All About Books discussion

1. Have you always loved books? Who, if anyone, in your life has most inspired you to read?
I have loved books for as long as I can remember. My mother, who had an amazing memory, would sing all kinds of songs to me and tell me long poems and stories from memory at bedtime ....which often went on until she fell asleep! And she loved introducing me to books she loved or had discovered. She taught me to read when I was just three years old using a set of plastic clip together letters I liked to make necklaces out of and then using the The Radiant Way First Step readers which she had first acquired in 1943 to teach my eldest brother to read. I loved these books. There were just four of them and they were ahead of their time in using a combination of look and say and phonics. There were some tiny readers that went along with them but we only ever had two which I read and re-read many times . The Radiant Way Fourth Step had proper stories in it including the story of Grace Darling. At four years old I already felt inspired by this heroic figure. One of our favourite poems was The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Which mum could recite in the most exciting fashion and I learnt a lot of folk songs this way too. Although my mum's tastes in reading were conservative and of her time she was in fact very well read and encouraged me to try anything and everything. One of my happiest memories is of us discovering Narnia together. The only problem was that unlike my mum I just could not remember poems at all (unless there was a tune then no problem) mum found this frustrating and could not understand it. Years later I discovered that the fact I had nearly died at my birth due to the cord choking me probably had a lot to do with it as my children have all inherited her wonderful memory.

2. What was your favourite childhood book?
Too many too many!
But as soon as I could read independently and had a library ticket...about 5 years old... I devoured the Mary Plain books by Gwynedd Rae. I still love these stories and think it a travesty that she should have fallen from favour because of her books being deemed to be un PC.
Mum used to read stories from Nights With Uncle Remus to me when I was about 6 and had the voice of Uncle Remus perfectly. I was dismayed when I tried to read the book myself to find I couldn't make any sense of most of the words. Soon after this Enid Blyton was brought in to the rescue with Brer Rabbit Stories and thanks to her lovely translations I was able to read all the stories for myself.
So often the gift of a beautiful book would appear as if by magic. My mum worked shift work and was the secret harbinger of these gifts for me to discover when she was not at home. Dad was the fetcher and carrier in the evenings to brownies, swimming etc. But he didn't do bedtime routines....

So one day there was Paddle-to-the-Sea full of the most beautiful pictures and introducing me to a land I had never heard of : America.

My imagination was fuelled by the wonderful books and stories that were shared with me or that I discovered. I was never ever lonely even though there were 10 years between my youngest brother and myself and apart from 2 glorious years when a little girl moved in 2 doors away I had no close friends.

A book which had a place of honour in our house was Giantland The wonderful adventures of Tim Pippin a book that inspired C.S. Lewis ( not many people know that). Of course Just So Stories Five Children and It and The Princess and the Goblin were also read many times as were The Complete Fairy Tales and The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales. My favourite by far was Little Claus and Big Claus but my mums was The Snow Queen. Now I think she was right!

Still the abiding reading passion of my childhood was the discovery of J.R.R. Tolkien. I first read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy when off sick with German measles aged about 10 and have loved everything Tolkien related ever since.

My first serious adult lit adventure though (I don't count Ian Fleming much as I enjoyed the Bond books) was Doctor Zhivago. Boris Pasternak's epic blew my mind and really helped to open the door to serious reading.

3. Which books do you remember studying at school? Did you enjoy them?
Like many readers I am sorry to say that forced studying of classics in school nearly succeeded in putting me off Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare for life but having had A Christmas Carol read to me at home with different voices for all the ghosts I was persuaded to suspend my judgement.
Still the study I did have to do was rigorous and reluctantly I admitted that "classics" might be ok in small doses. I really discovered these properly as an adult. Although seeing Jane Eyre at the cinema back in 1971 or thereabouts sent me searching for more Bronte.

4. Where do you most enjoy reading? Do you need silence to read, or can you read almost anywhere?
I prefer silence but can and do read everywhere. I was often reprimanded for trying to read at table as a child.

