The House at Pooh Corner - A. A. Milne
The House at Pooh Corner was originally the second part of Winnie the Pooh and was published as a separate book. Although I now love both and realize that it would be impossible to have one without the other, it is nevertheless this second book that holds my fondest memories.
You have to have a certain type of humour to appreciate these books; the type that can give substance and character to inanimate objects such as teddy bears for instance and this was exactly what appealed to my mom when she read them to me. The humour, sometimes quite dry, was lost on me when I was small but I can still remember rainy days stuck inside a flimsy caravan on the south coast with my mom almost screaming with laughter, mascara running from her eyes and the calor-gas lamps flickering as the caravan shook to her almost violent mirth.
Winnie the Pooh is also concerned with the magic of childhood and how that inevitably becomes lost as we approach adulthood. In this respect it connects with a great many people and is therefore, I find a good book for adults as well.
I had forgotten how terribly sad and beautiful the ending was until I decided to introduce the book to my husband and read to him whilst he was recovering from a particularly nasty bout of flu. After days of howling with laughter and spluttering into the Lem-sip, we both ended up sobbing our little hearts out but it was a good way to recover from illness; humour being the best medicine after all.
I discovered the Paddington books quite late in life – age 24. I was temporarily staying with a family I did not know and had been asked to look after their five-year-old son, whom I also did not know. Imagine my relief when said child asked me to take him to the local library, chose a book and then asked me to read it to him. I am afraid my reading of it must have resembled very much my mother’s rendition of Winnie the Pooh (see above) minus the gas lamps, as I laughed so much my stomach hurt and I really don’t think the boy actually heard most of it.
The comedy in Paddigton is more farcical than in Winnie the Pooh - but very funny. It helped me through a difficult period in my life and so is remembered with great fondness.
Besides, it is difficult to forget a small bear from darkest Peru who keeps marmalade sandwiches under his hat and disables irritating people by inflicting them with hard stares.
The Secret Island – Enid Blyton
O.k., I know Enid Blyton is supposed to be a real no no for discerning parents nowadays but I was just about breast-fed on Noddy & Big-ears and I really don’t think it has done me much harm. Enid Blyton’s prolific writing and her inexhaustible imagination kept us baby-boomers occupied for hours. From the Noddy series for tiny tots through to the Famous Five and Mystery series for older kids, and the Mallory Towers and St. Clare’s stories for older girls, she really knew what worked and The Secret Island definitely worked for me.
Probably the most favourite of all my childhood books, The Secret Island tells the story of four children who escape to an island in the middle of a lake for a year to wait the return of their parents; the family with whom they have been left, turning out to be unkind.
Of course having now lived near a lake for a number of years and watching Roy Mears at his bushcraft, I realise that the story is totally implausible. However, it was because of this book that during my childhood every scrap of grass, be in a back garden, a woodland copse, a piece of waste-ground or an isolated beach, would be turned in my imagination and that of my friends, into the Secret Island; a place of adventure where we could escape our parents and become truly independent.
Watership Down – Richard Adams
Another journey of escape: this time involving rabbits. The political and religious undertones of this book take it, I feel, beyond the understanding of children and I am surprised to sometimes find it on bookshop/library shelves in the children’s section.
The story begins with the extermination of a warren with poison gas and the escape of a small group who set off to find a new place to live. Although the rabbits are depicted as speaking with human voices, the structure of rabbit life, hierarchy in warrens and how rabbits live generally is well-researched and correct.
The characters are warm and lively, the adventure exciting and the story deals with other issues apart from environmental ones such as fascism, and religious oppression.
Rosy Is My Relative – Gerald Durrell
This is actually the first novel written by Gerald Durrell; famous environmentalist who went on to write, My Family and Other Animals (see below) and a host of other books detailing his life as a zoologist.
The book tells the story of one Adrian Rookwhistle, a clerk living at the turn of the century whose life takes an unexpected turn when he discovers he has inherited an elephant with a strong penchant for alcohol. Having decided that he cannot keep her he sets out on a long journey to the coast to find a circus in which to deposit her.
The ensuing chaos is hysterically funny; the account of the theatre in chapter sixteen being the funniest piece of writing I have ever read (I swear, I have been known to cure people suffering from serious depression by reading them this).
This is a light, easy to read book which, if you like animals, particularly elephants, is absolutely delightful. What is particularly fascinating about it however is that the story is practically true and a surprising amount of research must have been carried out by Gerald in order to write it as humorously and accurately as he does.
