Authors Pick Five: Kristen Landon

Once again, I've invited a Utah author to participate in Authors Pick Five here on the blog today as part of Utah Book Month celebrations. This time, I've asked Kristen Landon, author of The Limit (which I recently read and reviewed here) to answer this one question:

What five books are most important or influential to you?

Here's what she had to say:

This has been a really hard assignment! Instead of saying these are the five most important or influential books to me, I'll have to say these are five of the most important or influential books--because, just as soon as I hit the send button, dozens of books will come to mind that I'll wish I had included on the list.

1. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg I'll start with a book that I remember being fascinated with during my childhood. First of all, the idea of running away from home was one I romanticised in my youth--so this was really cool. But running away and living in a museum! Major coolness. It showed me that I could experience things in a book that I would never dare to do--or even imagine I could do--in real life.

2. Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan I stumbled across this book during my high school years. I was always in honors English classes, and all my reading time was monopolized by those classic literary books from my English teachers' reading lists. Take a look at the cover of this book sometime. It fascinated me, and I had to read it--even though it wasn't 'aproved' by my English teachers. It's an exciting, creepy book, and tons of fun. It allowed me to remember that reading could be just for fun at a time when reading was often a homework assignment.

3. The Giver by Lois Lowry When I wrote THE LIMIT I didn't know it was a dystopian novel. I hadn't even heard of that genre. The world of THE GIVER fascinated me, and I longed to write a book set in a world close to our own--but with a few creepy twists. Looking back now, I can say that THE GIVER was the first dystopian novel I fell in love with.

4. Holes by Louis Sachar (Seems like most of the authors on this list have very similar first names!) The books I write tend to be more plot driven than character driven. This book inspires me because I believe it to be one of the most brilliantly plotted books of all time.

5. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom I don't read many adult books, and I read even less non-fiction. So for me to include an adult non-fiction on my list, you know it has to be special. This book just inspires me to be a better person. Corrie and her family helped others at great risk to their personal safety. Surely I can help others, even if it is an inconvenience to me.    

What a fabulous list! I love seeing books that influenced all these authors!

Kristen has split her life between both Utah and Michigan. She has seven brothers and sisters and now four kids of her own. She has been writing since age three! Besides The Limit, Kristen has written another book called Life in the Pit. She has also contributed to a short story collection called Family Ties. Be sure to check them out!




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