Sunday 15 March 2020

Books for an Uncertain World

I thought I would dust off the blog to share some ideas for good reads in a crisis, and for good reads for a potential enforced period of incarceration in our houses. More to come as and when they occur to me.

For taking your mind off things:

The Darling Buds of May by H.E Bates: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Darling-Buds-of-May-by-H-E-Bates/9780141029672 I have an omnibus version called the Pop Larkin chronicles, which might well be available on eBay, with a wonderful cover illustration by Beryl Cook. These books are my ultimate comfort reading. Bad things end up not being so bad after all, and everybody eats a lot of lovely food, and enjoy a great deal of wonderful-sounding drinks.

The Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Assassins-Apprentice-by-Robin-Hobb-author/9780008363710 An entirely different world.  Fitz, the said apprentice, can be profoundly irritating but the stories are spell-binding. If you enjoy this one, it is the first in an extremely long series!


For dwelling on fear and terror:

The Enemy series by Charlie Higson: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Enemy-by-Charles-Higson/9780141325019
A series of astonishing brilliance, following the fortunes of groups of teenagers in a world where everyone over the age of 14 has developed an illness, rendering them into zombies. Good for teens too, although they are very scary and quite violent, so perhaps worth reading yourself first just to check.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/I-Am-Legend-by-Richard-Matheson/9780575094161 A classic of the "last human alive" genre.


Speedy reads for when your concentration is ebbing away:

The Poetry Pharmacy and The Poetry Pharmacy Returns by William Sieghart: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Poetry-Pharmacy-by-William-Sieghart-author/9781846149542     https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Poetry-Pharmacy-Returns-by-William-Sieghart-author/9780241419052

William Sieghart prescribes poems for various ailments of the heart: hopelessness, dissatisfaction with life, and unrequited love, to name but a few.

Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Marianne-Dreams-by-Catherine-Storr-Marjorie-Ann-Watts-illustrator/9780571313273

A young girl is quarantined, due to illness. Strange things ensue...

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Toms-Midnight-Garden-by-Philippa-Pearce-Jaime-Zollars-illustrator/9780062696588 A boy is sent away from home as his brother is ill.  Strange things ensue...


Something to get your teeth into:

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Count-of-Monte-Cristo-by-Alexandre-Dumas-David-Coward/9780199219650

A man is jailed without trial for a crime he did not commit. This is crazily long, but completely brilliant. The Audible version is 52 hours long, but is completely wonderful.