My Family and Other Animals – Gerald Durrell
This is the book that launched Gerald Durrell into the public arena. It tells the story of his childhood from when his family moved from England to the island of Corfu and is also the most consecutively funny book I have ever read. It is hard to believe that so many eccentrics could exist in one family (not to mention an almost constant stream of visitors) but perhaps all families are similar and it simply takes the talents of someone like Mr. Durrell to bring these qualities out. Set against the beautiful backdrop of the island, the family’s life is skilfully woven into a narrative which also introduces us to a variety of wildlife and proved for me to be as fascinating as it obviously was to the young Mr. Durrell.
The Lord of the Rings – J R R Tolkein
Having been voted officially Britain’s favourite book last year, there is little I can add that hasn’t already been said. This is one of my favourite books because I found the characters so endearing and the bond between Sam and Frodo so moving. This is also the book that introduced me to fantasy fiction.
The story describes an epic journey and because of this has probably inspired my interest in hiking more than any walking book. In a very subtle way I could even say that if I had never read this book I might not have fallen in love with the Lake District in quite the way that I did or have been so determined to eventually live here.
One important fact to remember about this work is that Tolkein did not simply write a trilogy of books, he also created a whole new mythology including language and maps.
Discworld series
Johnny and the Dead
Johnny and the Bomb
Truckers
Digger
Wings
This man is my hero. It is very difficult to write humour – good humour and Mr. Pratchett has succeeded I feel where many others have tried and failed. But what impresses me most about his books, particularly the discworld series is, that although their humour makes them accessible to a large audience, there are flashes of real magic, science and social statements hovering just underneath the story-line which for me makes them even more of a joy to read.
Mr. Pratchett also writes for children and yes, the humour and the inner wisdom remains as it does in his writing for adolescents. I think to be a successful writer is one thing but to be a successful writer of fiction for five to ten-year olds, thirteen to fifteen-year olds and adults has to be applauded and I am glad that his contribution to literature has recently been acknowledged with him having been awarded an O.B.E.
Terry Pratchett has a large following. A mention for instance of; the Hedgehog Song, the trouser-leg theory or what magicians may or may not have on the end of their staffs and you will find many chuckling. And who can forget that most memorable of all characters – The Luggage?
This is a love story/thriller/family saga and mystery all rolled into one and starts with one of the most memorable first lines I have read: It was the day my grandmother exploded. The reference in this instance is to a cremation which ends with a bang owing to a pacemaker not having been previously removed from the body. From this rather startling beginning we are treated to a beautifully written saga of intrigue and suspense interspersed with detailed descriptions of a family growing up in the Highlands of Scotland. The characters in this book are superbly drawn; from the young Prentice, trying to discover the reason for his Uncle’s disappearance, to his parents, grandmother and other members of his family. The love story is believable and the disagreements between Prentice and his father regarding religion, tragically realistic. What I remember most about this book and the reason why I have read it and will continue to do so again, is the incredible warmth which emanates from it. Here is a family with all its secrets, just waiting for the reader to delve into.
Short Stories – Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield lived from 1888 to 1923 and was friends with some of the most notable authors of her day including, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence and James Joyce. Apart from the magnificent prose, her stories have a haunting quality which tends to stay with me long after I have put down the book. There is an underlying tension in her work which seeks to expose the hypocrisies present in 1900’s society and often leads me to wonder how much of that hypocrisy remains today.
The Daughters of the late Colonel always reminds me of the barriers we feel necessary to erect between ourselves at times when we most need support and the crippling isolation which is the inevitable result, whilst the beginning of At the Bay remains one of the most beautiful descriptions I have ever read.
Andrew Greig is probably remembered most for the book, That Summer - a best-seller in 2001. Electric Brae is one of his earlier works. It claims to be a modern love story and is all that – but more – for it deals not only with the love between men and woman but also between children and parents and between friends.
Andrew Greig started his writing career as a poet. He is also a mountain climber. Perhaps this goes some way to explaining why I immediately fell in love with this book, which contains evidence of both these occupations. The characters too, are realistic and warm, especially Kim, who is as wild, and unpredictable as the Scottish landscape in which the book is set.
The Hours – Michael Cunningham
It is quite rare for a book to take my breath away; to have me literally gasping as I turn the pages. Reading this book gave me many such moments. Based on Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway this novel spans both continents and centuries to draw on the lives of three very different women. It shows us, I think, that the choices and decisions we face today are perhaps not so different from those which people have faced in preceding decades. As I read this book I found it increasingly difficult to imagine that a man wrote it: so finely drawn are the emotions and thoughts of these women. I think to have written, with such poignancy, about one woman’s life in one time would have been quite extraordinary but to have written about three, is nothing short of genius.
