Readers Writes - Where Readers Talk About Books

Sandra Richardson

I've been waiting excitedly for some time to introduce this week's guest reader to you.  Her name is Sandra Richardson and I think she's special because she's a book reviewer who runs the excellent blog Jeanz Book Read N Review.  As someone who reads and reviews books on request, I thought it would be very interesting to find out what she picked out to read purely for her own pleasure.  As you can imagine, I had quite a lot of questions to ask her, so let's get straight on with the interview.

Firstly Sandra, I'd love to know a little bit about how or why you became a reviewer (and which came first, the reviews or the blog?)  How do your reading commitments fit in with your lifestyle?

I have always been a reader, and have always loved and enjoyed a variety of books. I used to work in a large well known book retailer but due to health issues, was made redundant. As I am a full time carer now to my mum, my reading and reviewing fits perfectly around that.

I was already on Goodreads and had spoken to an Author or two on there when one lovely lady suggested I should/could have my own book review blog. She even put together a list of authors who would give away a copy of their book for me to read and a copy for a giveaway on my blog too. The lovely author I am referring to is Patti Roberts, she writes The Paradox series of books. I started my own blog in August 2009.

It's a wonderful blog too -very lively and interesting.  You must receive numerous requests for reviews - how do you choose which books/authors to take on?

I try to take on only books I know that I would definitely want to read. My blog has recently become busier so I do find myself having to say “sorry no thanks” to more Authors, which is hard because you want to help promote everyone’s books for them.

Difficult, I'm sure, and reviewing must require a lot of skill and tact.  For me a 5* review means a book is literally 'unputdownable'.  How do you 'measure' a good book?

I always say I am “tight” with my stars in that I don’t give 5 stars easily! Having said that, last year 2012 was a great year for 5 star books for me. To gain 5 Stars the book has to grab me within the first chapter or so, keep me hooked, maybe have a little twist in the tale, and make me want to read a book two straight away!

Can't argue with that!  How do you feel if you really like or thoroughly dislike a book you've agreed to review?

If I really like a book, then that’s great, though sometimes the more you like a book the harder the review is to do without giving away spoilers.

In a way if you dislike a book it’s easier. Sure it’s harder to slog to the end of it, but then the review can be easier to write as you have something to discuss, the reasons you disliked it, and what you would do to improve it.

As a writer, I welcome constructive criticism, so I'm sure your authors are very grateful.  Do you receive feedback from writers or other readers on your reviews?

Sometimes other readers or bloggers will comment on your post on your blog and let you know if your review has made them re-consider and want to read a book they wouldn’t normally have chosen.

Or maybe they disagree with your review which is also fine as it wouldn’t be normal for us all to like the same books would it?

When you put your reviews on Amazon.com  people/readers give feedback on if your review helped them decide whether to buy the book etc, which is great.

Do you know if your reviews influence the success (or otherwise) of a new title?

I suppose reviews must influence the success of a book as if a book is on Amazon.co.uk for example and you are unsure whether you would like them or not you can read other peoples thoughts on the books to help you make the final decision on purchasing or not.

Indeed.  Now some more general questions about reading - Did you have a favourite book or author as a child?

As a child I loved books by Enid Blyton, such as the Amelia Jane Books, The Magic Faraway Tree and The Secret Seven Books. I also remember reading Mrs Pepperpot Stories by Alf Próysen myself when I was old enough. From the titles I have mentioned you will see I have always loved a fantasy/magical element book.

Ah yes, I remember The Secret Seven books very well.  Have you kept or sought out a favourite book from childhood to pass to your own children?  If so, what is it?

I sought out The Magic Faraway Tree books by Enid Blyton for my daughter.

Hope she loved it too.  What is your happiest reading memory?

It’s more a book purchasing memory really, I remember an auntie taking me with my mum to Leeds to a large “old fashioned” book store, where I had been given vouchers to choose my own books. Previously I had always had the books chosen and bought for me. Wow you would have thought I had been given the Golden Ticket in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory! I loved handling the books and choosing which ones I could get in exchange for my vouchers.

A magical memory.  What was the first book you remember reading independently and really enjoying?

Hmm this is a difficult one as I actually can’t remember my first ever book. I just remember always having books and receiving them for Birthdays and Christmas too.

How significant was reading to you as a child?

As an only child, reading was really significant as it was something I could do that didn’t depend on having anyone else around. Reading was something I always enjoyed, it was never a chore.

How important is reading in your life now?

It’s really important as it is something that fits around my caring duties. I enjoy the escapism of great books. You can read about other people’s lives in Biographies or read the fiction that authors come with. I think if I didn’t have my reading I would go mad! Reading is something that I can do with my health issues too, that doesn’t cause me further pain. I read to relax and wind down in the evening. I enjoy lying in bed reading for a couple of hours before turning off the light and trying to sleep. Also if I am in a lot of pain or cannot sleep I can pick up my book and try reading as a distraction too.

