101 Things 2003 v2.0
Sunday, September 21, 2003
I’ve wanted to do this for quite a while. Here’s a bit of me via good old-fashioned media. The closer to the top, the more significant.
1. The Bible. I was raised with it, tried for the longest time to ignore it and finally found that it was useless without belief. Now it’s the first, most powerful reference in my life.
2. Robert A. Heinlein. I have yet to discover useless writing from this source. Some of the most influential works include “Time Enough For Love,” “Starship Troopers, (NOT THE MOVIE! LEARN HOW TO READ!)” “Number Of The Beast,” and “Stranger...”
3. Louis L’Amour. My first memorable story was “Down The Long Hills,” force-fed to me in the fifth grade, I think. I loved it and soon my Uncle Wilbur began flooding me with titles in periodic packages. Definite essentials include “The Walking Drum,” “The Haunted Mesa,” “Flint,” “Last Of The Breed,” “Education Of A Wandering Man.”
4. Tom Swift. Okay, I was too nerdy for “The Hardy Boys.” These books, series I, II and III were what got me hooked on reading. I would not read my half-a-million words per week were it not for Victor Appleton’s stories.
5. J.R.R. Tolkien. Put the imagination in me. I think Tolkien could be the seed of my love for languages and, to my discredit in many cases, magic.
I’ll probably come back to post more here, or build this up as a link or something. I’m not sure. I have a full catalogue of books I’ve read, but it’s really long (showoff!).
And, for the first time in public…
The Librarian has decided to provide a dedication for his collection of over Five Hundred Works (only counting un-garbage). The Wilbur Plain Memorial Library in honor of Uncle Wilbur and all the books that got me started in this expensive, tedious, glorious addiction. Mom, Dad, you get a Huge Wall to yourselves, however, for two reasons: Louis L’amour (taking up an awful lot of space on the wall), and for letting me read everything I got my grubby hands on without censor.
6. Isaac Asimov has been a good companion over the last year. His work, though not quite in line with my worldview as far as society goes, has many times brought me to think hard about interaction with others. Much of his ideas regarding humans as a race are, as with Heinlein, worth the effort of fitting into our own thoughts. The Foundation series, and his Guide to the Bible (not from a Christian point of view, mind you) are filled with knowlege and insight. 7. C. S. Lewis, friend of Tolkien, and amazing thinker, has inspired me greatly. Mere Christianity is an eye-opener for those of us new to the Way, as well as anyone who hasn't found Him yet. The Space Trilogy and the Chronicles of Narnia are, simply... You've just gotta read 'em yourself. Beautiful work, not in the immensity of Tolkien, but in a more direct fashion.