Books that do NOT help me get sleepy

by Krista Wallace
|
6 books
My choices cover multiple genres, because although I am a fantasy writer, I read lots of other genres. I cannot help but be influenced by works that intrigue and inspire with the depth of their characters, and the betrayals and struggles they face, and work through. I love quirky characters, and I love to hate characters who are nasty or unkind. Who doesn’t love it when a nasty character gets what they deserve? I’m a sucker for a complex plotline too, with lots of twists and turns and unexpected delights.
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The Cruelest Month

A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
Louise Penny, 2008
This Canadian author had me gripped from the start of this intriguing mystery. I love stories set in small communities, where we get to know each of the characters, their quirks, their relationships, their passions and flaws. I also love an investigator who has to negotiate the corruption within his own force, deal with threats to himself and his family, and try to figure out who his friends are. Louise Penny choreographs all these details masterfully.

Dime Store Magic

Women of the Otherworld
Kelley Armstrong, 2009
Another Canadian author who never disappoints. Pick a book, any book… I chose this one for the sake of choosing one, but I could have chosen any of her books. I’m not hugely into urban fantasy involving werewolves and such, to be honest, but I am drawn to witches. And romance. Dime Store Magic, and its sequel, Industrial Magic, feature Paige Winterbourne who, barely into adulthood herself, has suddenly become guardian to a teenage girl. Savannah is not only going in the throes of teenagerhood and all that entails, but her powers are untamed, and not fully known. Paige has to deal with evil folk who are trying to control Savannah, amid being kicked out of the coven she was supposed to be leader of. Oh, and toss in a stubbornly committed sorcerer/lawyer who insists on helping her, despite her refusals and lack of trust. He’s rather awesome and sexy, btw…

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L'Engle, 2010
I read this as a kid, and several times since. I love Meg for her awkwardness, her stubbornness, her problem-solving, and her love for her little brother Charles Wallace. I love the way she learns that the grown-ups in her life are not infallible, that sometimes she is the one who can best solve a problem. I love the relationship that builds between her and Calvin, and that others’ confidence in her builds her confidence in herself. That’s always been my experience, too.

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen, 2015
Do I need to explain why I love this book? I first read it as a teenager alongside watching a BBC production weekly on Masterpiece Theatre. I love all of Austen’s books, but this is the one I keep coming back to. I read it every 18 months or so (in fact, I believe I’m due for another go!) and it never loses its charm. I’m quite certain bits of Jane Austen have snuck into my own writing, including the way a casual comment can be picked up and carried—and resented—for ages, often with unpredictable results. And you have to love a story where two people are willing to examine their own behaviour with an open mind, and make necessary changes to the way they treat people. It’s also ridiculously funny, and I’m a sucker for a drama with humour.

The Eyre Affair

A Thursday Next Novel
Jasper Fforde, 2003
I have lost count of how many times I have read this book, and its sequels. I love a book that’s laugh-out-loud funny. I also love mysteries, and this is quite simply a mystery/adventure in a fantasy setting. Super cool, strong female protagonist, Thursday Next, is a Literary Detective with the talent of going inside books and interacting with the characters. She must face a terrifying magical enemy who, using the same talent of entering literature, has kidnapped Jane Eyre and removed her from the story. These books are SO clever, with tons of literary references, (and pun-lovers will be overjoyed).

The Baron of Magister Valley

Steven Brust, 2020
It’s tough to choose a favourite Brust book. First of all, the entire Vlad Taltos series is a must-read for fantasy fans, with assassin/witch Vlad doing everything in his power to make a living, make his immediate world a better place, and avoid getting killed, all with the assistance of his familiar, Loiosh a sarcastic mine-dragon known as a jhereg. (I haven’t forgotten about Baron of MV, don’t worry, I’m getting to it!) Then there are the Khaavren Romances, beginning with The Phoenix Guards (essentially the police of Vlad’s world), a history of the captain of said guards, told by “historian,” Paarfi of Roundwood. (It’s essentially a retelling of The Three Musketeers, but don’t let Paarfi hear you say so). And NOW we get to the Baron of Magister Valley. This is another history written by Paarfi, this time a story of sweet, sweet revenge which bears an astonishing resemblance to The Count of Monte Cristo. Paarfi’s style is hilariously long-winded and over-the-top, which takes a bit of getting used to (hence my reference to his former work, which would provide an introduction to what readers are in for in this one). With lots of betrayal and clever problem-solving, the Baron of Magister Valley is a delight.