A good book can be marvellous medicine!  Have you ever revisited books you read in childhood to try to recapture the magic?

Yes, I revisited many books by buying them for my daughter as she was growing up, starting with the Enid Blyton books, then books like When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr. Now she reads and recommends books to me!

Lol, isn't that always the way!  Have you ever wished you could change places with any character from a story?

Maybe if the characters had an easy, great life, but then you look at the good things in your own life which is real and have to get on with the hand you have been dealt.

Very wise.  Is there a fictional world you would love to visit or live in?

When I was younger I would have liked to have visited Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton.

I also remember reading about a girl called Clare who could time travel and I always kind of envied her!

Who wouldn't want to time travel?  Do you think the young of today read enough, and if not, how might you try to encourage them to read more?

I think the young of today have so many other distractions such as computers and electronic games etc that they just don’t bother finding the time to read.

I also believe that schools don’t encourage the children to read enough, or the right type of reading material. My daughter always loved reading, from being read to as a baby onwards to her being almost seventeen and having her own book read and review blog like I have. We decided we both read so much that we needed our own blogs and that sharing one blog would just not work! So luckily my daughter always had an advanced reading age, so much so that the tattered, battered, falling apart, books that the school had along with the nicer new books they had did not challenge my daughter enough. 
They then bought what they thought she should enjoy reading like girly books such as Jacqueline Wilson books. Don’t get me wrong Jacqueline Wilson is a great author and has many young girls who are fans but having that type of book pushed onto you doesn’t encourage reading. Anyhow at the time I was lucky to have a little staff discount at the Book Retailers I worked at and I bought her the books I knew she would like to read, which were books such as Eragon by Christopher Paolini and The Various by Steven Augarde.

I think the schools should encourage the children to sit and read both to themselves and to sit and read to either a teacher or parent. My daughter's school realised my daughter to be a competent reader and so she never got to read to the teacher after a while. Then they hit on the idea of having the less competent readers to read out to my daughter whilst another child got to read to the teacher. Which I suppose was a compliment to my daughter but I felt they were taking her own personal reading time enjoyment away.

I would love to help teach children to read more, or help find books suited to the individual child and their reading preferences. It was something I loved doing in the retail environment I worked in. I loved helping the youngsters find something that they truly wanted to read. To see them return to the store to buy the next book in the series to read, and then come to me to recommend another series I thought they would like as they had enjoyed that one so much.

I could really rattle on forever about my view on children and reading, there are so many ways we can encourage them to read. I mean there’s audio books to listen to when they go to bed or at a “quiet time” in school, or magazines, or factual books on subjects the child is interested in. I used to love the teacher reading to us at the end of the school day.

This is music to my ears!  We are clearly kindred spirits on this subject and like you, I could discuss this forever.

Do you have a favourite book or author as an adult?  If so, who/why and have you read it more than once?

This is seriously hard as there are so, so, many great Authors out there that I read and also many more I am sure I have yet to discover. I love so many genres of book that I never tend to stick with just one author. At one time Catherine Cookson was a favourite, then I also love Rachel Vincent, Richelle Mead, J.A. Belfield, Patti Roberts, Collette Scott, Samantha Towle, Suzy Turner...... I could go on and on.

Yes, reading is an ever-changing journey of discovery.  Do you prefer print or e-books?

On one hand I’d say e-books. I love reading on my kindle. I can adjust the print size so that I don’t need to wear any glasses! There’s no storage problems with e-books, you don’t need a book shelf.

On the other hand I still love the experience of holding a book, curling up in a chair and reading. I also love looking at my books on the book shelf! I like seeing a book cover, whereas with an electronic copy the cover is not seen as much.

I know, and yet it seems to be just as important to readers when choosing e-books.  What are you currently reading and in what format (hardback, paperback, e-book)?

At the moment I am in the process of reading two books. Which I don’t usually do. If I read more than one book I have to make sure they are totally different. Also if I start more than one book at a time i tend to have a favourite of the two and read that one first anyway.

The reason I have two books on the go together at the moment is one is an e-book, it’s a Beta-Read for a Bk#2 in a Series by an author who has become a good friend and it is the second Beta–Read I have done for her. I have Beta-Read about four books now and really enjoy it. You are privileged that the Author is really interested in what you maybe would change in the book.

The other book I am reading is an Advance Reader Copy of Fuse by Julianna Baggot, which is Bk#2 in the Pure Series and is officially released on 19th February. I slipped straight back into this book. Am about half way through and totally hooked back into the plot, characters, drama and action.

Personally I think beta-readers are the most important people an author knows! 

Do you think e-books will ever totally replace print?

No, I don’t. I mean CDs never completely replaced vinyl records did they?  There will always be book collectors.

True.  Do you think books transfer to films well?  What is your favourite or worst book-to-film transfer?

