and made me want to be a published author
I’d seen these lists floating around Substack Notes and I almost decided to go ahead and leave my own list there but changed my mind. I wanted to share this with all of you as these books really are the reason why I want so badly to be a published author but not just any published author, one of mystery, and you’ll see why. So, without further ado, here is my list (in no particular order):
THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD BY AGATHA CHRISTIE (1926)
Agatha Christie is known as the Queen of Crime and if you’ve ever read any of her books you’d know this to be true. This book in particular features a twist ending that I won’t spoil here. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this book and that’s why, of all the many other books I could’ve listed I chose this one intentionally. I love the concept and hate the delivery, mostly because of just how damn clever it is all the way around. Agatha Christie opened doors for women in mystery in ways no one has since. She is even better than the men in this genre and no one can argue otherwise. And what makes her unique is the fact that her storytelling withstands the test of time. Her work is relevant and popular today and it will be hundreds of years from now. She’s just that damn good. YAS QUEEN!
If I can write even one-tenth as good as she does with my own mystery writing endeavors (of which I have a few…) then I’ll count myself in good company and damn lucky.
LAMB: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BIFF, CHRIST’S CHILDHOOD PAL BY CHRISTOPHER MOORE (2002)
I am no comedian, but this was the book I picked up after I finished the Harry Potter series. I needed something I could read and not be terribly disappointed with and I had read something somewhere that suggested reading a comedy. I remember the day I did a google search and came across this gem. I laughed till I cried from cover to cover.
Now, I am a deeply religious person. If my life hadn’t taken such a tragic turn when my mother died I might very well have been a priest in the Episcopal church today. But life has a way of zigging when you’re just trying to zag. Even knowing that I want to say, if you are religious too, strap on in cause this one is amazing. It does an amazing job of just towing the line between being not quite that offensive to over the top hysterical. Some might take offense and if you think you might, don’t read it.
I chose this as a life changing book because of the profound effect it had on me after I read the last Harry Potter book which I stupidly thought had a PROFOUND effect on me. Yes, that series is one of the greatest of all time but I was proven just how wrong I was when I read this book and it made me question the very art of storytelling. Up until this point I hadn’t really read much comedic books. And to be honest, I still haven’t. I will only read Christopher Moore. Well, I take that back. I have read Terry Pratchett. But he’s the teacher whereas Christopher Moore is the student and I look forward to what comes next every time with his books.
THE BOOK THIEF BY MARKUS ZUSAK (2013)
Another tear jerker but for completely different reasons. There is something about Holocaust books that don’t seem like that is what they’re going to be on the surface but then you read it and your mind is absolutely blown. My mind with this book was absolutely blown. It’s one of those that was made into a movie but the movie could never in a million years do it proper justice. It just can’t. This is a book that you just have to read it.
I think what struck me most was the narrator of this book. I want to say but I wonder if it will be a spoiler? Then again, I just said it’s a WWII book so how spoiled can what I want to say be…damn it, okay…I’m going to say it! The book is narrated by “Death.” Man, I still get chills just thinking about it.
This is not a quick read by any means, although I remember I got through it in under a week just because I couldn’t put it down. I chose this book for one other reason besides how amazing it was and how it touched my soul and tore me apart inside. But it was one of the few where I decided I had to read more by this author because if this was that damn good then he must have others, right? Wrong. This book was a stark reminder to myself that just because you find someone who wrote that one good book doesn’t necessarily mean everything they write is going to be as amazing. :cough cough: Stephen King :cough cough:
I hope to one day write one great book that someone says after reading it, “wow, that was amazing.” But I’m not going to drive myself crazy expecting a winner-winner chicken dinner every time.
A IS FOR ALIBI BY SUE GRAFTON (1982)
This first book in the series, and the series itself holds a key memory for me. That memory involves my grandmother. One birthday I didn’t think I was getting anything. After years and years of getting spoiled by my grandparent’s with presents this was a blow for me. The reason I didn’t think I was getting anything was because that particular year I was going away to college and my grandmother, who never really had any money of her own, managed to pay for my housing to be held aside for me when I got there. It was $200 dollars. I’ll never forget that she paid for that out of her own allowance she got from her husband (my grandfather). But she wanted me to have something for my birthday. I still remember sitting at the dining room table and she’s sitting next to me after I blew out the candles for my birthday cake. She points her chin to a bad in the corner of the room. I grab it and it’s freaking HEAVY! I hoist it over to the table between us and she tells me these are for me. It’s A through N of the Sue Grafton series! Her copies. All first editions that she had purchased when they came out over the years. I have so many memories about this series. Starting with how I got them to my grandmother losing the jacket for N (which I refuse to buy and replace to this day), and my mom “borrowing” A when she went the hospital and losing it there (still a crushing blow that I never forgave her for when I had to replace it).
