Your Favourite Books

After spitting out the dummy and throwing the toys from the pram after it yesterday my prep has been going well and the fear has dwindled. My Sol Stein notetaking should be finished today - I'm planning to read over the notes before I tackle each story as a refresher - which means I'll be reading through my first draft tomorrow.

And with this comes Phase Two of my (hopefully) cunning plan - reading. And not just cereal packets and billboards either. Novels that I cannot only learn and find inspiration from, but also enjoy. A tall order these days for some reason.

So I'm hoping you can help by commenting or emailing your favourite:

1. Book of all time; and/or
2. Book published recently, perhaps in the last five years.

I came up with point 2 because I reckon some of you have a classic as a favourite novel like me, therefore missing out any more modern works that you also enjoyed.

A disclaimer: I'm primarily looking for books that you love and enjoyed reading, not books that are technically well-written. In other words I'd like some recommendations from friends. Recommendations from critics are a different kettle of fish altogether.

Your imput can really help me kick start my love of reading again - so please don't be shy!

My reading dry spell is finally over...

...thanks to Spencer. The sun is splitting the trees so I'm moving to the balcony. Sorry office-bound people, didn't mean to rub it in. Much.

Lost my reading mojo

I have a voracious appetite for reading and could speed read for Ireland. I’ll read anytime, anywhere; at mealtimes, social gatherings or while navigating busy pavements. I’ll read in planes, trains and automobiles, even though the latter inevitably leaves me miserable with motion sickness. (I reckon it’s worth it though.)

If I don’t have a book with me I’ll obsessively read anything at hand including advertisements, cereal boxes, or over strangers’ shoulders. I like to think I have good taste in novels but I have a very high tolerance for crap too, so I’ll read pulp fiction, Mills and Boon and truly awful science fiction at a pinch. Yep, I’m a reading junkie.

Until I started writing my novel that is. Since then I’ve completely lost my appetite for reading. Even picking up a book feels a little strange and alien to me. I've always found reading to be a comforting and familiar place to retreat to, regardless of what was going on in my life. But yesterday I realised that I hadn’t read a book in three months. It’s not like I haven’t tried, but books and I don’t seem to fit anymore.

Maybe I’m afraid of becoming influenced by another writer and copying their style. I feel like I’ve developed a style of my own and I don’t want to dilute it. Or maybe because I’m writing full time the magic of literature has lifted temporarily, so instead of getting caught up in the fantasy I can only see the smoke and mirrors.

I’m not too worried as I’m sure it’s just a minor blip. I certainly hope it is, otherwise all the sweat and tears we put into assembling the massive bookshelf in our bedroom was for nothing. And that means Ikea would finally break my spirit.