Here I Am In Books — Give Or Take A “Y”
Paula: the autobiography of long-distance runner, Paula Radcliffe. It was readable, but not one that I will read again. Clearly, it would be of greater interest to those who are into running. She achieved a lot during her career.
Eating Children: another autobiography; this one by Jill Tweedie. Sadly, she died before completing the planned 2nd volume, Frightening People, but the incomplete version plus notes from it have been included in later editions of Eating Children. A compelling read. Highly recommended.
Night Angels: a crime novel by Danuta Reah. Dark, scary, gripping. It starts out in Derbyshire, as a woman heads for home across the Snake Pass over the Pennines. She’s on her own, her car isn’t behaving, and there’s just one other vehicle on the road that she thinks might deliberately be following her. Don’t read this one when you are on your own late at night. Highly recommended.
Nerve: a Dick Francis crime thriller. I know I’ve read it, probably more than once judging by the state of it, but I’ve no clue what it’s about (except it’s sure to have a racing theme). Dick Francis is a reliable, easy read to relieve the tedium of a train or plane journey.
Yale School of Nursing. I’m cheating here. I couldn’t find a Y book anywhere. Yale School of Nursing set up its creative writing awards in the early 2000s. I was delighted as I’d been advocating the value of creative writing techniques, indeed using them as a teaching tool for healthcare workers for years. Yale’s success silenced my critics.
Golfing for Cats: a book of short pieces by Alan Coren. I haven’t read it in decades — was surprised to find I have a copy at all. Having dipped in, it doesn’t look like it aged well. The best I can say is that it provided me with a G. It’ll go in the charity shop pile now.
Room: an amazing book by Emma Donoghue, totally compelling and unputdownable. I had the good fortune to know nothing at all about it when I first read it. I don’t think it would spoil the story to know in advance where it was going, but it added something to know nothing at all. I’ve been told the film is very good, too, but haven’t seen it. Highly recommended.
Une Train D’Or pour la Crimée*: Ok, I’m cheating again a bit but my shelves were not bursting with books beginning with U. This is the French translation of Michael Crichton’s The Great Train Robbery about the theft of gold destined for Crimea during the Crimean war of the 1850s. It really surprised me. Using court transcripts, the author of Jurassic Park creates a fascinating and fast-moving thriller. Highly recommended.
Born on the Straw: written by Dorothy Strange, this is the biography of a woman who married a Romany gypsy in the 1950s. It’s the story of a hard life and is an interesting read. Another one that I haven’t read in years but might revisit.
Billy Bunter and the Bank Robber: The first time I picked up one of Frank Richards’ Billy Bunter books as an adult, I didn’t expect to get more than a page or two before throwing it aside. It would surely be a horribly dated story of school bullying. However, it wasn’t what I expected. The stories are outlandish and from another world, but still entertaining. I’d forgotten it had a “famous 5”, around the same time as Enid Blyton’s famous 5 series were being published. This is not a ringing endorsement for Billy Bunter, but I would recommend Richards’ books over Blyton’s any day of the week.
That’s me in books from my current bookshelves (give or take a Y). Overall, 4 highly recommended, 2 autobiographies, 1 biography, 4 crime thrillers, just one dud, and a Billy Bunter.
*Linguists (indeed anyone who speaks even rudimentary French) will note the error in the title of the Michael Crichton book. It should of course be Un Train… and not Une Train… However, the drop caps facility insists upon drop-capping both letters of initial 2-letter words, thus spoiling the effect. I’ve written about this book elsewhere.
If anyone reading this would like to follow suit with their own bookshelves, here’s Ellie Jacobson’s original prompt:
Can I tempt you to join in, Dunelair, Dennett, pockett dessert, Susan Alison, Kris Bedenian, Kim Zuch, Jennifer Pierce, Stuart Aken, Linda Acaster, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Pene Hodge, Diana Lotti, Will Hull, Nicole Anders, Danielle Hestand, Madeleine McDonald, CARMEN F MICSA?
