The Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

“I always wanted to slide down Moon-Face’s slippery dip” was what a friend said to me one day. I didn’t know what to make of it. I had no idea what she was talking about and it sounded a bit sexy. Then the light bulb flicked on: The Magic Faraway Tree. And with that, I totally agreed. Seriously. Who wouldn’t?

It was a love affair that started many many moons ago. I was first introduced to Jo, Bessie and Fanny (heh) at a time when fairy tales were exciting, where you would dream of going up to Party Land with friends from the Faraway Tree, and it was definitely before some stupid prat from school asked if I knew what a fanny was. 

Oh. Those were the days. 

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

As a general rule and probably on principal, books that are read at school aren’t a hit with the kids (with the divine exception of To Kill a Mockingbird), so when I was handed the book list for ENG101 several years ago, I did not expect to like any of the foes that I was to be pitted against for a 12 full weeks. 

How wrong was I.

Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day did not only interest me enough to read the 250 or so pages several times, but also showed me that a novel about the staff of an english country manor could actually be interesting. I know. This might also be due to the fact that Ishiguro is a talented talented man, but that’s just my opinion.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

It was only a matter of time before I was going to write a rant about this excellent novel. Well. To be more specific, this excellent novel/film/ABC mini-series (and yes, specifically ABC as they are an entity unto itself). To make things easier, let’s just call it a story.

The Pact - Jodi Piccoult

I normally ent a judgin’ when it comes to literature, but Jodi Piccoult just asks for it. Seriously. As a commie at heart, I care not for the superiority complex some can get over their untranslated Dostoyevsky. In fact, I can sometimes be found chowing down on a diet of Mills and Boon, a grassy bit of lawn and a cocktail on a sunny day. Put quite simply, a good read is a good read. Which comes to my point…

On The Road - Jack Kerouac

Ok. I’m probably going to offend the whole reading population in about… a second, so brace yourself - I hated this book.

I know. Get your stones ready. Look. I’ll even get them ready for you… see… this is a nice sharp one. I only deserve it, right?

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

I was first introduced to this novel (epic is probably the more appropriate term) while on holiday with a rather free spirited friend.

“I’m reading Shantaram,” she said one day while we were basking in the holiday sun. My brain did not quite register this foreign sounding word.

“It’s amazing. It’s about this man who was one of Australia’s most wanted men because he escaped maximum security prison by the front wall.”

Huh? I get up on my elbows and look at her.

“Yeah. And through the work of God, he escaped to India and found salvation.”

Ah.

My cynicism sank back into the sand and washed the novel from my mind as she continued to wax lyrical about this book apparent.