Sometimes they do transfer well, it depends how closely to the books the Films and TV shows are kept.

I mean most people will have heard of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and I think the first book and film transfer was great. The film was kept totally true to the book. I do however think that as the films have gone on they are maybe not as true to the books as they perhaps could have been.

One Book to TV Series transfer I hated was The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith. In fact I hated them so much I stopped watching the TV show.

I also hated the True Blood by Charlaine Harris Book to TV Series transfer. I hated the fact characters were totally changed, removed, or appeared earlier in the TV show than they did the books. It totally put me off watching it and sadly for me spoiled the future books somewhat too.

Another Book to TV Show I watched and enjoyed was The Secret Circle by L.J. Smith but maybe that’s just because I have yet to read the books. I also think now I have seen the TV show will I ever get round to reading the books?

There are so many Book to Film Transfers or Book to TV Shows coming up, like Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, The Selection by Kiera Cass, The Host by Stephanie Meyer and I’m sure there will be even more by the time this Interview is posted!

Have you discovered any new writers you'd recommend to other readers?  If so, what was great about their work?

I’m always discovering New Authors with doing my blog. So please give it a look. So I should recommend a few I suppose. If you like a realistic tear jerker then Collette Scott, Paige Dearth, Terri Morgan, and Stacy Eaton. Some great Dystopian Authors are  Sophie Littlefield, Mike Mullin, Lissa Bryan, Jack Blaine and Lauren DeStefano are just a few I’ve read recently. You do realise I could literally go on forever and ever!

I've heard of many of these and they're all excellent.  Is there a book you know you'll never read or found impossible to finish?

I tried reading The Secrets Of Nymph when I was younger and just couldn’t get into it. I also know I’d never read something like Lord Of The Rings, it just doesn’t appeal to me.

And now my favourite question.  If you could invite three favourite writers to dinner, who would you choose and what would you hope to talk about?

Only three! I always ask this question to Authors and I think it’s a great question but when I am asked it I’m sort of thinking only three! But ...but three! Can I cheat and have two dinner parties and have Indie Authors one evening and Mainstream Authors the other night?

Well Indie Night. . . would have to be Patti Roberts as I’d love to meet the lady that set me off blogging! Then Collette Scott, the first Author that trusted me to Beta-Read for her and finally Karen A Wyle who I also Beta-Read for. . . . . Can I sneak just one more? Terri Morgan who provides Guest Posts for my blog every 4-6 weeks.

And Mainstream Author Dinner guests would be, Sophie Littlefield, Mike Mullins, and Lissa Bryan all dystopian authors!

I really could have gone on and on, a Dream Meet would be Jana Oliver! I love the Demon Trappers Trilogy so much. I rarely reread books but I think I will re-read those. There’s a never ending list of Authors I would love to chat with and have chatted with via e-mail too.

I’ve “met” some great people, Authors that have turned into friends through my book read and review blogging, which I hope you include yourself among. Thanks for “turning the tables on me” and asking me to do an Interview for you. I have really enjoyed taking part.

And thank you, Sandra for providing such fascinating responses.  Don't forget to visit Sandra's wonderful blog - Jeanz Book Read N Review to read some of her reviews.

If you're an avid reader and would like to be interviewed about your reading habits, likes and dislikes on my blog, please contact me at ManicScribbler.gmail.com.

Readers Writes - All About Reading from a Reader's POV

Emily Eva Hetherington

After a little break last week, I'm very pleased to bring back Readers Writes today, especially because my guest is Emily Eva Hetherington, who is not just a discerning reader but also an excellent editor.  That makes her opinions doubly worthwhile and interesting.  You can find out about Emily's editing services via her website.  In the meantime she's here with us today to talk about her reading habits and preferences.  Here are her answers to some of my standard readers' questions.

Did you have a favourite book or author as a child?

There were so many that I enjoyed as a child, but Tony Ross stands out above any others. I loved all of his books and read them countless times. When I was a little older I enjoyed Anne Fine’s books among others.

Yes, I'd happily recommend Anne Fine's books to any young readers.  Do you have a treasured book from your childhood?  If yes, what is it?

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell, which was given to me when I was a baby.

It must be very special for you to have preserved it.  How important was reading to you as a child?

It was extremely important. Our parents read to us frequently and my sister and I both learned to read at a very young age and loved it.

Music to my ears!  I do believe all parents should read regularly to their children to instil a love of reading from a very early age.  How important is reading in your life now?

More important than ever! I now work as an editor, so I’m reading every day for that, but I also currently have two books on the go at once that I’m reading for pleasure.

Have you ever revisited books you read in childhood to try to recapture the magic?

Of course! All the time! Unfortunately I had to leave a lot of my childhood books in my old place and can’t get them back now, but if I could have brought them with me I would still be reading them now, without a doubt.

