9 Books to Get to Know Me

I recently saw people sharing their list of "9 Books to Get to Know Me". I have seen other, similar lists, but very few people expanded upon why these books are important as introductions. For today's blog, I have come up with my own list, but choose to include details why I consider the books in my list important to me.
Before I get to this list, I pondered the books I have read. My own books are incredibly important to me. They are a reflection of me and the weird thoughts bubbling through my brain. I have focused my list on other people's books.
I equate nine books to introduce me similar to the ice breaker "tell us one thing about yourself". That ice breaker is a pet peeve. I cannot think of one thing that sums me up. At least this is a list of nine books.
I have explored the factors of why these specific books would make a good introduction. How did I discover these books? What early memories do these books bring to mind? How do they explain bits of my personality? What books have inspired me and my creative style? How did certain books open doors to exploring other, tangential works?
Let's get to exploring, shall we? Without further ado and in no particular order...

1 - Mr. Fixit Goes to Mixit (Oosterhous, Lucille J.)
I have fond memories of my parents and my granny reading to me, especially Dr Seuss books. Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb and Are You My Mother? were two particular favorites. The book I loved the most was written by a great aunt. It was an unusual story of an explorer traveling to a jungle island where the animals were all mixed up. Mr. Fixit discovered the giraffalant, the tigerilla, and other mixed up animals. To put the animals right, he took out his gun and shot jellybeans towards the animals, who ate the magic beans and returned to normal. Although, at that young age, I did not know the word "juxtaposition", it was a concept I understood and grew up loving that two independent things or concepts could be combined in unique and fun ways. The mixed up animals appearing in Checkered Scissors is a tip-of-the-hat to Great Aunt Lucy for igniting my imagination.

2 - Phantom Tollbooth, The (Juster, Norton)
Early on, I struggled with reading. It was not that I couldn't read, but most of the stories fed to the class in school, I found dry and boring. Plus, in the later years of elementary school, we learned my eyesight was not particularly good and I needed glasses. If anything, these factors stifled my desire to read.
In fourth or fifth grade, the school librarian suggested I read The Phantom Tollbooth. It was the first chapter book I remember reading for myself. Not for a book report. Not part of a class assignment. It was a book to read for pleasure. Until that moment, books were classwork or bedtime stories. Books were about something, like science or history. Along comes a book about a boy, Milo, who struggles with appreciating what he has been taught. I could relate to Milo. The book is filled with all sorts of learning, but he explores these concepts in a fun, adventurous way! Learning can be fun! Once again, here is a book filled with puns and odd juxtapositions! I loved this book, and it was this book, not the ones in class, that really opened the doors of my love of reading.
Flash forward to me as a young parent. I told my kids about this book, but neither of them had any interest in reading it themselves. So, I read it to them, and they loved it, too! Then, I went on to read the first two Harry Potter books. Soon enough, sharing books I love with my kids opened the doors to their own love of reading, and exploring books they love for themselves.

3 - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The (Adams, Douglas)
My earliest memory of this book was seeing an older kid holding it on the school bus. The cover had that weird, green, spherical alien on the cover, sticking out its tongue and waggling its fingers at onlookers. I asked the kid what he was reading. He never told me the title, and said, "It's not for you. You wouldn't understand it."
Eventually, I did learn the title of the book. My parents may have given it to me for Christmas, and the memory of the book on the bus clicked. I read it. Not only did I understand it, I loved it, especially the humor. Later, I discovered the text adventure and the BBC production, and loved those, too! Even later, I went to hear Douglas Adams speak at a convention and had him sign a book. Douglas Adams has been one of the key authors inspiring me to want to write my own stories.
(Take that, jerky kid on the school bus!)

4 - It (King, Stephen)
On a family vacation to Colorado, I picked up It in a gift shop. This book is one of the longest books I have ever read. At that time, it far surpassed the length of other books I had read. It kicked off my appreciation for another, much different author than Douglas Adams. Any downtime during that trip, I was curled up in a chair devouring It.
The one thing I love about Stephen King books, it is not necessarily the horror, but it is the characters. Out of the authors I have read, his characters are so well crafted, they could be people living on my street (which makes his books extra creepy).
Another thing I appreciate with Stephen King's books is that, for the most part, he uses common language to tell the story. Other authors, I fall out of the story when I hit too many fancy, flowery words and need to pause to look them up.
I strive to do this with my own writing. Using common language to tell the story makes the story more accessible to people who may not be as educated or as high up in the ranks of Words with Friends.

5 - Spellsinger (Foster, Alan Dean)
Oh, Dougie. Why did you list Spellsinger as one of your nine books? Because, people introduced to me should know I am a ridiculous person. I saw this book in the bookstore. I read the back and thought it sounded interesting. I bought it, brought it home, and stuck it on my shelf, where it sat, unread, for several years. Eventually, I got around to reading the book.
I enjoyed the story. It was a fun, simple fantasy. As I approached the last couple of chapters, I started thinking, "Huh. There is no possible way this book is going to wrap up in the next couple of chapters. There is too much going on. Too many loose ends."
Sure enough, I looked at the cover again. This was the first in a series of books. I did enjoy reading the book, but, at the time, I was not interested enough to go out and find the rest of the series. Now, I am not sure if I could find the complete series.
This experience made me realize I enjoy books more when they stand on their own. I have enjoyed and invested in other series, but most of these other series are books in a collection that are able to stand on their own. The Hitchhiker's Guide books may reference little bits in the previous books, but the story for each book is fairly self-contained. The Harry Potter books...same thing. Narnia? Each book is enjoyable on their own. These books do not have cliffhanger endings with several loose plot threads.
What did I do with my first novel? I sorta end it on a cliffhanger. As I said, I am a ridiculous person. And, although I have not been speedy with the execution, I do have plans for two more books as part of a Checkered Scissors series. However, my intention with each book is to have the main story stand on its own.

