I do not know what I would do without books to read. It is an endless joy. There is so much for every age group and interest. Sometimes we just need advice about what to choose next and our best sources are our friends or the librarian, of course! Books are over-taking my house but I do not mind. I like their faces, their stories and their spines. It makes me feel comfortable to see shelves groaning with books. We are so blessed to have books to feed our minds; it is one of the reasons I am a supporter of the charity 'Feed the Mind' which tries to help those people in places in the world where books do not exist or are in short supply, to receive books. Knowledge might be power, but stories are pleasure.
Read on...I adore biographies. My favourite in adulthood have been those about
Alan Bennett;
Stephen Fry;
Oscar Wild;
Charles Dickens;
William Blake;
Virginia Woolf;
Ann Sexton;
Sylvia Plath;
Stevie Smith;
Fay Weldon and
Vanessa Bell. In fact, I like all the biographies about the Bloomsbury group. Charleston, in Firle near Lewes, where the Bloomsbury group set up home during the Second World War is worth a visit to ignite interest into this fascinating group of writer, scholars and artists.
As far as children's fiction is concerned, I still prefer L.M. Alcott's 'Little Women' and Spyri's 'Heidi' books to any of the 'Harry Potter' books, or those by Jackie Wilson. I like being transported to another time, but not so much one that is laced with magic as used by J K Rowling, or the harsh reality with which Jackie Wilson edges her books, such as issues of bullying, although I know she does so very well. I prefer the narration used by Elizabeth Laird as in her 'Red Sky in the Morning', because she captures a teenage girl's angst and yet manages to make her heroine seem sensitive and well-meaning.
For leisure, I love books and magazines about the countryside of Britain or in-depth reads about other countries and the lives of people in them. I thought 'Wild Swans' was breath-taking in its clarity and depiction of life in Mao's China. It startled me and yet it had a warmth and beauty in its simplicity of style. Again, it was an autobiography and so I suppose I do keep returning to that genre. I stumbled upon 'Almost French' by Sarah Turnball which gives a very funny, first-hand account of a young Australian woman's attempt at settling in Paris with its customs and traditions being so different to her Antipodean ones. Older girls would probably enjoy that book. Simon Armitage's collection of writings about living in the North of England, 'All Points North', is also very funny in its exploration of Northern ways of life, and reminded me of Alan Bennett.
I did enjoy the prize-winning '
The Curious Incident...' novel that was written through the eyes of an autisitc boy: it was a work of genius and very convincing. I have read everything written by
Fay Weldon and she always entertains me. She manages to combine futuristic topics with a gutsy honesty and an ironic twist running throughout. I also like
Muriel Spark's novels and her wry humour of the 1940s and 50s. Likewise,
Bill Bryson just cannot help but raise a smile. I think, overall, I like authors who highlight everyday matters and make an amusing dig at the cultural influences we fail to notice, be they in the mannerisms, tastes, speech or relationships that result.
My favourite poet, for the same reason I like
Alan Bennett's humorous realism, is
Wendy Cope. I have all her collections and they make very good presents for anyone recovering from illness. I once sent '
Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis,' to a friend in hospital and she worte to tell me that all the people on the ward read them and it made them laugh in spite of their pain: good medicine indeed! I love the title of the book because I am quite interested in both
Kingsley Amis and his son, Martin, and I have read
Martin Amis's autobiography. I did find it hilarious, therefore, that Cope's poem which gives the selection its name, simply tells that she could not think of a poem to go with it, having never made cocoa for Kingsley Amis!!! At the moment, I adore
John Agard's poetry, particularly the poems written from the viewpoint of animals.
Where drama is concerned,
Shakespeare takes the prize. His work is timeless in spite of the language that younger people especially find tough at first. Once we tune in to his style and skill, the intricate plots and feisty, frivolous or funny characters take shape and he is always a winner. My favourite plays are those with memorable scenes, such as the wonderful passion in '
Much Ado About Nothing' between Benedick and Beatrice that spills out from their angry words, almost in spite of their intentions. Then, the wonderful scene when Cleopatra vents her fury on the poor messenger in '
Antony and Cleopatra,' who is literally just bringing a message to say that Antony has married someone else. Our Head of Drama once directed me in this scene, throwing about (acting, of course!) one of our Drama sixth form students performing the role of messenger; it was great fun. My favourite scene in '
Macbeth' is the sleep-walking scene when Lady Macbeth prowls around at night, spied on by her doctor and servant, as she inadvertently lets slip that she has been involved in King Duncan's murder.
I suppose I like strong, female characters in plays, and this is especially seen in '
Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?' I think the film of this play is superb starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. They are both fantastic in it and very true to the play's text by Albee. I love the way the dialogue ping-pongs between husband and wife, and reveals more than they intend about their lives. It is rich in its dark humour, unlike another favourite, light-hearted, slapstick script of mine: '
The Gourmet Night' series from '
Fawlty Towers.' I never tire of reading the entire series by
John Cleese and his former wife: it is extremely clever.
Yet, the writer to whom I return time and time, is
Charles Dickens. I re-read '
Great Expectations' last Christmas and I intend to re-read '
Bleak House'. He is a craftsman of intricate plot and rounded characters with secretive lives. He also depicts the horrors of his era and the social history is interwoven seamlessly. He always makes us on the edge of our seat, even when we know the outcome because the plots are so familiar to us.