Some key ones
'The Adventure Series' books by Willard Price. These books were my first serious move away from Asterix, Tintin and other comics. There were other books around the house that I read of course, but I discovered Willard Price all by myself and that made the books extra special. Plus, with 3 sisters and no brothers it mattered to me that these were, in my mind at least, definite boys books. I loved reading the awesome adventures and learning about animals and faraway countries. I can remember running up the stairs to the public library and charging in to see if there were any available that I had not already read 10 times.

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous Cant recall how old I was when I read this, but I guess around 11 or 12. It was my first real exposure to the concept of drugs and the evils associated with them. Of course, after reading it I couldn’t wait to try them myself despite the grim story, but that didn’t happen for a few years. I was very curious after reading that book though and very proud I knew some of the lingo associated with this taboo area of society. Mind you, about this time Lisa N showed me the word ‘motherfucker’ in a book she was reading. I was absolutely shocked, never having heard such a word before. I was all ready to have a go at this LSD stuff though.

I've read a lot of war books, especially those based on Vietnam but Dispatches by Michael Herr is a standout for me. It was probably the book that moved me away from fiction and into non-fiction given the realisation that truth is definitely stranger than fiction. It also messed with my head as I was in my late teens when I read it and I spent a lot of years quietly shitting myself that some nasty war would require me to enter into the sort of madness Herr describes.

Writings on an Ethical Life by Peter Singer made me stop and review how I viewed the world and how I should live my life. I would be lying to say it caused sweeping changes, but I do more for charity as a direct result of his work (well, I used to do nothing) and that’s got to be a good thing. I'd done quite a bit of philosophy at uni, but Singer touched a chord with his work.
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Sat 17 May 2008, 14:12, 2 replies)

Willard Price!
South Sea Adventure was the best, as far as I remember. Hal (or whoever) got his foot stuck in a giant clam as the tide was coming up, and the suspense was unbearable...
(groover j lazerus, Sat 17 May 2008, 15:45, closed)

I loved those books too!
Right now I have a strange urge to read the one about the animal poachers in Africa. I remember feeling empty when I read the last one and realisedin it was probably all over
(Thomas_The_Spankengine, Sat 17 May 2008, 21:03, closed)