Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
15 Life-Changing Books: Horror, Sci-Fi, Philosophy & Writing Craft
17
items These are the 15 books that shaped me — the horror that raised me, epic sci-fi, and the writing-craft books I've studied as an aspiring writer. I'm a lifelong reader writing Lovecraftian and King-style horror, and these are the books that made me.
Sections
6
Philosophy
Non-fiction
Creative writing teachings
Horror
Sci-Fi & Adventure
Literary Fiction
Philosophy
Books for the world weary traveler to satiate their thirst for inner peace.
It's a wonderful telling of the Tao Te Ching in more modern terms and easy to digest.
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
I've always been curious about eastern philosophy and this book breaks down Buddhism into easy to grasp quickly read sections that puts it in terms everyone can understand. Amazing book 5+ stars!!
No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners
Non-fiction
True stories of survival and behind-the-scenes worlds.
A gripping recounting of the doomed voyage of the Karluk, an expedition to search for a potential Arctic continent. It is a wonderfully told tale of the relentlessness of the human spirit and determination to survive even in the most inhospitable of...
The Ice Master: Doomed 1913 Voyage & Rescue
Accomplished chef, author and restaurateur throws back the curtain on what life is really like in the hustle and bustle of high end cooking. Being a lifelong cook myself this book was almost too relatable.
Kitchen Confidential Updated Edition
Creative writing teachings
The craft books I return to whenever my writing stalls.
One of the first books I read on creative writing and the process behind it. His explanations are clear concise and easy to digest. He opens with somewhat of a curriculum vitae that really paints a relatable picture even though I grew up almost half...
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft: King, Stephen
Card is another author that I hold in high regard (literarily wise anyhow) and his book on creative writing lays out clear, thoughtful teachings on how to hone ones writing ability. As an aspiring writer myself I often reference this book if I am ha...
Elements of Fiction Writing - Characters & Viewpoint
Horror
The horror that raised me — King, Stine, and the stories that taught me to love being scared.
One of my favorite books from an amazingly talented writer. 'The mist' and 'The jaunt' are probably two of my favorite short stories. The lovecraftian horror of the mist is absolutely delightful and the techno-horror of "The jaunt" is so black mirr...
Skeleton Crew: Stories: King, Stephen
An absolute master class on short stories that can elicit a terror usually reserved for grand novels.
Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King
This is probably my favorite full novel from King. Desperation is a horror story about a small mining town in the Nevada desert that gets overtaken by an ancient malevolent force and a ragtag group of survivors is led by a young boy as they try despe...
Desperation: King, Stephen: 9780670868360
Peak King — the scariest thing he's ever written and it's not close. Grief, dread, and one of the bleakest endings in horror.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Sci-Fi & Adventure
The adventures that made me a reader — epic sagas, alien worlds, and the series that started it all.
This series is what absolutely solidified my love for books and sparked my foray into writing. A wonderfully written story surrounding a group of high school kids bestowed with an awesome other worldly ability, the ability to morph into any animal wh...
Animorphs Complete Series Books 1-54
The first book in an epic saga of intergalactic intrigue. We join our hero in his primary school days as he is going through the secretive selection process for battle school. What follows is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card
R.L. Stine is another author who has absolutely shaped me into the person I am today. He gave me my love of the dark and macabre. He prepared me to be able to absorb Stephen King.
The Classic Goosebumps Series 20 Books Collection Set ...
The funniest sci-fi book ever written, full stop. Absurd in all the right ways — the kind of book that expands what the genre can be.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Literary Fiction
The heavy hitters — novels that changed how I see the world and how I write.
The controversy surrounding the author aside, it is an amazing story. People find hope and inspiration in the fictitious every day, and even though not everything listed in the book happened it is still inspirational and endearing. Anyone who has eve...
A Million Little Pieces - Frey, James: 9780307276902
One of the most misunderstood books in my opinion, also one of the most chaotically written books which opened my eyes to the fact that writing can be whatever you want it to be. A gritty look at consumerism, anti-establishment, (toxic) male-identity...
Fight Club: A Novel: Palahniuk, Chuck - Books
Though I have an intense love for reading I have always struggled to enjoy classic literature, except when it comes to this gem. An intriguing tale of camaraderie, political strife and bravery. If you enjoy tales of sword fights, romance and palace i...
The Three Musketeers (Wordsworth Classics ...