Ten Books

Well here they are, after much thought, I've come up with this list. What can I say, it is not a definitive list. What surprised me is how many of the authors are dead.

They are not in any particular order.

Two are from the Bible, and I'll have the King James Version.
The Book of Psalms, they are enduring beautiful poems. We do not say or sing them enough in church any more. It is sad that so few people are able. To sing them using the correct pointing. It is one of the joys to listen to Choral Evensong on Radio 3 on Wednesday afternoons to hear them sung beautifully. When Arnold, Peters's father was so unwell towards the end of his life, as the dementia increased, Rose was able to keep him calm and get through the fog of his mind and reach the inner man, they would say the Psalms together something they both new by heart.

Proverbs  unlike much of the O.T. still speaks to us today, and lots of people are amazed when you tell them that what they have just said was written anything up to 6,000 years ago, and it still means a lot to us - marvellous.

Katherine by Anya Seton. The first historical novel I ever read, recommended by Rose. Seton was able to weave fact with fiction in an incredible way. Her research was impeccable. It is the story of Katheryn Swynford, a remarkable actual emancipated woman of the Middle Ages.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, it could well have been many of the other Austen novels. Here we have a woman daughter of a clergyman, unmarried, leading a sheltered life, caring for her father and his household, able to write with such insight and depth, about the times in which she lived. Her ability to bring humour to her characters is understated and totally believable. Mrs Bennett is a wonderful example.

Wolfe Hall by Hilary Mantel. A meaty read, I found it quite a difficult read. That is not to say I ever wanted to stop. Mantel is a master of the English Language . The period in which the book is set is one I felt I knew a lot about, but Mantel made it more alive than ever. This  book is more an extremely well delivered history lecture than a novel as such, and no bad thing. I have purchased Bring up the Bodies, and look  forward to it.

Tales of Body and Soul by Lionel Blue. Lionel is no longer with us, which is such a shame. I always looked forward to 10 to 8 on Monday mornings when Lionel was on Thought for the Day on Radio4. Lionel was a Rabbi blessed with the rare quality in a cleric of  saying profound things in a way which was very palatable, very truthful, and very funny. These thoughts wether on current issues or issues he was facing in his own life, spill over into his books. This one is a firm favourite of mine. But any of this books are a joy. Over the course of his broadcasts we learnt such a lot about the man and his humanity, not least his struggle with severe depression. I will never forget him telling us some mornings he struggled to get out of bed and put a matching pair of socks on.

The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard. This is he first of four books about the Cazalet family. Set from the end of the First World War to the 1950's. A comfortable read, I so looked forward to curling up with these books. This one sets the scene and introduces the characters in the family. It is a book which impels one to want to know more about the family and about the times in which it is set. It gave me a wonderful insight into the era in which my parents were born and grew up.

The School at Thrush Green by Miss Read. Read wrote a lot of novels about the life of a single women, head of a village school she herself was a head of a village school, though married. I have since learnt that she lived near Newbury. The  school was set at the foot of the South Downs, and the books are full of the nature and life of that beautiful area,.Arnold himself a primary head teacher introduced the books to me, and I have loved everyone, as he did.

The Choir by Joanna Trollope. This is the first of Trollope's novels. A book which came out at  a time in our family life when our church choir was going through heartache. It definitely helped me to see things in a more considered manner. I have since read all of Trollope's books of which there are many. Apart from just two I believe she has made a favourable comment on everyday issues. Her book The Soldiers Wife, is a powerful insight into what it must be like for wives  adjusting to having their husbands return from war in Iraq.

Shroud for a Nightingale by P D James. This is one of the Adam Dalgleish novels by .james. Set in a hospital, with the death of a nurse. Why is means so much to me is that I was a Nightingale Nurse. If you trained at St. Thomas's hospital you are a Nightingale. This is  the hospital were Nightingale set up her nursing school after the Crimean War. It's  a typically good who dun it  by James . I can also recommend her sequel  to Pride and Prejudice, Death Comes to Pemberlly.  A clever murder mystery with all the characters from the original Austen novel.



If you have managed to read all of this you deserve a medal. I think it's ten but I have lost count.

Chris