What a shame.  I've moved around a lot too and of all the things I've ever regretted having to leave behind, books are highest on the list. 

Have you ever wished you could change places with any character from a story?

Occasionally, when I read a good romance novel, of course. Usually, though, I picture myself as the main character, but I don’t often wish I could change places with them. It’s enough just to lose myself in their world for a while.

Ah yes, definitely the sign of a good story.  Is there a fictional world you would love to visit or live in?

Discworld. You just have to!

Snap!  That would be one of my choices too. 

Do you think the young of today read enough, and if not, how might you try to encourage them to read more?

I don’t think they do read enough anymore. I would first target the parents and urge them to read with their children more often. Reading should be fun, but when certain books are forced on older children for schoolwork, the fun is often removed. They need to be taught that reading isn’t just for boring school stuff and then hopefully they would want to read more often.

I couldn't agree more.  Do you have a favourite book or author as an adult?  If so, who/why and have you read it more than once?

Jenny Twist. Now, I may be a little biased as this is my grandma, but I do truly love all her work to date. Most people would say that her first novel, Domingo’s Angel, was the best one, but I think her latest novel, All in the Mind, just tops it. I’m reading it for the third time now!

I love Jenny Twist as well and All in the Mind is certainly a lovely story, but Domingo's Angel must be one of the best books I've ever read.  Do you have a preference between print and e-books?

I do prefer print books in theory, but for practicality and convenience (never mind cost) I find e-books are far easier and I rarely read print books these days.

A sign of the times, perhaps.  What are you currently reading and in what format (hardback, paperback, e-book)?

All in the Mind by Jenny Twist – paperback, and a friend’s unpublished book – e-book

Lol, best of both worlds.  Do you think e-books will ever totally replace printed books?

No. I think they might come close, but there is still a lot of love for print books. I would have them even if they only sat on the shelf and looked good! It encourages me to read more when I have books on display anyway.

I know what you mean and actually, when I've read an excellent book on my Kindle, I sometimes buy a hard copy just to sit on my bookshelf. 

What about films?  Do you think books transfer to films well?  What is your favourite/worst book-to-film transfer?

My thoughts on that often depend on how well I know the books. In general I think that the films work well, but there are almost always small deviations from the book or details have changed a little. Usually that doesn’t bother me because I have a terrible memory for the details. If there are obvious changes that I feel were unnecessary then it does annoy me.

Have you discovered any new writers you'd recommend to other readers?  If so, what was great about their work?

Apart from yourself (the lovely Lynette Sofras) and my grandma (Jenny Twist), I’d say Tori L. Ridgewood, Tara Fox Hall and Daphne Olivier. All of whom are very clean, succinct writers who make reading their work effortless. You just escape into their world. The characterisation is great, the descriptions are great, and the plots are great! (Same goes for Lynette and Jenny!)

It's a good job you can't see my face right now - thank you for the compliment.  Now let's change the subject.   Is there a book you know you'll never read or found impossible to finish?

At school, when we had to read Wuthering Heights, Little Women and Pride and Prejudice, I found it really hard to follow the plot. It was hard enough to get my head around the language – it’s surprising just how different the language was then! However, I would like to try reading all of those again to see whether I find it easier now. Who knows whether I’ll manage it or not!

Oh I think you should, especially the first and last.  Some of the dialect in Wuthering Heights is a bit tricky to read but once you've got the hang of it, you can hear it very vividly in your head.  Pride and Prejudice has such beautiful prose and gentle wit, I do hope you'll give them another go. 

What is the most memorable or exciting plot or story opening to any story you can recall?

The first to spring to mind is Daphne Olivier’s latest (which I don’t think has been published yet), in which a man stumbles in a greenhouse breaking the glass dome surrounding one of several strange plants proceeds to have some sort of reaction. He calls for help, but when people arrive they are wearing strange suits, they ignore him lying on the ground and they start a fire before leaving, closing the door on him as they go. That’s just in the prologue! I was hooked before the first word of the main story!

It sounds awesome.  Do let us know the title - that's definitely one to watch out for.  Do you think there is anything new and exciting in modern fiction, or has it "all been said before"?

As hard as it might be to believe, there are always new ideas. Granted, some plots or ideas have been done again and again, but there are new ones out there and I believe there always will be.

I certainly hope so.  Emily, it's been wonderful chatting with you and thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us.

Don't forget, for details of Emily's editing services, click: http://emilyevaediting.weebly.com/index.html

And if you're an avid reader and would like to air your views about books on this blog, please contact me at ManicScribbler@gmail.com 

Readers Writes - All About Books from a Reader's POV

I was so pleased when today's reader agreed to let me interview her for this blog because I think she has a unique and interesting story to tell.  In fact I'm not going to give away anything at all about her but instead hand straight over to Michelle to tell her story herself.

