My Reference Library: Remember That You Asked for This
- Molly Harper
- Jan 17, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 8, 2020
I get a questions about my reference library. (OK, so it's more along the lines of "where the heck did you come up with that?") So here's a list of almost every title on my bookshelf.
By category and in no particular order, with links:
BOOKS I COULD NOT WRITE WITHOUT
(Seriously, I use these nearly every time I start a new story.)
And as I write the Mystic Bayou series, the two following books have been absolutely invaluable:
WRITING CRAFT
Before anyone thinks I’m all fancy and cerebral, a good number of these were textbooks for my master’s of fine arts program.
I KNOW, it sounds funny for a professional author with ten years experience to have a “For Dummies” book, but I bought this waaay back before I even wrote my first (never to see the light of day) romance novel. It WAS a valuable source of information and I consider it a sort of good luck charm. It’s moved with me four times now. And so it deserves a spot on the shelf.
SUPERNATURAL STUFF
HISTORY
RANDOM STUFF
This was one of my favorite library books to check out when I was a kid. It took me years to track down a copy online. It's the perfect mix of fantasy and sci-fi.
YES, I did think I was buying one and ended up with the other. I won't tell you which is which.
If you knew my editor, you would know why this is funny.
I will admit. I bought it because the cover was pretty. But it’s been very useful, particularly since I started writing the Sorcery and Society series.
BECAUSE I CAN
Time Life Mysteries of the Unexplained
Time Life Mysteries of the Past
Time-Life Bizarre Phenomena
The Time-Life books I couldn't find online. I inherited them from my grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa were THE MOST sensible people I've ever known. I asked Grandma once if she believed in ghosts and she said, "If I can't see it, it's not there." I have no idea why they had three Time-Life books on supernatural and bizarre phenomena. I can only imagine they bought a bunch of Civil War documentaries and the weird books were a free gift. Either way, as a kid, I would park in a corner at every family gathering and DEVOUR these books. They're probably the place my interest in the absolutely weird started. I don't necessarily use them often, but I'm so grateful to have them.
CLASSICS
Books I think any author should have on hand. Also, I'm mildly obsessed with Jane Austen... And I don't know want to list the many editions of Pride and Prejudice I own... including a graphic novel version.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Grimm’s Complete Fairy tales
Edgar Allen Poe Complete Tales and Poems
Jane Eyre
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
Mansfield Park
Emma
Dante’s Inferno
Dracula
The Bible (NIV Version)
Because it’s not a bad idea to have a Bible around. Also, you don’t want to misquote the Bible.
(I swear I tried to spell every title and author name correctly, but if I made mistakes, please forgive me.)
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