Sustainability and Reading: My Top 10 Works of Fiction

This weekend I had the opportunity to be home alone for three whole days. Although it is good to be part of a loving couple and family, it is also healthy to remember whom we are as individuals. I used the time to renew and relax. I slept in, allowing the daylight to wake me rather than the alarm clock. I took a break from social networking (believe it or not, the world did not end). I walked in the park. I brewed tea and baked bread. I watched some totally useless TV. I allowed myself the rare and exquisite luxury of a nap! And, I read.

One of the thoughts that crossed my mind this weekend was how reading, especially fiction—for me—is part of how I create/achieve a sustainable life. Reading fiction is particularly important to my writing.  It is where I watch the true artists weave their magic with words. It gives me ideas and allows me to study some wonderful characters and plots. Reading is where I can visit other places and worlds.  Reading a good piece of fiction provides me the opportunity to catch new insights into myself and the world I live in whether or not the story takes place on Earth, another world, in the past/future, or in my own time.

Reading helps to replenish me. I realized that I had been so busy working and then coming home to write and work on other projects that I hadn’t really been taking any time for reading. The level in my well had started to drop to some very low levels so I kept my writing to a minimum this weekend and focused instead on refilling the well.

On that note,  I thought I would share my “current” top 10 favorite works of fiction. You’ll notice that some of these are actually trilogies or series rather than individual novels.

1. Dune saga by Frank Herbert
   This novel and series is number one on my list for a reason. I have been reading and rereading Dune and the following five novels for well over 20 years now. I have used it for  posts on writing, graduate academic papers, and presentations. Cited by many as the best-selling science fiction novel ever, Dune is often considered the first novel to explore planetary ecology. It also deals with politics, religion, empires, heroes and messiah figures, and a lack of resources, which many have compared to our own dwindling supply of oil. Every time I reread it, I discover something new.
   Herbert’s son, Brian, along with co-author Kevin J. Anderson, has continued to build on the original six novels by using the extensive notes and research left by his father. Although I have enjoyed these, they simply cannot compare to the original Dune saga. At this point in time, it is hard for me to imagine another book or series, which could ever bump Dune from its number one spot in the list.
2. Plague of Angels by Sheri S. Tepper
   It was hard for me to pick just one of Tepper’s books (see #9). She is a fantastic writer who deals with a variety of issues in her works. I particularly like Plague because although it is set in a thinly veiled post-apocalyptic Earth, I find that the magical aspects actually help me to accept more easily some of the social and gender issues she brings up. I am still trying to figure out the origins of the four families. I think I have two of them, but am still stumped by the other two. If you’ve read it, drop me a line and let’s talk.
3. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
   Where do I even begin on this one? Truly, for me, it ranks up there with Dune and I think the only reason I put it in the number three spot is that the characters are so incredibly real and complex that my heart actually aches when I read this and watch the sorrows they go through. I recently reread it and found myself crying and feeling terribly sad, especially towards the end. I guess, most of the time, I prefer a book where I come away feeling hopeful at the end. Nevertheless, it is a powerful retelling of the Arthurian legends from the women’s points of view.
4. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
   The majority of books on this list are fairly well removed from the world I typically experience, taking place on other planets, in the quasi-mythical/historical past, or the characters have magical powers. This book, however, reminds me of home. I grew up in Appalachia and whenever I read Prodigal Summer, I find myself drifting back to my summers roaming the woods, learning to identify trees and plants, and just plain enjoying the natural world I was part of.
5. Bard: Odyssey of the Irish by Morgan Llywelyn
   I have been fascinated with the ancient Irish since I was fortunate enough to take a World Lit class from a man who studied actually studied in early Celtic history in Ireland. In this novel, Llywelyn tells the magical and mystical tale of how the Irish came to Ireland, her words as powerful and poetic as the original Bard himself. Llywelyn is another author whose works I have begun collecting over the years (see #7).
6. Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
   A classic, it is hard to imagine someone who is not familiar with this from either from the original books or more recently the movies. Lord of the Rings never fails to draw me in with its hints and references to Celtic mythology. This is one of the few times where I would actually recommend seeing the movies as well.
7. The Horse Goddess by Morgan Llywelyn
   For this tale, Llywelyn explores the origins of the goddess Epona also known as the horse goddess. Here we see the mainland Celts as Llywelyn richly imagines what life was like when the Celts met the Scythians and cultures collided. Another myth explored as side note here is that of the werewolf. Read it and see what I mean!
8. The Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson
   This trilogy is the only one on my list that has somehow disappeared out of my collection. Robinson, like the other authors here, deals with many issues an topics including terraforming, human relationships with the land they live on, and extended life to name a few. I caught a few moments of the movie Mission to Mars recently and one of the characters comments on how Mars has always had a hold on our imaginations.
9. The Family Tree by Sheri S. Tepper
   Part of this book takes place in present-day earth. The other part at first seems to take place in some other fantastic world. It is only as the book progresses that you can see how these two different storylines are connected. In this book, Tepper focuses more overtly on the environment than she does in some of her other works. She also explores other aspects of humanity, which play into the threat to the environment.
10. The Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy by Anne Rice
    As I mentioned in The Mists of Avalon, I tend to go for more upbeat books, however, I thoroughly enjoy reading the dark, magical, and deadly history of the Mayfair witches. Rice weaves her tale through several countries, artfully blending a variety of cultural influences into her mystical, magical New Orleans family. I also enjoy its Celtic connections and influences.