That Thing on Facebook

There are so many quizzes, questionnaires, and tags on Facebook that it can be practically impossible to get anything done. I get pulled in just like everyone else - which means I now know that I should be living in England, that I'm darn good at history and science (15 out of 15!), that if I was a cheese I would be Provolone, and that if I was a Disney princess I would be Mulan. Duh.
But the new fad that's going around made me stop and really think (instead of mindlessly clicking on green when asked my favorite color). When tagged by a friend, you're supposed to name the 10 books that "most impacted your life." Note that it doesn't ask for your 10 favorite books, or the 10 books you couldn't put down. It's hard for me to narrow any book list down to just 10, but this one was especially difficult.
Since it was already a fairly long post when I finished listing the titles and authors on Facebook, I didn't take the time to explain why and how each of the books impacted me, so I thought I would do that here. As you can see, many of these I have already reviewed or referenced on this blog - just follow the links for more.
And now consider yourself tagged - which 10 books most impacted YOU?

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
This book was completely mind-blowing for me. The symbolism was rich and intense and the writing was different from anything else I had ever read. If I could tell you the number of times that I think about Ellison's description of Optic White and the 10 drops of black...now that's an impact. And here I must thank my high school English teacher, Ms. T, who assigned this to the class that adores her to this day.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
I know a lot of little girls may have dreamed of being Jo, but I tried to make it a reality. I created my own Pickwick Papers, developed plays for my sisters to showcase their talents, and set myself on a lifelong writing path in the process.

Light in August by William Faulkner
I went through a full summer of Faulkner as a teen, and this book is the one that started the whole thing. It appealed to my sense of being a misfit (weren't we all) and it was thrillingly full of Southern Gothic themes of race, sex, class, and religion. It made me question everything I thought I believed.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Like Light in August, this book came along at the right time in my life. With its gentle protagonist and his simple-but-not idea to change the world, this book reminded me that life isn't always about the destination, but the road you travel.

Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd
This huge chunk of writing transformed me into the Anglophile I am today, covering pre-history to modern day at the magical English site. It was also the first book in the sweeping-historical-saga genre that I actually appreciated, er, loved and obsessed over. One of the highlights of my life was re-reading Sarum while staying one mile away in lovely Wiltshire.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
I am a huge fan of YA fiction and of Neil Gaiman, and this is my favorite of his books. It is charming, witty, and unique, and it made me appreciate the category all over again.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Where to begin? It is set during a favorite historical time period, it is set in one of my favorite countries, and it is a completely different take on a story that I thought had been told in every way possible. But that isn't what impacted me - no, that was Mantel's writing, which is straightforward, gripping, and worth every award she received. I could not put this down.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
There are two books that I consistently give as gifts. One is Peter Mayle's A Dog's Life, because it's so funny and everyone needs a good laugh. This is the second one - and I press it into people's hands with a determined "You have to read this." A completely different take on race, crime, and Southern literature, it really is that good.

With No One as Witness by Elizabeth George
There is no one in the same class as George when it comes to writing characters, and her Lynley-and-Havers duo ranks among my favorites in all of literature (yes, I do mean that). There are 19 books in the series at this point, and I selected this one as having the most impact on me because it is one of maybe three times in my life that I gasped out loud at a book's plot twist. Incredible.

First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough
Historical fiction is a tough genre - veer too close to the history side and it's boring, swerve over into the fiction lane and it's too fluffy. McCullough finds the perfect middle ground in her Masters of Rome series with meticulous research combined with her imaginings of the real men and women behind the myths. She even includes her own sketches of the historical players - and they're quite good. There are three historical time periods that I'm nuts about, and that can be attributed to three books. This is the one that dragged me into ancient Rome, and I've never left. In case you're curious about the other two points in history: Ancient Egypt and Tudor England.

