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BOOK OF GREEK MYTHS <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n THE LORD OF THE RINGS <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n MAN OF LA MANCHA <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n LOUIS L’AMOUR <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n THE FAIRE QUEEN <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND When I think of favorites, I think of old friends that I have worn out rereading. JRR Tolkien and Jane Austin remain in that category. And Anthony Trollope when I have the time. As do some of the popular novelists of the mid-twentieth century: Leon Uris, James Mitchener, and Herman Wouk. There might be a few Tom Robbins books that have escaped me, but I’ll track them down sooner or later. Then there are a couple notable one-off novels worthy of mention: T H White’s The Once and Future King, and Richard Adams’ Watership Down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ll stop now, there are just too many.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Like all writers, I grew up a voracious reader. The influence that countless works of fiction and non-fiction had on me, many of which I have long since forgotten, is inestimable. These samples represent a cross section of content that affected my outlook in various stages of my life. Mostly in my childhood and youth, … <\/p>\n
<\/strong>The first book that has consciously stuck with me since early childhood. I’ve lived and breathed Greek mythology ever since.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dlcooperbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/king-arthur-e1612572280516.jpg\")
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Another childhood book that I read repeatedly. Arthurian legend and the chivalric ideals have stuck with me ever since.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dlcooperbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/5c72aadbecf131551018715-666x1024.jpg\")
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<\/strong>I first read this in the 7th grade and have read it again every few years. Lots of wisdom in this book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dlcooperbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Man-of-LaManch.jpg\")
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<\/strong>I don’t know how many times I listened to this but the lyrics of every song has a real message.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dlcooperbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/shadow-riders-623x1024.jpg\")
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<\/strong>This was the first Louis L’Amour western I ever read, but I am pretty sure I read them all. That’s where my libertarian streak might come from. The common theme: there is no stopping someone who believes in a cause and just keeps coming. Important tip: hold your knife low in a knife fight with the blade side up. Fortunately I haven’t had to use that tip so far.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dlcooperbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/kfaerie-queen-e1612572371361.jpg\")
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<\/strong>I only read it once and it was not easy to read. In fact most of it went right over my head. But a good portion of my first novel, A Glimpse Through the Mist, takes place in Spenser’s world. I don’t claim to be as accomplished as Spenser, but I am easier to read.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dlcooperbooks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land_Cover-e1612572327750.jpg\")
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<\/strong>Only read it once, but it did get me thinking. And that is a writer’s job, not to tell the reader what to think, but to get the reader thinking. Well done, Robert Heinlein.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n