Michelle Hedley

I am based in the UK and reading is something that I always loved to do from being a small age.  I never shied away from the world of words and indeed I feel it helped to mould me into the person I am.  As a young child I was encouraged to read by my parents and it was as natural to me to read as it might have been to eat food.  Throughout school I had a reading age several years ahead of my peers which demonstrates my love for the written word.

The author Enid Blyton was a heavy influence on my early childhood and I loved her various boarding school series together with the Faraway Tree adventures and they always got my imagination firing.  I used to play being a Librarian and loved playing with my many books!  Sadly Blyton is no longer politically correct in the UK and she is no longer a staple on the bookshelf of many shops.

An early introduction into my childhood to a huge influence in my life came when I was just 10 years of age.  My parents bought a teletext television which with it brought the new dimension of subtitles.  Being deaf (from birth) and relying almost totally on lipreading, subtitles on the TV meant that I continued to be bombarded with words. As a result of subtitles, my reading speed increased (a necessity!) and thus I was, and still am, able to read a reasonable sized book in a couple of hours. I loved the English language and was always complimented on the way I would read out loud.  For someone who is deaf, that was a compliment, but also demonstrated my love for the written word.

As an adult, the written word continues to be a huge part of my life through the medium of paperbacks, television (subtitles), the internet and of course the ebook as technology evolves our world.  Through reading, either paper based or media based, I embrace learning and love exploring new genres and new authors. 

I am not a lover (excuse the pun!) of romance but I go through many phases of likes and dislikes.  I tend to veer towards books from the crime/mystery/thriller genre.  Generally speaking (and I apologise it does sound morbid!) I like books where disasters happen and people die!  

Interestingly, I find that perhaps in one sense I do not read as many books now as I did as a child.  This is because I spend so much more time on the internet and social networking which is still reading in my mind.  Perhaps some would say that the internet has brought about the demise of reading, but I would disagree.  I fought for a long time against ebooks but finally late last year I decided to try out the Kindle app on my phone.  I now compromise and read paperbacks (for some obscure reason I cannot abide hardbacks!) at home and read ebooks at work/public transport etc.  I find this an excellent way to always be able to have access to a book no matter where I am and surely that is a good thing?  

Another thing social networking has done is to allow its readers to meet others and explore new worlds.  I have discovered many new authors and genres through this medium that I would not have perhaps done otherwise and that is a positive thing.  Even with modern technology I think reading needs to be nurtured and encouraged with our youngsters as we become more and more dependent on the internet.

It was through social networking that I was posed an interesting question, one that made me stop and think as I had not even thought about it!  I was asked whether I heard the voices of the characters I read.  The answer, after much thinking, is yes.  Most deaf people have some hearing to some degree, it's what we can do with it that dictates how deaf we are.  I have a severe hearing loss but with the small level I do have (amplified by hearing aids in both ears) I “hear” normally in my mind.  Of course that “normal”, if you compare it to your normal, is worlds apart, but as I am not aware of what you hear, I see myself as hearing.  

I love music and going to the theatre, and reading is another dimension that allows me to be on an equal par with my friends and family.  When reading, (or even dreaming) I allow the sounds to play out even though in reality I may never have heard those sounds “normally”. Just like the hearing reader, I have sounds that I associate with actions, they just would not be the same as those you hear.  

Reading has allowed me to evolve from childhood into adulthood and has been a huge influence in my life.  I strongly believe that reading, whether it be subtitles on the TV or books, has been responsible for my developing speech to the level I have and enables me to get away without telling people that I am deaf.  I hope to continue my exploration of the written word whether via paperback or technology.

Fascinating, Michelle!  Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

If you are an avid reader and would like to tell your story on this blog, please contact me for further details at: ManicScribbler@gmail.com.

Readers Writes - A Reader's Point of View

            When I decided to seek out readers and question them about their likes and dislikes, I always knew I would ask this particular reader to be my guest.  I know for a fact what an avid reader he's always been; I remember the pleasure of 'reading' picture storybooks with him at the tender age of one; the joy of reading The Elephant and the Bad Baby ten times a night for at least a month; the surprise of finding school books missing from my desk because he wanted to read what my students were reading - even if they were several years older than him; and the total delight of discussing 'real literature' with him from the age of 11 or 12 right up to the present.  Nowadays, however, we have very different reading preferences.  Of course you've guessed that today's reader is my wonderful and totally gorgeous son, Alexander.  I sent him my readers' questions and this is how he responded:

Did you have a favourite book or author as a child?

Without a doubt Terry Pratchett was my favourite author , although I couldn’t possibly pick out a favourite book from his enormous library of works. 

Do you have a treasured book from your childhood?  If yes, what is it?

             It's probably my signed copy of Terry Pratchett’s Moving Pictures.  The whole experience of meeting the author and listening to him give a talk beforehand is one I still remember 15 years later.  I was so impressed by it that it formed the basis of a presentation I delivered to my English class at school the following week.