5.Choose five of your favourite books and tell us why you loved them so much!

A hard choice which would no doubt change every time I was asked.
Well here's today's selection.

First up Rumpole of the Bailey. Laugh?! Yes these books are a real tonic alternated with the TV versions! I feel that I identify very much with Rumpole: observant of the foibles of others but generally tolerant, a desire to fight for the underdog often against the establishment, walking his own path resisting attempts by others to make him conform... But a passive resistance that's pretty successful. Occasional clashes with the powers that be and a retreat to lick wounds but the ability to return to fight another day.

Next Primo Levi The Periodic Table and other books. Here is an author who deserves the highest honour, emerging from the horror of Auschwitz to meticulously and even dispassionately record that experience in the analytic way he was trained in and going on to write wonderful short stories with a unique and compassionate voice. His early death remains a great tragedy.

Number 3 Skallagrigg by William Horwood more well known for Duncton Wood and his wonderful sequels to The Wind in the Willows I first discovered William Horwood through this powerful exploration of disability and our understanding of it over time. I do think this is a book everyone should read...lest we forget.

Number 4. The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake. Gormenghast burst into my imagination through the BBC recreation and has been solidly lodged there ever since. Peake surpasses even Dickens in his masterly creation of eccentric characters but then sets them in an even more eccentric setting! Pure genius.

Lastly : The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall
Smith like John Mortimer Alexander McCall Smith has proven to be an author whose books make me laugh even at the end of a very difficult day. The compassion, honesty and empathy of his main characters are very restorative helping to put things back in perspective and the books are imbued with a quiet wisdom. Mma Ramotswe takes me to an exotic place where the pace of life is slow enough to savour tea drinking etc!

6. Do you prefer reading fiction or non fiction?
Well I have always read both very widely. I read a lot of science history, exploration and actual science but also to a lesser extent biography and history. I love poetry too.
Science or medical histories can sometimes be stranger than fiction. I recall reading a proper biography of Joseph Lister when I was 10 years old for a school project and have been hooked ever since. I am a particular fan of Stephen Jay Gould.

7. Are you fond of a particular author and what attracts you to their books? (You can pick a few if you can’t choose!)
Oh a second bite of the cherry ....didn't I answer this in question 5?
Ok let's think some top favourites I haven't mentioned.
C.S. Lewis writings over and above Narnia. Love Out of the Silent Planet and the rest of the space trilogy love The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce. Most exciting discovery The Narnia Code: C. S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens
Lewis was such a brilliant thinker and one of the most well read men of his generation.

I had a big thing for Diana Gabaldon a few years ago and was very pleased to learn a TV series is being developed of the Outlander books. She really recreated brilliantly for me the world of the C17 and the shameful history of the highland clearances.

I have recently discovered Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World and other books by Simon Garfield who together with Simon Winchester and Dava Sobel have successfully re-ignited my interest in obscure histories.

I could go on and on but but will end this question by saying that I found myself increasingly seeking out books published by Faber and Faber as often this lead to great discoveries.

8. Is there an author you haven't yet tried but you'd really like to?
Well I have promised my daughter I will read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell this year. Other than that I will see who drifts my way.

9. Do you rely on goodreads to keep track of your reading or do you have your own method?
I kept rather random and occasional lists for years as an aide memoire. Then about 6 years ago began to do this more formally on the computer. Discovering I could do this so interactively on goodreads and have all the pictures of the book covers too just blew my mind and I have been rather obsessive about it ever since. My love of books has been transformed from being a rather solitary pursuit to now being able to share passions and life comments generally with other bibliophiles. Wonderful.

10. What's the best book you've read so far this year? What are you reading at the moment? What will you be reading next?

I set myself an ambitious challenge for 2014 of 14 books in 14 categories! You can check this out on goodreads if you like. So far in January I managed to properly read or complete 18 books. Loved Are You Dave Gorman? Faulks on Fiction
and 600 Hours of Edward.
Also read The 'Three Colours' Trilogy which has made me want to re-watch the films of Kieslowski.

