at the American
Museum of Natural History, Ian Tattersall takes us deep into the fossil
record to uncover what made humans so special. Surveying a vast field
from initial bipedality to language and intelligence, Tattersall argues
that Homo sapiens acquired a winning combination of traits that
was not the result of long term evolutionary refinement. Instead it
emerged quickly, shocking their world and changing it forever.
Vivienne's Thoughts:
I wasn’t taught anything about
evolution when I was growing up. So later I tried reading Darwin and Dawkins in
an effort to educate myself. But I felt very confused. In my opinion, anyone
interested in learning about evolution should read Masters of the Planet. It’s
the perfect place to begin the journey. Also, it has a somewhat poetic and
philosophical quality to it so it never feels dull and dreary.
Thank you, Vivienne! And I especially agree with your assessment of Nora Roberts. I love her unapologetic approach to storylines and characters.
I read Impulse quite recently and it
might sound strange but this is the only book by Nora Roberts that I have read.
Impulse was very short and I no longer have the stamina to sit through a
five-hundred page romance so it was perfect for me. I have come across some bad
reviews and while we can keep arguing over technicalities, at the end of the
day, reading is a form of entertainment and I enjoyed reading it. Someone said
that the story was too cliché. But I think that all stories have been told.
What matters is how they are told. When I was reading Impulse, I was constantly
amazed by Nora Roberts’ style of writing. There was nothing pretentious. There
was no flowery language. It just felt like this lady was born to do what she
has been doing. No wonder she is a prolific writer.
3. Shame by Salman Rushdie
Blurb:
The novel that set the stage for his modern classic, The Satanic Verses, Shame
is Salman Rushdie’s phantasmagoric epic of an unnamed country that is
“not quite Pakistan.” In this dazzling tale of an ongoing duel between
the families of two men–one a celebrated wager of war, the other a
debauched lover of pleasure–Rushdie brilliantly portrays a world caught
between honor and humiliation–“shamelessness, shame: the roots of
violence.” Shame is an astonishing story that grows more timely by the day.
Vivienne's Thoughts:
This book mocks one of the darkest
eras in recent history and does a brilliant job of doing so. It’s very funny
and deeply rooted in a particular culture and history. So unless you have some
knowledge of the background, it might not be your cup of tea. But I have a
feeling for postcolonial literature and I loved the book.
4. The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell
Blurb:
“Should be read by every parent, teacher, minister, and Congressman in the land.”—The Atlantic
In The Conquest of Happiness, first published by Liveright in 1930, iconoclastic philosopher Bertrand Russell attempted to diagnose the myriad causes of unhappiness in modern life and chart a path out of the seemingly inescapable malaise so prevalent even in safe and prosperous Western societies. More than eighty years later, Russell’s wisdom remains as true as it was on its initial release. Eschewing guilt-based morality, Russell lays out a rationalist prescription for living a happy life, including the importance of cultivating interests outside oneself and the dangers of passive pleasure. In this new edition, best-selling philosopher Daniel C. Dennett reintroduces Russell to a new generation, stating that Conquest is both “a fascinating time capsule” and “a prototype of the flood of self-help books that have more recently been published, few of them as well worth reading today as Russell’s little book.”
In The Conquest of Happiness, first published by Liveright in 1930, iconoclastic philosopher Bertrand Russell attempted to diagnose the myriad causes of unhappiness in modern life and chart a path out of the seemingly inescapable malaise so prevalent even in safe and prosperous Western societies. More than eighty years later, Russell’s wisdom remains as true as it was on its initial release. Eschewing guilt-based morality, Russell lays out a rationalist prescription for living a happy life, including the importance of cultivating interests outside oneself and the dangers of passive pleasure. In this new edition, best-selling philosopher Daniel C. Dennett reintroduces Russell to a new generation, stating that Conquest is both “a fascinating time capsule” and “a prototype of the flood of self-help books that have more recently been published, few of them as well worth reading today as Russell’s little book.”
Vivienne's Thoughts:
I read this book for the first time
when I was in the fifth grade. I try to read it every now and then. If you are
feeling down, this book will surely lift you up. It reminds you of the simple
joys that we tend to overlook. We are always talking about our differences but
when you really get down to it, those differences are too insignificant
compared to everything that we have in common. The bottom line is that all of
us want to be happy and all our endeavors are in that pursuit. It’s just that
simple.
I read this book for the first time
when I was in the fifth grade. I try to read it every now and then. If you are
feeling down, this book will surely lift you up. It reminds you of the simple
joys that we tend to overlook. We are always talking about our differences but
when you really get down to it, those differences are too insignificant
compared to everything that we have in common. The bottom line is that all of
us want to be happy and all our endeavors are in that pursuit. It’s just that
simple.
5. Masters of the Planet by Ian Tattersall
Blurb:
50,000 years ago – merely a blip in evolutionary time – our Homo sapiens ancestors
were competing for existence with several other human species, just as
their own precursors had been doing for millions of years. Yet something
about our species separated it from the pack, and led to its survival
while the rest became extinct. So just what was it that allowed Homo sapiens
to become Masters of the Planet? Curator Emeritus at the American
Museum of Natural History, Ian Tattersall takes us deep into the fossil
record to uncover what made humans so special. Surveying a vast field
from initial bipedality to language and intelligence, Tattersall argues
that Homo sapiens acquired a winning combination of traits that
was not the result of long term evolutionary refinement. Instead it
emerged quickly, shocking their world and changing it forever.
