Those book choices..

A fine time appeared had by all at last night's World Book Event in Plymouth Central Library. I certainly enjoyed myself, and found the other panellists' choices fascinating.

As promised, my 3 literary picks (after all due agonising) -

1. Favourite Book as a Child - The Nonsense Rhymes of Edward Lear. 

I chose this because Lear gave me the great gift of friends to accompany everywhere with his characters (I was an only child and life could get lonely), and because I loved the imagination and rhythm and rhyme of the verse.  The humour was wonderful, too. 

On top of which, how he stands the test of time. His work is still read and loved by children today, more than 150 years on from its creation.

My personal favourite of the whole set - The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.  Because it's a mix of funny and also, as with much of his work, there's a little message in there.

 

2. Book Which has had the Most Influence - Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell.

Orwell is my favourite writer; he's so deceptively simple, yet so powerful and evocative. Yet the thrust to this question isn't favourite, but most influential, which is why I chose Down and Out.

Firstly, Orwell was a journalist, and the book is a model of how a hack should do his research.  He went out to find poverty and actually lived it.  The result is a vivid slice of history of the dreadful times of the 1930s.

But perhaps more importantly for me, Orwell made the journey from hack to writer. It's one I've followed, and I wonder how much I have him to thank for inspiring / making me think such a transition could ever be possible.

 

3. Guilty Pleasure - Dr Seuss

I chose Dr Seuss because he takes me straight back to the carefree days of childhood, something I think we all need every now and then.  Plus, I'm still a kid at heart.

To this day, I keep a copy of his work in my study.  I defy anyone to have a bad day, then come home and read Dr Seuss and not smile and feel better about life.

I also greatly admire the clever way he lures young people into loving books and writing with his extraordinary characters and sense of joy with the language.

My personal favourite of all his work - probably the Tweetle Beetles and their battles, but there are so very many.

 

It was a great evening, and one which really made me reflect on my love of books and the great privilege of actually being a writer.  Thanks to all who came along, my fellow panellists for their fascinating and insightful choices, explained so thoughtfully - often poignantly - and always entertainingly. 

And also the fine folk of the library service who put in all the hard work of organising the event.  It was a pleasure to be a part of it.