This month I aim to read Middlemarch, finish Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the Elements and A Swiftly Tilting Planet . I am also keen to get started on The Silk Weaver's Daughter: A Novel of Love, Loyalty and Faith since I recently discovered a Huguenot ancestry on my paternal grandfathers side . Amazingly there is going to be a big Huguenot exhibition in London thus year.

That's all folks!

Loved reading because it is clear that we have very different tastes in literature. And I love the fact that despite this we are in the same group.

It would be very boring if we were all the same!

Thank you Alannah!

Tweedledum wrote: "It would be very boring if we were all the same!"

That is certainly true.

Interesting journey! I am envious of your mum's memory...

I had to smile at the Rumpole entry - I like these and the #1 Ladies Detective Agency books too. Primo Levi is on my list of authors I must try soon - I have borrowed a copy of Periodic Table so it was good to see that on your list!

Gosh, I looked at the cover picture for Radiant Way. Yes, I remember them. And I remember Grace Darling story also! Thanks for an interesting reading journey, Tweedledum.

Gill wrote: "Gosh, I looked at the cover picture for Radiant Way. Yes, I remember them. And I remember Grace Darling story also! Thanks for an interesting reading journey, Tweedledum."

You're welcome!

Leslie wrote: "Interesting journey! I am envious of your mum's memory...

I had to smile at the Rumpole entry - I like these and the #1 Ladies Detective Agency books too. Primo Levi is on my list of authors I m..."

I must re-read it! Perhaps we could do a read along.

awesome answers Tweedledum! Hey they made a Disney film of the tales of Uncle Remus and brer Rabbit called Song of the South. Definitely check it out.

Amber wrote: "awesome answers Tweedledum! Hey they made a Disney film of the tales of Uncle Remus and brer Rabbit called Song of the South. Definitely check it out."

Yes they did but you know Amber that's one Disney film I've never seen. I'll have to get hold of a copy sometime!

Thank you!

Glad you liked Primo Levi and know also some other books above Se questo è un uomo - versione drammatica

LauraT wrote: "Glad you liked Primo Levi and know also some other books above Se questo è un uomo - versione drammatica"

Translation please?

Tweedledum wrote: "LauraT wrote: "Glad you liked Primo Levi and know also some other books above Se questo è un uomo - versione drammatica"

Translation please?"
Oh no it's ok I just worked it out!

The translation of Primo Levi's Se questo è un uomo is titled both as Survival in Auschwitz and If This Is a Man. And of course, Primo Levi is an excellent writer.

Dhanaraj wrote: "The translation of Primo Levi's Se questo è un uomo is titled both as Survival in Auschwitz and If This Is a Man. And of course, Primo Levi is an excellent ..."

Thank you Dhanaraj

Tweedledum wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Interesting journey! I am envious of your mum's memory..."

I must re-read it! Perhaps we could do a read along..."

I'll let you know when I get closer to reading it.

I read your journey with great pleasure, Tweedledum, as it brought back some "lost memories" for me of books I had long forgotten, such as the "Mary Plain" series!!

How I do agree with you about C.S.Lewis's "Cosmic Trilogy". For many years I have regretted that the Narnia books have such acclaim yet this wonderful SF series seems virtually unknown now! I do remember a dramatisation of That Hideous Strength some years ago, but the others have largely been forgotten. "Skallagrigg" I too found to be a very powerful book - and have never thus far met anyone else who'd read it! Love Dava Sobel and Simon Winchester...and of course the "Gormenghast Trilogy", which I read in around 1971 - long before the dramatisation anyway.

And how lovely that you have such great memories of your mother's influence and encouragement for your reading. Mine was similar in some ways, having had elocution lessons when she was very young (I often wonder how such a family could have afforded that!) and able to recite great long swathes of poetry until she was in her 80's! But she was more "hands off" than yours, in my reading, I think.

