Literary Love

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Books have always been a big love of mine. As a child, I used to go to bed early to read, then when my mother left after telling me to switch off my light and get some sleep, I’d wait until I heard the living room door close again and switch the light back on to read some more. As I grew up, new interests emerged. Magazines, computer games and later the Internet all cut into my reading time, but I still found the pull of a really good book irresistible, and indeed the Internet helped me to discover yet more books I wanted to read!

University, and in particular the Graduate Diploma in Law that I have just recently completed meant that academic books had to take priority, but my book shopping habit seemed to grow to compensate for the fact! I now have an enormous “to read” pile that I finally have time to devour, so I thought I would share with you five of the books that shaped my formative years.

Andra by Louise Lawrence

If I recall correctly, this is the first book I read when my local library finally let me loose on the “teen” section when I was 10. Set in a future where the surface of the Earth is no-longer inhabitable, Andra is a teenage girl who awakens from the first successful brain graft operation to see her world in a new way as she inherits some of the traits and memories of the donor who died in 1987. Andra’s rebellion against the harsh rules of the society in which she lives is a really engaging read even as an adult (I recently re-read it and loved it just as much as I did the first time around) and I credit this book as helping to shape me into the geek that I became!

Children of the Dust by Louise Lawrence

Of course having read one of her books I needed to read more, and thus, Children of the Dust is another title from my childhood that really stands out in my memory (and another that I have subsequently re-purchased and still enjoyed as an adult). Surprisingly harrowing for a children’s’ book, it opens with the outbreak of nuclear war, and tells first the story of the immediate aftermath, followed by the emergence of a brave new world in three parts from the perspectives of three different but connected characters.

This book still managed to have a huge impact on me, even though I’m a few years too young to really remember the threat of impending nuclear war (though there was something of a close call the year I was born).

The Complete Borrowers by Mary Norton

Nowadays I always insist upon reading a book before seeing the TV show / movie adaptation, but in this case I watched the BBC series and read the books because I loved it so much. The Hollywood version really didn’t compare at all to the original book or the TV show.

I re-christened my dolls house a borrowers house and then built it an extension out of an old shoe box after reading this!

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I know I’m not alone in citing this as one of my favourite books and the single best novel I ever had to read at school, but it would be a crime not to include it in this post. I believe I was around 14 when I studied it, and I think it was around then I first started to think about studying Law. Atticus Finch is my fictional idol!

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

As a young girl I lived in my own little world a lot of the time and loved making up stories and playing games that relied almost entirely on my own imagination. It’s not surprising then, that this book really resonated with me as a child! I had an absolutely beautiful copy of it too, with gorgeous illustrations many of which depicted fabulous dresses, and I think it helped foster my desire for frills and finery too!

What were your favourite books when you were a child?