Of course, once I saw everyone else's lists, I wanted to add more books to my list. So here are some honorable mentions: To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride & Prejudice (Austen's sarcasm obviously had an impact), Pillars of the Earth, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Handmaid's Tale, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

I Dislike Paris in the Summer

There is a true art to writing historical fiction. You've got to strike the right balance between facts and imagination, and that is not easy. One of the writers that I have always thought hit just the right tone is Edward Rutherfurd.
He has written dauntingly long (but fabulously engrossing) books that center on one city or area. Then he delves in and gives you all of the juicy historical details, told from the point of view of a common everyday person, rather than the kings and courtiers that usually crowd into the limelight. And he did it long before Ken Follett looked up to his famous pillars.
The stories spin a web to trap you, making you truly care about what happens to the families you love (or sometimes hate). And the clever historical facts are dropped in benignly, not in a way that shouts, "We're learning something here!"
I've been a huge fan – until recently. I know I said life is too short to read bad books, but even I can get snared by an author that I love. Rutherfurd's most recent book, Paris, was the bait and I fell for it. I wanted to love it, so much so that I kept plowing through it. By the end, I was so frustrated with it that I left the book in a New Orleans hotel. That's a big deal for a woman who treasures all of her other Rutherfurd books.
I don't review bad books, as you know, and this was not a "bad" book in the sense that it was well-written. If you've never read Rutherfurd, you may find it perfectly acceptable. But if you know Rutherfurd, it just isn't up to his usually high marks.
So below I'll list Rutherfurd's books from best to least-best, and then tell you why I love the City of Light, but I dislike Paris.

Sarum

This novel was published 16 years ago and I have probably read it eight times. It is an amazing look at 10,000 years of history in England, centering on a sacred area in the Salisbury Plain that includes Stonehenge. Don't let that huge span of time put you off. This is a fascinating historical saga through the eyes of five families who live, love, and endure during some of the most noted and incredible events. Rather than thinking it's too long, you won't want it to end.

London

This book is a love letter to the city of London. Focusing on 2,000 years of history, beginning with the Roman occupation, London offers adventure and drama, history and mystery, all again viewed from the common people who populated the city from its earliest days. London also highlights a neat trick of Rutherfurd's: He reveals how the city is built the way it is, how certain streets got their name, the hidden highways and byways that have been covered over or built upon, and the geological and geographical oddities that made London what it is today.

New York

I cannot tell you how much I loved this book – and to this day I find myself telling people about the history I learned while reading it. Again, like the other books above, this is far from a dry schoolbook, but a larger-than-life adventure on the island of Manhattan. From American Indians to the Dutch, German, and Irish immigrants who moved in and took over, the people are the focus of this book that entertainingly gives you insight into how New York grew, named its streets and boroughs, and became the amazing city it is today. I've reviewed this one in the past here.

Russka

It has been said that to know a country you must know its people. Rutherfurd obviously took that to heart with this book, a look at close to 2,000 years of Russian history. From roaming ancient tribes, to lowly serfs, to idealistic revolutionaries, Russka showcases the contradictory and contrary people that make up this vast country.

The Forest

To the south of Sarum is a vast wood that has been the scene of an astonishing amount of history. Known as the New Forest, it runs right to the sea that has also been the focus of commerce, war, and invasion. Beginning with the suspicious death of William the Conquerer's son, and running right through the Spanish Armada, Jane Austen, Nelson's war, and more, The Forest gives us insight to the land and sea that make England an amazing island.

The Princes/Rebels of Ireland

These are actually two books, Princes first and then Rebels, that focus on the history of Ireland and its people. These were not two of my very favorites, but they are still good reads from Rutherfurd.

And then there is Paris.

I love the city of Paris so much that I was impatiently anticipating this book. Maybe that makes the disappointment that much greater. The general gist of why I don't like Paris is exactly why I love Rutherfurd's other books so much: The history. In his previous books, Rutherfurd told his tales in chronological order, patiently building your understanding and knowledge of the area and the families. In Paris, he jumps around like a flea, back and forth through time, leaving the reader not only confused but also not really engaged with any particular character. The second major flaw? He leaves out those details that I loved so much: How was this street named? Why was that cathedral built on just that site? Which king caused that monument to be built? How did the windows at La Sainte-Chapelle survive? Instead, it's all Eiffel all the time, as if there are no other sites or settings in Paris worth talking about. How disappointing. So I'll go back to waiting, and hoping that Rutherfurd is back on his game in the next book.