I’ve been enjoying my time over on Bluesky. It’s been a (relative) breath of fresh air and it’s nice to have been able to reconnect and stay connected with some of my online friends from other parts of the internet. It’s also felt like such a good way to connect with creative folks again, a little more like the heyday of Twitter.
So this post is inspired by the ‘Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you’ threads. I went ahead and put together my choices, posting (nearly) every day, and it was a fun exercise in remembering some great reads, both new and old—and not only with a view as to whether I’d necessarily still love them now, but also about whether they stayed with me, perhaps spoke to my age and the time of my life I was at. (Way to make myself sound old 😅)
I’ll freely admit, I had a hard time narrowing it down, and there’s a fair few in the list that are just ‘hey, guys, just read everything by this author’.
So I thought I’d collate the list here; the covers and a little comment on twenty books that stayed with me or influenced me. Any in there that you’ve read, or are on your to-read list? I’d love to know what books have influenced you over the years, and of course any ‘oh you liked that, try this’ book recommendations! 🖤
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham – I read this when I was young and it spoke to me deeply. It still does. 
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro – The first novel I read by him, it delivers such sadness written in a beautiful style. 
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica – One of my all time favourite reads. Not pleasant, not happy, but fundamentally brilliant. 
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa – this book is just too beautiful for words, it’s probably what got me into a quieter style of writing, a step away from western narratives. 
Moxyland by Lauren Beukes – such a great, fun, punchy book, I’m always gonna love anything that Beukes gives us. 
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell – wonderful and thoughtful science fiction, on my ‘one to re-read’ list. 
The Devil all the Time by Donald Ray Pollock – difficult to pick one of Pollock’s books over the other, but his sense of place and grit in all his work is wonderful, if bleak. 
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb – one full of nostalgia for me, brings me the escapism I found in books when I was younger. 
The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay – such an unusual book with great style and interesting characters. 
I who have never known men by Jacqueline Harpman – classic science fiction I only recently read and it’s quietness daunts me and lingers in the back of my brain. 
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood – beautifully rendered writing in a strange but believable world. Highly recommend this trilogy. 
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk – possibly the first Palahniuk novel I read and the punch and zest of his writing is riveting. 
Carrie Hepple’s Garden by Ruth Craft and Irene Haas – memories of my Mom reading this to me will be with me forever. 
Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin – there are still passages from this novel that suddenly come to mind whenever I see the latest advances in modern toys, AI and how we engage with technology. 
Metropolitan Dreams by Mark A. King – so honoured to consider King one of my online friends and to have been trusted with the cover for his outstanding first novel. A book epic in its reach and touching with its characters, it’s fantasy but with the feel of real life. 
How high we go in the dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu – wonderfully rendered stories knit together in such a beautiful way so as to leave you with a sense of satisfaction at experiencing something so brilliantly crafted. 
The Echoes by Evie Wyld – Wyld is new to me this year and I devoured her back catalogue. Beautiful prose, carefully rendered characters. There may have been tears involved. 
Deathtrap Dungeon by Ian Livingstone – I mean, come on, who doesn’t have a choose your own adventure book on their all time favourites list? 
I Still Dream by James Smythe – I love Smythe’s science fiction and I think this one of the best novels I’ve read depicting the nature of AI and our relationship with it. 
Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk – full of excellent anecdotes and writing advice. I keep this on my desk.
The Dust Lounge 
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