Bond Inspiration's 5 Questions

@bondinspiration

Five questions answered by the BookshelfTracker community

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1.) Did someone read to you when you were a child (who, what, when, where, why)?
My mother and father read to me as a child. I distinctly remember my father reading Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol to me in winter near the fireplace, with the ghost of Jacob Marley dragging along his chains and the morbid dread felt by Ebenezer Scrooge (perhaps also by me at the time!). My dad really brought these scenes alive. With my mother, it was The Wind in The Willows, introducing me to its wonderful characters, Ratty and Mole and Mr. Toad. I remember sitting in the garden with her as she read to me. I know it was very important to my dad that I developed a love of reading at an early age. I think with my mum, it was simply about keeping me entertained (and she loved the story herself!).

2.) What’s the first book you remember reading that had a lasting effect on you?
Hard to say, really, but I think it might have been The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Since then, I've always had a bit of fascination with science fiction topics, especially time travel!! Who doesn't love Back to The Future? But this book was so imaginative, so gripping, so literally fantastic that I think it epitomized the whole concept of the lone hero setting out on an exciting adventure, encountering a monstrous threat, and succeeding against all odds. In a sense, it's the classic hero's journey, not unlike The Odyssey or Ian Fleming's James Bond stories. I believe this archetype, above all others, has had a deep influence on my own life.

3.) What genre(s) do you love?
I have loved many different genres at different stages of my life - usually one at a time. Science fiction was probably the first one. Then, it was Tolkien and the fantasy genre. After that, at one stage, I read every single Western by Louis L'amour. I do remember reading one or two James Bond novels when I was ten or eleven, right after my uncle sneaked me in to see 'Live and Let Die'… but I was too young to appreciate Fleming or the spy genre at the time. Over the last couple of decades, I would say that the two authors I have loved most have been Mario Puzo (mafia genre, if there is such a thing) and, beyond anything else, Ian Fleming - 1950s/60s spy thrillers.

4.) Has a book ever changed your life?
Yes, I think many of them have, in various ways, not necessarily always fiction, though. In my early career, somebody once gave me "What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School' which introduced me to the idea that business could actually be exhilarating and fun. I read a lot of self-help books like 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' that have had a lasting impact on me. Then, there were a lot of books by well-known business gurus of the 80s and 90s (many of whom I ended up meeting and working with) that gave a huge impetus to my career. Let's not forget the book of books - The Bible - that I was introduced to at a young age and spent a lot of time studying in my teens. I still like to think my philosophy of life is guided by many of its principles. But now, I've come full circle, and it is Fleming's books that have become my constant companion and, to some extent, my obsession. They have influenced me in so many ways - from Bond's heroic spirit to his stoic and somewhat conservative principles, not to mention his Epicurean approach to life. Then there is Bond's manner of dressing, his cocktails, his taste in food. All of these things have changed my life in many ways.

5.) What attracts you to a book? The cover? Podcast? Recommendation from others?
Over the years, it has been different things. At a younger age, probably the book's reputation (i.e., classic literature) and the particular genre. I've certainly been attracted to certain books because they were recommended to me - for example, by a cousin, an uncle, a friend, or a colleague. On many occasions, it was a great movie that attracted me to read the book it was based on (Jaws, Marathon Man, The Godfather, The Bourne Identity). Today, I would say that it's the topic itself that attracts me most. I'm certainly not very influenced by book publicity anymore. So much of it seems to be just fake, empty marketing.

*Be sure to read the BONUS question for @bondinspiration in another post on our blog.

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