A section of my desk is reserved for scraps of paper cut from newspapers and magazines on topics which might (or might not) go on to inspire blog posts. I've just dug one out entitled 'Books that changed my life' and it's got me wondering what mine is...
Actually, it's the sort of question that can potentially send you into a bit of a panic. What if I don't have one? What if it isn't impressive? Should I make something up!?
Well, I'll come clean and say I don't think I have one book which dramatically altered the course of my life. But, I do know the book which began my reading life, made me aware of the wonder of books, of authors, of stories, of words.
That book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The first time I encountered it, it was read to me by my first-year junior school teacher. Her name was Mrs Toomey and she had the sweetest, softest, Welsh-lilted voice I had ever heard.
I remember being nothing short of thrilled by the story. I remember the excitement and anticipation of hearing the next instalment, and the disappointment when the bell range for home time and Mrs Toomey had to finish her last sentence of the day. Every other book I'd read or heard up until that point contained pictures to complement the words, but there were no pictures to look at in Mrs Toomey's edition of Charlie.
So, I had to fire up my imagination – put my own images to the words I’d heard. My six-year-old mind would be busy thinking about the shiny golden ticket, toffee fudge mallow delight and square sweets that look round. I really worried about poor Mr Bucket too – spending all day screwing the caps on toothpaste tubes.
Charlie gave me a thirst for more. I went on to James and the Giant Peach (Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker were scary) and Fantastic Mr Fox. My reading horizons soon expanded beyond Roald Dahl (I went through a heavy Enid Blyton phase quickly followed by Judy Blume) and I suppose the rest of my young reading life is history.
Charlie was my introduction into the world of books, of language, rhythms and imagination, and that in books, good children always win in the end. I always tried to be good after that – when I remembered.
Care to offer your life-changing book?
Warm wishes, Jo
Laura, wow, Flowers in the Attic - it's all coming back to me. I devoured that book in one sitting during a sleepy summer holiday at my grandmother's house in Sussex.
But the book that changed my life was most probably one I read a few years later: Nigel Barley's The Innocent Anthropologist - as a chance encounter with that particular book in secondhand paperback during the late 80s set me determinedly on course to study a degree in social anthropology.
The book that changed my life was "The Secret of Telecosmic Programming" by Norvell. My Dad bought me an old copy of the book from the local library, when I was seventeen. After reading the book it helped me to believe in myself and to uncover my skills and talents, which I just needed to discover for myself. I started to write poetry and then took to research and the writing of articles and fiction. I later also plunged into the realm of the internet and realized that I could publish my writings in cyberspace, there were no limits to stop my creativity. This book has helped me to realize my full potential and create my life and destiny.