This article on books that have influenced the author that inspires many of us in this community is very interesting to read.
Most Influencial Books on George Martin
The Lord of the Rings was most influential on his story-arc creation - this was a very surprising fact to me.
On the other hand:
Maurice Druon’s The Accursed Kings historical fiction series being such a huge influence on him does not surprise me.
Hopefully this will help some authors here.