Reading is something we all do, be it newspapers, magazines, emails or the Sky TV guide! How many people read honest-to-goodness books these days?!!
Due to dwindling shelf space, the majority of my books are now ebooks on my reader. Still, the content is the same.
I love to read, and always have, so it only seems right to share this here. Be prepared though, this may take a while!
The first to grace my bookshelf were all written by Roald Dahl. Not that unusual I'm sure. Funnily enough they have now been passed on to my daughter, so good old Roald is standing the test of time. 'The BFG' would be quite scary if it wasn't for the humour of "whizzpops" and the like and this is a common theme for his stories. Anything that may be considered too harsh for children is always balanced out with fun. 'Matilda' is basically a victim of child abuse, for goodness sake, but she can move objects with her mind and is super smart so we overlook that! Of course, the illustrations by Quentin Blake were also phenomenal.
At primary school, i can literally only remember the teachers giving me CS Lewis to read. We all loved those books. I suppose you could say that tales of Narnia were a bit like Harry Potter is now. A world where magic exists and there are hidden doorways to secret places. However they did lose their appeal when i finally succumbed to the realisation that there was never going to be another world in my wardrobe!
Does anyone remember the 'Point' series? They were aimed at younger teenagers, i believe, and there were Point Romance and Point Crime among others. These books have not survived the journey of my life but i once had stacks of them. The Point Horrors were my favourite, written by authors such as RL Stine. Deep and challenging material this was not but they were well written without being too gruesome or nightmare inducing. 'My Dead Girlfriend' was one. Make of that title what you will!
My Nan was all for reading the 'classics' and gave me a whole bundle when i was around 8. They were specifically adapted for children but the stories themselves were accurate to the original novels. To be honest they were a fairly enjoyable read. At that age, i didn't have the ability to associate any of them with parts of my own life, my vocabulary definitely expanded. My baby has all of them now. Her favourites are 'Around The World in 80 Days' and 'What Katy Did'.
Some of the things they forced us to read during secondary school were not to my taste. Admittedly, though, i am glad that they did. For example, 'Far From The Madding Crowd' by Thomas Hardy taught me that, if you spend a whole page describing a tree, noone cares about the plot anymore! Seriously, it has got to be the worst reading material to assign to teenagers. Ever! However, 13 years on, i can still vividly recall the arduous hours spent plodding through it. Mission accomplished for Mr Hardy?
Shakespeare irritated me to death back then. Now that i can see past the language and format, his works actually make a lot of sense. He was a very astute man because a great deal of his plays can be applied to life in the modern world. 'Macbeth', 'Romeo and Juliet', 'The Taming of the Shrew' - read them and you will see, i swear. Everyone can find a parallel to their own experiences in at least one of his plays.
By this time, my lovely Nan had decided that i should experience the 'classics' in their full un-abridged glory. Bless her, she was obsessed with the dusty old things! Joking aside, most are fantastic stories, such as The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas. The dated style and language are tricky, that's true, but well worth the effort. Charles Dickens is a cut above any author, past or present, in my opinion. 'Oliver Twist' and 'A Christmas Carol' are the most universally palatable but i liked 'Little Dorrit'. That novel is a mission and half to get through yet worth it as the story is completely fascinating.
Hands up who has read anything by Frank McCourt? No? Maybe, then, you will recall the film starring Robert Carlyle - 'Angela's Ashes'? This is based on the book by the same name. The autobiographical novel, detailing his childhood in Limerick, Eire, is brutal and unpleasant to be truthful. Nevertheless, the man is a fabulous writer and, as you move onto the sequel ''Tis', it is clear why it is so important to have a clear picture of his childhood. Initially, i chose the book as Ireland is a special place to me and i recognized the locations he described. After the first book i had to now how he ended up being a writer. 'Teacher Man' is very different as it details his experiences teaching in New York etc. Never leave a story half way through though and enjoy finding out about his journey to success!
Never underestimate the power of books like this where a person can survive adversity and create something extraordinary. They will inspire you.
For now, i will leave it there. Post-teen literary favourites on the way! :)
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