What is your happiest reading memory?

               Probably discovering and reading The Princess Bride.  It was a book I'd picked up as a random tip from a friend on the internet.  It was a fantastic story and made me genuinely laugh out loud so many times while I was reading it.  It’s probably also one of the books I read in the shortest time – the curse of a good book…

What was the first book you remember reading independently and really enjoying?

               Michael Crichton’s The Lost World.  I had recently seen the film of Jurassic Park in the cinema and I wanted to know what happened next!

How important is reading in your life now?

               It’s still quite important to me.  I mostly like to pick out unusual authors that I’ve not read before, but I wish I had more time to read.  Having a kindle to sneakily hide on your desk at work is certainly a blessing in those dull moments, though.

Is there a fictional world you would love to visit or live in?

                  Any fantasy world dominated by wizards and warlocks who govern by strength of mind and will alone.  If I'm honest, I always feel short-changed that the world doesn’t operate in such black and white terms in reality!  I am however really impressed by the world in the Witcher short stories, written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, for the way it subverted some of the common fantasy stereotypes and relished a darker approach to the world of magic

Do you think the young of today read enough, and if not, how might you try to encourage them to read more?

               Absolutely not.  I  think the main problem is the lack of variety in what is being read (if anything) by young people today, but at the same time there’s no way to ‘make’ people read; they either have to want to broaden their horizons or not.  Perhaps if the heroes of modern life didn’t make such a big deal out of not being academic or studying (the likes of sports ‘stars’ and so on) it might be easier to convince young people to engage in more intellectual pursuits (although merely suggesting that reading is in the domain of the intellectual is depressing to me!)

Do you have a favourite book or author as an adult?  If so, who/why and have you read it more than once?

               Neal Stephenson is definitely one of my favourite authors as an adult, now that I’ve read everything in Terry Pratchett’s back catalogue.  I can’t say I’ve ever read any book twice, though – there’s always too many more novels to read!  What I love about Neal Stephenson is his elaborate, slower style of prose that reminds me of older writing.  I enjoy more literary, flowing prose that has more in common with poetry than the modern style of writing that's intent on imparting information as soon as possible.

What are you currently reading and in what format (hardback, paperback, e-book)?

               Book 2 of the Mongoliad, which is an historical fiction e-book written by 7 different authors.  The aim is to tell the story of the fall of the Mongol empire in Europe from a split perspective of various Mongol courtiers and European Christian knights.

Do you think e-books will ever totally replace printed books?

               To be honest, no.  There will always be people who want to collect books almost as works of art in themselves, and I think the likes of graphic novels, manuals and technical textbooks will often be more convenient in book format than on devices like kindles.  For the consumer market though, I think it’s likely that e-books will only continue to grow as a market… for as long as people still read, that is.

Do you think books transfer to films well?  What is your favourite/worst book-to-film transfer?

               Not really.  There are a few books that really work as films – The Princess Bride is one such example – but having someone else do the thinking for you really reduces the enjoyment I can get out of a film if I’ve already read the associated novel.

Do you think there is anything new and exciting in modern fiction, or has it "all been said before"?

There are definitely new works in fiction but they are becoming increasingly esoteric in their approach.  My favourite example is House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski which layers 3 different narrative levels together into one cohesive piece.  At its basic it’s easily dismissed as a haunted house/horror story, but the way that story is told is original and intensely clever.  On the other hand, I don’t think written fiction will push boundaries very easily as long as it is so mainstream.  Comicbooks and graphic novels are on the fringe of the medium (and largely dismissed by the mainstream) which allows them to be very ‘modern’ and cutting edge.  Since the vast majority of authors don’t enjoy the luxury of brand loyalty they tend to stray away from being overly quirky or unusual in case prospective readers are put off. 

            Thanks Alex for making time in your busy schedule to answer my questions about your reading likes and dislikes and providing such thought-provoking answers.

            If you're an avid reader and would like to feature in my Readers Writes spot, I'd love to hear from you.  Just drop me an email and I'll send you my list of questions - how many and which ones you choose to answer is entirely up to you!

Reader Writes - All About Books From a Reader's POV

Being a former English teacher, of course I've always been interested in people's reading experiences.  Now that I'm a writer, I'm even more fascinated to hear what books and reading mean to people.  I therefore thought I'd run a series of posts inviting readers, rather than writers, to talk about their likes and dislikes and what they look for when reading purely for pleasure.

I'm delighted to introduce my first guest, Ruth Sherrington, who is a dear friend and former teaching colleague of mine and therefore also has a keen interest in reading and strong views on the subject.  So, over to Ruth for...

