The Great Book of Lists Chapter 1.4: The Books That Transport Me.

Today’s Book of Lists, devised by La Duchesse d’Erat, is all about books. The books that meant something to us, took us on a journey, entranced and excited us. Any book that captured our imagination, or had some kind of impact.

This is kind of harder than I thought actually. I love books and have quite a few (all over the place), some of which I read over and over. It was tricky just to choose a few, but here are some of my favourites:

Enid Blyton- The Mallory Towers collection. Now, I was brought up on Enid Blyton books and could have chosen any of the many that I have rea.  However, as a girl, I always wanted to go to boarding school, and rather fancied myself as Darrell, the girl whose school journey we follow right up until the upper sixth form.  She was a good, solid student who was popular with her peers, but occasionally got it wrong because of her ‘hot temper.’

Charles Dickens – Great Expectations. Although I had to read this for my English lesson, I actually enjoyed it and bought my own copy. I was fascinated by the spooky old lady, Miss Haverhsam, in her faded wedding dress and cobwebby house. I felt sorry for poor little Pip living with his spiteful sister, and rather dull brother-in-law. Then, he meets the convict and his life changes. I love the fact that Dickens’ books are such a good indication of the social history at the time  and the way he writes, I felt that I was right there.

Jilly Cooper – Riders. Ah, I love a good ‘bonkbuster’ and they don’t get much better than good old Jilly Cooper! I like the way she gives a list of all the characters and a map of the fictional town/village where they live at the start of the book so you know who is who. She tackles showjumping in this book, but also goes on to write others about the art world, orchestras, polo, teaching, and television. All of them feature one character throughout, who is, of course, rich, handsome and a hit with the ladies. These books are always entertaining as she has a very witty style.

James Herriot – It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet. Again, this is part of a series, of semi-autobiographical books written by  James Alfred Wight,  about his life as a country vet in the 1940s after he qualified, in the north of England. This book and others he wrote had me roaring my head off. His self-deprecating humour and hapless manner made for many a funny story. Added to that the unpredictability of animals, making a recipe for disaster told in a manner that left me with tears streaming down my face at times, it was that funny.

So there you have a few of the many books I have enjoyed over the years. I have greatly enjoyed writing this post and remembering those wonderful stories. I might just have to dig some of them out again!