6 - Good Omens (Gaiman, Neil & Pratchett, Terry)
Either in high school or early college days, my friend, Dave, introduced me to The Sandman comics, knowing I would love the content (which, he was so right). I had given up comics cold turkey, mainly due to the Secret Wars crossover, which required collecting more comics than my allowance could afford. I made an exception for The Sandman.
After college, knowing my love of The Sandman series, co-workers suggested I read Good Omens. That book was just a gateway drug to the Discworld series, triggering another collection obsession.
I have enjoyed a majority of what both of these authors have created, including the new series via streaming services. These two authors signify a deeper appreciation in me for contemporary British humor and writing. This blog is about books to get to know me, which is something I realized about myself over the years my love of British humor and media. Doctor Who has been a favorite show since I discovered the fourth Doctor. Torchwood. Monty Python. The IT Crowd. Red Dwarf. This is the kind of media I have latched onto and has inspired my creativity. It has helped shape my writing style. It all has contributed to my mind-expanding experience. As I said...Gateway drug.

7 - Welcome to the Monkey House (Vonnegutt, Kurt)
My sister introduced me to Kurt Vonnegutt through this book. I think she may have read one of the stories to me, and I thought it was ridiculous stuff. From there, she encouraged me to read The Sirens of Titan.
To me, Vonnegutt's books are hit or miss, mostly hit. Like Stephen King, he writes fun, easy reads using plain English. The characters do not always seem as dimensional as King's, but I appreciate the absurd concepts of his stories.
Also, in the intro of one of this books, he offered bits of writing advice that has stuck with me. One thing he said was about letting the reader in on the joke. That bit of advice I waffle on, because I think there are moments when some content should be concealed from the reader until the right time. I do agree that the reader should be able to clearly see the complete picture. His other bit of advice, I really appreciate. He said every character should want something, even if it is a glass of water. Although characters are not always my strongest story element, that simple concept is what helps me relate to character motivation and conflict.

8 - Gods of Riverworld (Farmer, Philip José)
This book is another situation in which I should have paid closer attention to information on the cover. In the book store, the cover of this book attracted me, because it contained elements from Alice in Wonderland (another series I thoroughly enjoy, for many of the same reasons I have stated earlier). On the cover, the characters of the Riverworld story battled against iconic characters from Wonderland. How could I resist?
The beginning was a little odd, but nothing too confusing. I enjoyed the plot of the book and thought it was a very enjoyable read. Little did I know, this was the last book of the series. I read it and appreciated it as a standalone story.
I did go back and found the first couple of books in the series, and enjoyed those just as much. However...I have not yet read the middle books of the series to figure out how the first couple of books connect to that last book. (Yes, I know. I'm ridiculous.)
Since this is the second time this type of thing has happened, it does reveal a few quirks with my personality. Sometimes, books will sit on my TBR pile a little too long. Sometimes, I buy things on a whim without doing thorough research ahead of time. Sometimes, I do things out of order (which is why I would probably be a decent time traveler). And, I appreciate individual things, especially when they can stand on their own.

9 - Road to Mars, The (Idle, Eric)
I have a pleasant memory tied to this book. My wife and I met online before online dating was really a thing. Sure, there were computer dating services people could go to, but we connected when I saw her public Yahoo profile and asked her about her picture and details from her profile. We chatted a bit via Yahoo's chat app. Eventually, we agreed to meet in person and agreed to meet at a public place we were both familiar, the Dog and Duck Pub (which no longer exists in Austin). This is the book I read as I waited for her at the pub. I enjoyed the book, and will forever relate it to the moment I met the love of my life.
The thing I enjoyed most about the book was the concept of "Can a computer (robot) understand humor enough to tell a joke?' The story was told in two parts: an epic journey while traveling between Mars and Earth, and the robot contemplating humor. Besides the cherished memory, I included this book in this list because I can relate to the character of the robot.
I claim to not be a very religious person. I do not follow an organized religion. I do not go to church. But, I am a deeply philosophical person, and ponder such things like a robot figuring out humor. Not that, exactly, but I often ponder my place in the universe. Because I ponder and wonder, I have grown very comfortable with myself and my existence in this infinite universe. I may worry and stress every once in a while, but in general, I am a fairly content person who just goes with the flow.

And The Rest...
Like the last bit of the original theme song to Gilligan's Island, I add this last little bit in here to say this list is by no means complete, but it provides a good starting point for getting to know me and what helps make me who I am.
I welcome suggestions of other books that might compliment or challenge this list. I would love to know if there is anything this list has not mentioned that you might be curious about.
With saying all I have said, there is one last thing to say...

Hello. My name is Dougie Schwartz. It Is wonderful to meet you!

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 Remakes - The Story Multiverse (blog)


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