A Reader's Point of View

The Buttercup Fairy by Barbara Campbell

I have always been a keen reader, and in fact I remember the nursery school principal being rather displeased with my mother because I was already reading fluently by the time I went there which meant that I was way out of step with their teaching schedule!  I particularly remember a book I loved called ‘The Buttercup Fairy’ which was about a fat fairy (I was rather round when I was little), but when I got older I started to read historical novels by writers such as Henry Treece and Rosemary Sutcliff which I absolutely loved.  I used to disappear into books and just not emerge until I had got to the end.  I read all of the Tolkien ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy before I was twelve, and have continued to read just as much all my life.  I have some favourite authors now, who include Graham Greene, D H Lawrence, George Orwell, Evelyn Waugh and Anne Bronte, but as I teach about books for a living I read widely and have learnt to appreciate the craft of all kinds of writers from Jilly Cooper to Jane Austen.  I often read ‘chick-lit’ for relaxation and I think it serves a useful social purpose by providing a kind of harmless escapism – much better than most of the films released nowadays, which I find are not often directed towards women’s concerns and issues.

Colin Firth as Mr Darcy

Filmed versions of novels don’t usually appeal to me because I believe that the reader works with the author to create the characters in his/her own mind, but I did enjoy the Colin Firth ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and also the Keira Knightley version, rather against my better judgement! 

I do think that reading is a matter of personal choice and that forcing children to read is counter-productive but that all little children should be read to (and with) from babyhood onwards, as I truly believe that this is where literacy begins and that it should be a birthright for all children.  I may be wrong but I think the huge increase in diagnoses of dyslexia may be connected to the fact that children are not so often encouraged to love and listen to words on the page from an early age.

To me e-books don’t really have the magic of paper books but I still find my e-reader really useful for downloading books when I need to read at short notice, for example when I get into bed and have nothing to read before I sleep.  But then I am the kind of person who reads the back of cornflake packets rather than have nothing to read, so I am a bit of a hopeless case when books are not available. 

Will Self

Toni Morrison

I really enjoy finding out how modern writers are taking the novel forward and have particularly enjoyed reading the work of Will Self and Toni Morrison in recent years – in fact my ideal literary dinner party guests would definitely include those two writers, the lovely Lyn Sofras and all the others mentioned above plus about thirty others, so I think I had better book a room at the Dorchester to fit them all in!

Baby Swapping?

There is a website, which shall remain nameless, to which you can pay a modest sum to have the ‘first page’ of your novel read and ‘critiqued’.  For ‘first page’ read half of your first page and for critiqued read criticised and scored by passing readers.

 I wouldn’t recommend this to my worst enemy!  It is a thoroughly demoralising process – particularly for new writers – because it seems the majority of readers are other writers desperate to promote their own stories.  They think the best way to do that is to annihilate the competition by ruthlessly voting other contributions down and selecting random negative comments.  How can a new writer learn anything from that?

Obviously, they can’t.  It’s certainly not the route to honest criticism, though, in fairness, there are some genuine readers who will vote honestly and give brief but useful feedback.  But one valuable lesson you learn from such a process is the vital importance of getting those first pages absolutely right.  They are our 'ambassadors' into the publishing world and we owe it to ourselves to make them as polished and perfect as we possibly can.  (Though that’s not to say the rest of the writing should be allowed to lapse, of course!)

Writers are like overly-sensitive mothers: our stories are our babies, wrenched from our imaginations only after a long and painful labour and delivery.    If our babies fail to make it past first base because they have defects which we, as loving parents overlooked in our affectionate ignorance, we then have to claw them back into our literary wombs and hide them from the world, perhaps forever.  

But since we can’t trust random strangers with their own vested interests in bringing us down, then who do we entrust with our babies on their first outings?  Not our loved ones, I fear.  Family and friends will rarely be able to give us the kind of totally objective feedback we need.  But not everyone can afford to pay for a professional reading service – and ideally you would need more than one reader.  Writers are generally very experienced readers and are best equipped to critique and offer suggestions.  In my experience they also give most generously of their time.

Forging good relationships with other writers and building a small network of friends, should ensure one or two readers who will be able to read at least those vital early chapters and give their honest opinions.  It’s a symbiotic relationship, however, but in my experience, ‘swapping babies’ (temporarily, of course) is a very rewarding and valuable process.

I’d like to form a ‘First Three Club’ where writers band together to offer beta reading and honest criticism of those all-important first three chapters which we send out to agents.   Who knows, such a club may already exist, but if one does, it’s a well-concealed secret society – at least, I haven’t found it yet. 

If you know of one, please let me know.  In the meantime, if I read yours, will you read mine?

Why Don't Our Children Read Anymore?

The best memory I have of my childhood is curling up on the upstairs landing (which only I knew had the warmest radiator in the house) on those bleak and desultory days of the seemingly endless winter holidays and losing myself for hours on end in fictional realms.  TV was a paltry runner-up to the richness of my life in literature.  I lived it and breathed it right alongside the characters in whose lives and dramas some kindly author had invited me to partake.  The whole household could have collapsed about my ears and I would not have noticed.

