The Top Three

My list of three books that have had an impact on me is an unusual grouping.

The first is “1984,” by George Orwell. It was required reading in high school. The book frightened me like no horror story could. I read about how the characters were controlled by Big Brother, the telescreens and the thought police. It was a future where nothing was true, since history was constantly being altered. People would turn on each other, and even your thoughts were not safe. I wanted Winston and Julia to be free, but no one could be free when every action and thought was watched and scrutinized. Terrifying.

The second is John Twelve Hawks’s Fourth Realm trilogy, “The Traveler,” “The Dark River,” and “The Golden City.” These novels are also about a dystopian future and are part science fiction, part supernatural. The main character is Maya, the daughter of a famous Harlequin. She was raised to become a Harlequin and protect the travelers, people with the gift to travel to other realms. The book deals with the way we are watched by the government, quantum physics and some pretty wild stuff. Warner Brothers bought the film rights to the trilogy, but no movie yet.

The third and most influential book is The Bible. If you read the Bible, especially the New Testament and Psalms, you understand. It changed me, comforts me and has given me hope. The Bible reminds me that this life is temporary, but that I was created for eternity. It tells me to love my neighbor as myself. The Bible is all about God working toward the time when the earth will be a Garden of Eden, and He will be with us; there will be no more pain, sickness, or evil. It’s full of wisdom and hope.

Many books have influenced me, but I think these are the top three