I was reading this interview with an author who was saying that she hasn't read any fiction in about ten years because she finds herself copying the style of the book she's reading. This seems to make sense, every writer wants to be original, but I think I actually have to be reading something in order to write. It's the same with writing songs - the only time I wrote anything decent was when I was trying to rip someone else off.
At the moment I'm reading 'Vernon God Little' which passed me by when it was released. I'm really enjoying it, it's very very much like Catcher In The Rye - an anti-hero who sees everything through snatches of movies and songs - Fate Songs as he calls them. But yeah, it probably is having an influence on my style, but that's ok. When I'm reading somethnig good, it gives me the confidence to write well. Or just write.