Thank you for sharing this journey. I shall make a mental note to track down a few of your other books. :)

Jean wrote: "I read your journey with great pleasure, Tweedledum, as it brought back some "lost memories" for me of books I had long forgotten, such as the "Mary Plain" series!!

How I do agree with you about C..."

Thank you Jean. I am glad you enjoyed it!

Yes writing this sort of thing really focuses the mind.

My mother was born in 1918 and passed the scholarship to go to Grammar school but here she found her great love of books and language was expected to be squashed into a box it didn't fit in. She had great potential but left without sitting her matriculation as she knew she wouldn't pass art. In those days you had to pass in every subject.

After some uncertainty she applied for the new telegraphy opportunity. Telegraphy was just being opened to women and I think she was in the second group of women recruited. Of course she excelled in the training and worked as a telegraphist all her life. During the war she worked for the American Embassy but later went to Associated Press.

She would have made a wonderful teacher. She was an absolute natural and always absorbing new information and knowledge but able to share it with a light touch.

When I was growing up she professed to hate the TV unless a classic serial was being screened. After she retired she built up a great library of video recordings of stories and documentaries she had discovered and spent hours of wet days and evenings absorbed in this. Dry days were spent gardening.

Tweedledum wrote: "Jean wrote: "I read your journey with great pleasure, Tweedledum, as it brought back some "lost memories" for me of books I had long forgotten, such as the "Mary Plain" series!!

How I do agree wit..."

How interesting too Jean, that you have read Skallagrigg

We certainly seem to have a lot in common.

Do do your reading journey! I wrote mine over a couple of weeks on the iPAD notebook so that I was ready to cut and paste it without worrying about time and just had to add in the links.

What a lovely tribute to your mum! I won't take up your thread too much about mine, except to say that she was born in 1919 (I told you they sounded similar!) the youngest of 5 very clever children in a "poor but proud" family. They all passed the "scholarship" to go to grammar school, but by the time my mum came along there was no money at all to buy books (they had to buy everything for school in those days.) Mum was distraught, by fortunately they found a "Pupil-Teacher Centre" (a very progressive sort of place apparently) who agreed to give her a scholarship and buy her books for her. She loved school and passed the school certificate with flying colours (yes, it had to be every subject as you say!) Both my parents would have made great teachers, but apparently the war put paid to that.

Yes, I probably will do my reading journey on the computer in my own time; then I can paste it in even if things aren't so easy when it happens to be my turn. Thanks for the encouragement. They are fascinating to read, aren't they? :)

Sorry to hear you lost your original though. What a bummer (as they say...)

Lovely reading journey Tweedledum. I too am in agreement about Primo Levi, astounding stories and writing, of which I want to read more. Most of your other choices are unknown to me, but it's always good to find new ideas and see how we differ as readers :)

Great journey Tweedledum.
I have a couple of the books you mention on my tbr list like The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Cloud Atlas as well as having read some of the classics you have mentioned.
It is interesting to read these journeys for me as we have all got here via many different paths but we all have one thing in common we are so lucky 'We all love to read'.

Great journey Tweedledum.
I have a couple of the books you mention on my tbr list like The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Cloud Atlas as well as having read some of the classics you have mentioned.
It is interesting to read these journeys for me as we have all got here via many different paths but we all have one thing in common we are so lucky 'We all love to read'.

Pink wrote: "Lovely reading journey Tweedledum. I too am in agreement about Primo Levi, astounding stories and writing, of which I want to read more. Most of your other choices are unknown to me, but it's alway..."

Thank you Pink!

Tracey wrote: "Great journey Tweedledum.
I have a couple of the books you mention on my tbr list like The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Cloud Atlas as well as having read some of..."

Thank you Tracey.!

I admire all your reading of C.S. Lewis, Tweedledum! So far, I have only read Till We Have Faces. I definitely want to read The Chronicles of Narnia in the next two years as well as Mere Christianity

I look forward to reading your thoughts about them.