Desperately In Search Of Inspiration

Current Project: The Space Between
Status: S-l-o-w Progress!

I'll admit it -- I struggled to come up with an idea for a post today. In desperation, I finally turned to a resource that's never let me down before: my reference books (the acquiring of which, I'll confess to a, er, slight addiction). I still couldn't figure out a single topic from within one of those books, so I thought I'd talk about my top 10 favorite reference/research books. These aren't "how to write" books (though heaven knows I have plenty of those, too). These are books I turn to frequently, no matter what genre I'm writing, for information, for ideas, and for plain old inspiration when I'm blocked.

Without further ado, I present my Top 10 Reference and Research Books. The top three were chosen because I've used them so often that I've got those post-it tabs stuck to various pages. The rest are in no particular order.

1. New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology
I have the 1978 edition, purchased sometime around 1980. What have I marked that was so interesting? Let's see, mostly marked are pages for Egyptian and Greek mythology -- Osiris, Wepwawet, Judging the Dead, Bast, Athena, Apollo, and the Cult of the Heroes. (Eli -- I really can't wait to read Marked!)

2. Hyperspace by Michio Kaku
And now we jump from the ancient to the age of science! The subtitle of this book is: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension. I free admit that most of this book is over my head, but I've tried to understand some basic concepts. I love the idea that there are some incredible thinkers out there who are seriously researching this stuff. What passages have I tagged in this book? Only three: a section on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge in the chapter on Black Holes and Parallel Universes, Chapter 11 To Build a Time Machine, and Chapter 12 Colliding Universes. Fascinating stuff!

3. About Time by Paul Davies
The book I consider a companion to Hyperspace. My favorite passages in this book are: Chapter 7 Quantum Time, a particular section of Chapter 7 about an actual experiment done at UC Berkeley that relates (loosely) to erasing the past, and a section in Chapter 10 Backwards in Time regarding the theoretical existence of an infinite number of parallel universes.

4. The Timetables of History by Bernard Grun
A fascinating tabular look at what was happening at the same time in history all over the world. The book I have goes from 4500 B.C. to the 1990s. Each table lists information in the following categories: History/Politics, Literature/Theater, Religion/Philosophy/Learning, Visual Arts, Music, Science/Technology/Growth, and Daily Life.

5. The Silk Road by Frances Wood
I originally bought this book because I planned to write a fantasy set in an alternate world. The plot would take place along a trade route similar in many ways to the Silk Road. I've never started writing that story (still on my list of future ideas), but this book is so fascinating I'll thumb through it at times just to kick start my imagination.

6. Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology
You wouldn't think a book in dictionary format could be fascinating, but I've found myself unexpectedly lost in its pages more times than I care to admit.

7. More Latin for the Illiterati by Jon R. Stone
Sometimes you just need that snippet of Latin, you know?

8. Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman, M.D.
I think almost every suspense/thriller writer could benefit from having a copy of this book. I've only been able to take reading it in small doses, but everything I've read has made an impact on me.

9. Mean Genes by Terry Burnham and Jay Phelan
Another fascinating book that I bought for a specific purpose and keep around for general ideas.

10. A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subversive Spirits by Carol Mack and Dinah Mack
A light hearted look at demons and spirits from cultures world-wide and how to capture or banish them.

Whew! Well, there you have it -- my favorite reference books. It's funny how reading something that has absolutely nothing to do with what I'm writing can sometimes jar loose an idea for moving forward with my current story.

How about you? Do you have a favorite reference work (or two or three or...)? Please share! I'm always on the lookout for good books to add to my collection!