Vivienne's Thoughts:
I wasn’t taught anything about
evolution when I was growing up. So later I tried reading Darwin and Dawkins in
an effort to educate myself. But I felt very confused. In my opinion, anyone
interested in learning about evolution should read Masters of the Planet. It’s
the perfect place to begin the journey. Also, it has a somewhat poetic and
philosophical quality to it so it never feels dull and dreary.
I wasn’t taught anything about
evolution when I was growing up. So later I tried reading Darwin and Dawkins in
an effort to educate myself. But I felt very confused. In my opinion, anyone
interested in learning about evolution should read Masters of the Planet. It’s
the perfect place to begin the journey. Also, it has a somewhat poetic and
philosophical quality to it so it never feels dull and dreary.
Thank you, Vivienne! And I especially agree with your assessment of Nora Roberts. I love her unapologetic approach to storylines and characters.
Readers, here is a little about Vivienne's book, Dandelions!
Book Blurb:
“There are no Rhett
Butlers and Darcys in real life. Only Heathcliffs.”
An avant-garde romance that goes beyond sexual
chemistry and digs deep into human nature and relationships.
Elizabeth Goodenough met Saber Fergus for the first
time when she was eight and he was twelve. He broke her heart when she was
eighteen. Ten years later, an unwitting mistake on Izzy’s part once again
brings her face to face with the same one-night stand that once brutally
crushed her.
But something seems different this time. Has her dark
knight really transformed into a knight in shining armor, or is he playing
her all over again?
Here is an excerpt.
At
this point, Saber cracked a crooked grin and asked, “What’s his name?”
His
flat voice became ebullient. His mischievous smile created subtle wrinkles
around his deep-set, ebony eyes. They were shining far more brightly than the
stars I spent hours staring at trying to figure out which ones were my parents.
“I
haven’t named him yet. I got him only about a week ago. I am still thinking of
a name.”
“Got
him or stole him? Just like you were trying to steal our flowers.”
He
was teasing me and it was working.
“You
cannot steal flowers. Flowers belong to Mother Earth and Mother Earth belongs
to all of us.”
“This
part of Mother Earth belongs to me, so I own everything in here including
wicked little girls with their hideous looking sons of bitches.”
The
way that stiff-necked boy retaliated right away, it became clear that he was
not someone easy to take down.
He
continued. “So since both of you belong to me, why don’t I name him for you?
Dandelion. How is it?”
“Dandelion?”
The name made me smile. “I like it. I will call him Dandelion. Now he has an
actual name. Grandma says once you have a name, you become a real person.
Dandelion too is a real person now.”
“No,
he is still an ugly son of a bitch. Do you like the dandelion collection over
there?”
“It’s
beautiful. I wish I had some in my house, but our house is too small and we
don’t have a garden.”
“You
can take one from here. Come with me.”
Saber
moved toward the garden and I followed him. He plucked a dandelion and handed
it to me. It was my first time holding one. I was staring at the delicate
dandelion when Saber came close and blew right into it making it vanish into
thin air. I was still trying to figure out what had happened when I heard a
giggle.
“You
are a meanie,” I told him.
“Am
I?”
His
eyes shone like a polished apple. He snatched the stem out of my hand and
flicked it. It fell on the ground.
“Dandelions
are far too delicate. They are just an illusion. They look real but they never
last. Here.” He plucked a red rose and gave it to me. “Take this instead. Red
roses are far more resilient.”
Genre: Steamy Romance
Purchase Links:
Universal Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B01IG97RCU
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/6423501
Publisher: http://solsticepublishing.com/dandelions/
This looks like a sexy romance! Definitely an interesting story here! And thank you for stopping by to give us a glimpse of your bookshelf, Vivienne! :)
Readers, don't forget to pick up your copy of Dandelions!
About the Author:
Vivienne Vincent grew up in a fairly conservative
environment which ironically sparked her interest in unconventional subjects
and romance novels. As a young girl she became interested in novels from the
Victorian era as well as modern day romance. She is pretty much obsessed with
British and American sitcoms and crime series. Look her up on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with her. She loves to hear from readers.
Vivienne Vincent grew up in a fairly conservative
environment which ironically sparked her interest in unconventional subjects
and romance novels. As a young girl she became interested in novels from the
Victorian era as well as modern day romance. She is pretty much obsessed with
British and American sitcoms and crime series. Look her up on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with her. She loves to hear from readers.
Author Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vivienne-Vincent-850442295083956/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VivienneVincen8
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2abR73V
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/57734728-vivienne-vincent
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15486427.Vivienne_Vincent
Publisher: http://solsticepublishing.com/vivienne-vincent/
Vivienne's Book:
Once again, let's thank Vivienne Vincent for allowing us to see her cool author's bookshelf! :)
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