I still frequently go AWOL from the real world when I become engrossed in a good story.  I suppose I simply have no self-control, but the pleasure of reading makes me realise how thin so many other modern pleasures are.  Read a good book and something permeates your soul and stays with you forever.  Which, of course, is why I’m so sad that so many of our children today are missing out on that wonderful gift.

By ‘our’ I’m referring to children in a collective or national sense.  You know, that ubiquitous ‘younger generation’ we oldies are all so worried about.  I have certainly been worrying about this increasing problem for the past decade, but not for the more obvious reasons.  My own son is an avid reader – always was, always will be.  When I watch him devour literature and see him reap the rewards of something he does purely for pleasure, I feel sad that so many other young people are missing out on a wonderful experience.

I’m sure that wherever you are in the country, you’ve participated at some point in these ‘Good As New’ sales organised so beautifully by dedicated volunteers raising money for cancer research or similar worthy charities.  These sales are a great way to dispose of good quality clothing, equipment, games and books while helping needy charities.  For one reason or another I had a great collection of (brand new) children’s literature I no longer needed, all written by wonderful, award-winning children’s authors.  I also had a collection of used Simpsons comic books.

I’d be disappointed in you if you didn’t know where I was going here!  What sold?  Yes of course, you guessed.  What was disappointing was that even at giveaway prices – a tiny fraction of their retail value - parents did not see the value of buying high quality literature for their children.  Incidentally, this sale was in one of the more affluent London suburbs and the car park was crammed to capacity by people-carriers carrying very few people.

As a former English teacher I’ve always been deeply concerned about the reading habits of the young.  Correction, what I really mean is ‘lack of reading habits’.   When I first began teaching – and believe it or not, that wasn’t back in the dark ages, reading was still considered to be acceptable, even pleasurable.  Libraries were the hub of the school and book fairs the highlight of the term.  When visiting authors came, the children would be held spellbound; happily spending their pocket money stocking up their bookshelves and writing appreciative fan letters en masse without any prompting. 

I myself ran school book-clubs and from the day they placed their order until the day of delivery, children would stop me in corridors and playground asking me when their book orders would arrive.  When I became head of English, my mission was not just to maintain that enthusiasm but to increase it.  I wanted parents to be more involved as well, in order to capture some of those reluctant readers in the net.  I spent three-quarters of my departmental budget on exciting new books which had all been carefully researched by caring staff and students.

But gradually I saw a decline in interest.  Children no longer wanted to read.  Year after year each new intake proved to be less literate than the last and even less interested in reading.  Book fairs and book clubs dwindled away due to lack of interest and library lessons offered little more than opportunities for collective worship in the non-fiction section for boys or huddled gatherings of girls pretending to pour over an illustrated Shakespeare while they quietly discussed the latest gossip or read each other’s text messages.

The real crunch came a few years ago in the A Level classes, when students professing a desire to study English Literature at university claimed to hate reading.  When asked why they had chosen Literature, the answers varied from:  ‘Well I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice.  I mean Keira Knightley was okay, but Matthew Macfadyen...’; to ‘I like Shakespeare.  Laurence Fishburne as Othello was really excellent.’

I harangued my students mercilessly every time they asked if there was a DVD of the text we were studying.  (In my defence, I’m not claiming that films have no place in the teaching of literature, just that they should provide the little ornament on the top of the tree, not constitute the whole of Christmas).  Students invariably said they found it so much easier to watch a film than read a book.

But as year upon year this antipathy towards reading – and in particular classical literature – grew and the internet made it (or so the students thought) so much easier to cheat on their essays, teaching literature became more about policing students than teaching them and sharing in their discoveries.  Today more and more children simply cannot be bothered to read.  Teachers don’t just have to worry about plagiarism anymore – there are numerous agencies all over the world employing people willing to write students’ assignments for a paltry sum.  And sadly these are beyond the refined searching tentacles of Google.  The system allows lazy students to avoid even glancing at the great literature they were meant to study.  And the chances are, if they don't do it now, they won't in the future.

Good teachers can inspire children in lessons, certainly, but much depends on students' willingness to go away and read, think and discover for themselves.  Nowadays, sadly, children are less and less inclined to make the time in their fast-paced lives to do just that.  If they can find a shortcut, they will take it.  I didn’t set out to moralise on the rights and wrongs of this (though doubtless my position is fairly clear), I just feel depressed that it is happening and worry about how sadly impoverished future generations will be. 

Maybe the media can compensate?  Personally, I must confess that I doubt it. 

 Posted on Yahoo this week:  

[I am 16 years old and so far i think I've read only 1 book lol. I think i will like books with mystery, science fiction. horror, fantasy, crime genre.I've been reading alot of manga .Its never too late to start .Bad english I hope you understand.]

Need I say more?