My reading habits – 2

I read voraciously, always have.

“Michelle, put that book down and get ready for school.”

“Michelle, put that book down and eat your dinner.”

“Michelle, put that book down and get changed out of your school uniform.”

“Michelle, put that book down and eat your tea.”

“Michelle, put that book down and get ready for bed.”

“Michelle! Put that book down and GO TO SLEEP!”

Yeah, yeah, yeah…

I’d read books, comics, novels, short stories, history, fiction – anything and everything I could get my hands on.

I went through a phase of reading everything to do with horses.

A couple of books particularly caught my attention – Lyrico

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And Mylor – The Most Powerful Horse In The World

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I believe this love of books was inspired by my Grandad Harold (father’s father) – he would sit me on his knee and read with me – notice I said WITH me… there’s a very distinct difference between ‘to’ and ‘with’ and my Grandad had it.

He’d read me a book about a baby flying horse. The pictures were cute and all, but the stories were lovely. The whole thing wrapped up in a package of love and contentment was awesome.

I do believe every kid should be shown where you can go in a book.

I’ve told my kids that books are great – you can go anywhere and anywhen in a book.

Some of the things he read to me wouldn’t be ‘politically correct’ these days – not at all.

As I grew, my interests developed too. I do like history. We had a full set of Childhood Encyclopaedia Britannica at our house and I enjoyed searching through those too. Not much of a storyline though…

We had a book club at school and we got discount books (I think) and therefore, I managed to acquire a few nice books. Lyrico and Mylor were included in those deals. I also discovered a mythical beasts book – with pictures. The ‘Squonk’ being my favourite… Kappa, Basilisk and Cockatrice also fascinated me – you can tell they did because I didn’t have to go looking for their names.

The ability to do research, therefore, has been there since I was a kid.

I do like a good series. I’d buy all the books in one series and set to reading them until they had all been read. If there isn’t one to be had, I’d do the next best thing – search out an author and read everything they’ve written.

Obviously, this all happened after I got a job and more so after I left home.

Guy N Smith was once a favourite. He writes horror and supernatural stuff.

Sabat caught (and held) my attention for a number of books.

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And then I moved on to more of Mr Smith’s works…

The Manitou Doll

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The Festering

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The Wood

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And so many more!

Oh here’s one… and what a coincidence…

Years after reading this book, I wrote my own and incorporated something into my book called…

Throwback.

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The thing is, I quickly out-grew these books and moved back on to James Herbert and the like, the books I’d read in my schooldays.

All three of The Rats trilogy consumed, then everything else. I still read James Herbert for years. Re-reading old favourites if he had nothing new out.

I read The Magic Cottage coming up to the birth of our first child. Trev was on night shift, my sister who was supposed to come stay with me while Trev was on nights phoned and asked if it was ok for her to not come because she had a better offer – in years to come, that never changed…

Alone in the house, chilling and listening to Simon and Garfunkle’s Greatest Hits, reading The Magic Cottage to ‘The Sound of Silence’, my only company our two dogs, Nina and Nero – what a perfect night.

Released in the year of my birth, it just seems poetic that it was what I was listening to on the eve of my daughter’s birth

It snowed just before I finished reading and when I went to let the dogs out just before settling them down for the night, I saw the snow on the ground and me, being daft, set to, snowballing the dogs, much to their delight.

Heavily pregnant – due at the end of that week – I went out snowballing Rotweillers.

My waters broke later, early in the morning…

Danielle arrived later that night after quite a strenuous, traumatic delivery.

She likes ‘The Sound Of Silence… always has.

She likes this version…

I do too.

I out-grew James Herbert, eventually.

Or maybe I’d just tuned in to his way of creating a story. I could ‘see’ the twists and turns coming and I became disillusioned and disappointed.

Other authors I read had the same fate. I’d get to the point in their catalogue where I started putting down the book easily – easier than I had ever been able to lay down a book.

The day I put down a book and knew I would never pick it up to read again was the day I realised that I must write the book I wanted to read or I’d never be satisfied again.

I don’t remember the book, but I do remember the author – no. I’ll never share that information.

“I can write better than this,” I thought as I put it down in disgust.

I’d read a couple of books I was disappointed in for various reasons, Patricia Cornwell for her book on Jack The Ripper – Case Closed.

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All due respect to her, she made a mighty fine case, but so have other people and no one has had the audacity, the temerity to declare the case closed until her book…

And then this one...

There are a lot of holes in her theory and I don’t think she has managed to close the case to my satisfaction.

Still… I wonder if she’s read my book on the subject… I bet she hasn’t.

And I haven't read Giles Brandreth's book.

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