I would advise reading Mrs Dalloway first so as to appreciate what Michael Cunningham is trying to achieve and how cleverly he has woven various elements of Woolf’s novel into his own. In some ways I am convinced that he has achieved what Woolf intended but failed to do. For me personally, the book highlights the fact that at various times in our lives we are given the choice of whether we wish to live and that it is only by living consciously with that decision that we can truly consider ourselves to be alive.
The Little Friend – Donna Tartt
I bought this book at my local supermarket thinking it to be an entertaining product of popular fiction. What I instead discovered was an amazing piece of modern literature.
The novel is set in the 1970’s and tells the story of how Harriet, a ten-year-old girl, decides to wreak revenge on the man she thinks killed her brother. Part thriller, part family saga this novel is sometimes macabre in its intensity but Tartt is not afraid to lift it here and there with a little humour albeit dry and very black. I have never in any other book I have read, come across such diverse characters so well-described. It was sometimes quite disturbing to be forced to see the world so clearly through their eyes.
This novel is so beautifully written and the prose so exquisite I am surprised that the only reward it received was one from W H Smith.
Written in the style of an Indian proverb, Siddhartha describes the life of a Hindu Brahmin as he searches for enlightenment.
The apparent simplicity of this tale combined with the real-life understanding of the spiritual journey utterly enthralled me and has helped it become a book I want to read again and again. A must for all those trying to discover their true sense of self and their place in the universe.
This has became, for me, one of those rare books that remain with a person and haunt them for the rest of their lives, although, haunt is not really the correct word. From time to time certain passages, ideas and pieces of this vast story pop up in my head and give me a totally different perspective on the world from the one I had before I read it.
Helliconia is a planet with two suns, whose vast year spans over three millennia of Earth years. The story chronicles the evolution of the planet and the people who inhabit it. A fascinating look at how weather patterns might shape evolution is at the root of this epic saga, which takes various descendants of the different races and cultures of the planet and studies them individually.
Brian Aldiss received a number of awards and critical acclaim for this book and it easy to see why.
Other Books I have Enjoyed
As well as being an excellent broadcaster, non-fiction writer and sailor, Libby Purves proves, in this her first novel, to also be an excellent storyteller. This tale of one mother’s search for herself, which takes her around the coast of Britain in a small sailing ship, is warm, funny and insightful. Libby Purves manages to weave excellent and believable characters into delightful stories that are both enjoyable and interesting.
Out of all the women’s light-fiction authors, Libby is my favourite. I also enjoyed Regatta.
Award winning Italian Author, Alessandro Baricco, has produced a mini-masterpiece in Silk. Written in short snatches of prose, the book tells the story of Herve Joncour, a silk merchant in the 1860’s, and of his obsession with a Japanese baron’s concubine.
The book is so beautifully written that when I had finished, I had the sensation that I had lain naked on a couch whilst a piece of silk had been wafted across my body. Whenever people ask me what I consider to be the most erotic book I have ever read, I reply, this one. This is erotica in its most literary form: disturbing perhaps more than a turn-on.
Although this book can be read within a couple of hours, I would recommend reading one or two chapters a day so that the beauty of the prose can really get under your skin and linger.
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Every time I pick up this book I experience great difficulty in believing that it was written by a clergyman’s daughter in the mid eighteen hundreds. The characters and narrative are as wild and rich as the landscape she so vividly captures: the emotions raw and desperate. And, although there is no mention of sex, this is probably one of the most erotic books I have read.
In creating Katherine and Heathcliff, Emily Bronte presents us with two wholly unlovable characters and then plants them firmly within our hearts where they will remain for a long time.
On Becoming a Fairy Godmother – Sara Maitland
I am not usually a fan of feminist fiction but Sara’s tales, taken from myths, fairytales and biblical stories really caught my imagination. Clever, interesting, sexy, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, these stories not only entertained me but also helped me come to terms with growing older and what that means for me as a woman. All the stories are written from a post-menopausal woman’s point of view and show that, far from devastating, this time can be a liberating, powerful period for women.
This is a book which contains a little of everything; romance, thriller and a murder mystery. The central character is shown as a remarkably honest and self-reflective person, whose growth from young woman to Mistress of Manderley, is a privilege to read. The passages which describe her inner reflection and dialogue are expertly written and quite beautiful, and I can well understand why this is considered to be Daphne Du-Maurier’s finest work.
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