I even met Sue Grafton at a book signing when U is for Undertow came out. Had I known she would’ve signed all A through U that day I would’ve hauled all 100lbs of them on the train with me that day. I remember I said to her I would do just that at her next book signing. She said she wouldn’t do another until Z. And well…you know the rest. As her daughter aptly put it shortly after her mother passed away, “The alphabet ends with Y.”
When I think of a book and a series that had such a lasting effect on my life I can think of none more deeply embedded in different parts of my life than this series. Hands down.
ELOISE BY KAY THOMPSON (1955) & MADELINE BY LUDWIG BEMELMANS (1939)
These books take me back to my childhood. In fact, I still have my original of each book from when I was young, although I purchased new ones for my son to have. These were the entryway for my imagination. A sense of wonder and great storytelling. I wanted to write stories after reading Eloise and Madeline. I also wanted to be just as curious about the world as Eloise and a know-it-all savior like Madeline.
It would be later in life that I would read Kay Thompson’s autobiography about why she came up with Eloise. And how shocked I was to discover I had seen Kay Thompson before! I love musicals and she is in Funny Face, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn.
Kay Thompson and Fred Astaire
Kay Thompson and Audrey Hepburn
My next installment next week I’m going to share five musicals that shaped my life in the most profound way as I turn this into a series that, when put together, will hopefully give you a better insight into me and where my inspirations for writing comes from.
Very good stuff! We need more conversations about what inspires us.
I think that, when I revisit fiction books, I’m going to put Christie near the top of the list. I’ve never read anything by her, at least as far as I can recall (silly brain!).
There are many things I love about a Christie novel. So much that I feel a future series of posts dedicated just to that. But nestled at the top of my list for loving her work is the length. You can, if you wanted to, read a full Christie novel in one sitting. They are perfectly compact in every way. If you want any suggestions, let me know, and I might be able to come up with one or two worth the read.
I will pick your brain for sure! I think I’d want to ask what a good first Christie book to read would be. For what it’s worth, it’ll probably be a few more years before I’m ready for fiction again, but I will get there for sure.
Hmm, just straight off the top of my dome (aka head) I would say Witness for the Prosecution or And Then There Were None. These are both great and non-Poirot books. But, if you’re looking for one that is from Poirot, to start, because she’s written dozens of novels and shorts with him as the main character, I would start with what was considered his first appearance in her novels, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I won’t spoil anything except to say it’s also the location of his final appearance in her novels. But this definitely lends itself to a much larger conversation about her great body of work that I will definitely put on the docket for a future editorial piece.
I remember Poirot from PBS shows my mom would watch growing up as a kid. They were good stories.
I have the David Suchet boxed set. He is the only actor to have filmed every single Poirot novel, including the short stories. Pretty prolific and amazing. I recommend watching him play Poirot if you have a choice. Nothing against the other actors (Albert Finney, Kenneth Brannagh, Peter Ustinov, John Malkovich, etc.) but David Suchet is the penultimate Piorot for me.
Erica, I will reach out to you for all things Christie!
This was an intriguing peek into what contributed to your writing career, so thank you for that! I’m familiar with a few of these. Sue Grafton’s series, (I still say she should have been immortal!), and Madeline, and of course Dame Agatha.
(I should borrow your idea for my fantasy newsletter…may I?)
If you don’t I will feel jilted somehow. You must. Nay! I demand that you do create your own list! I look forward to reading all about it.
LOL! Okay then, I’ll get on that!
Agatha Christie is my favorite mystery writer! The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is so good 🤓 One of my favorites of hers is The Murder at the Vicarage.
Ah, Kinsey Milhone! I love that series so much and interestingly enough, the character of Kinsey and I share the same birthday: May 5th. Another reason to like the alphabet mysteries 🥳
I love rewatching the David Suchet series. I say his name because to me there is no other Hercule Poirot. No offense to the current Kenneth Branagh, and the many many many others who’ve portrayed him.
David Suchet IS Hercule Poirot. Often imitated, never duplicated 😜
I’m surprised to have read three of these, Agatha Christie of course (I lived for a while in the next village to where she grew up) Madeleine (at least 50 times to myself and my children) and the Book Thief… all brilliant !
And quite diverse….
Thank you for sharing Erica…
I love when common interests come together. Nothing beats a classic. My ultimate dream truly is to be a writer of a mystery series that stands the test of time. Who knows…
I’m counting in that Erica
Hi – Sherryl Jordan, author of Winter of Fire, made me want to be a published author, to write novels. There were words on the front cover about the story, “She’s the light in a world of darkness,” and how she came through as a light for me. I also love Author Anne Rice’s books, Interview with a Vampire, and all of her books. She turned vampires into humans, with emotions. Her books are awesome.
I love hearing new authors and works I never knew and how certain things about it trigger a desire within us to write. It’s a beautiful thing!