W Is For World Book Day

Whilst washing the pots on Monday, I saw Mr.Bump, Willy Wonka and Paddington Bear walk past my window. Don't panic - I wasn't tripping on acid, it was one of my favourite days as a child: world book day. I fondly remember the anticipation of deciding which character to go as when I was in Primary school. My favourite outfit had to be when I went as the illustrated mum in year 6. I felt so badass wearing rose tinted glasses in the snow, with my flares and bubblegum tattoos.

lol @ my rap squat

In honour of the day, I thought I'd share a few books that have struck a chord. As a Creative Writing student, I fear you may be expecting a bunch of 18th century Russian classics or cutting edge contemporary works and if so, I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed. I thought I'd stick to the ones that aren't necessarily the most literary profound, but rather the most sentimental.

Η αλεπού με την κομμένη ουρά • #Αισώπου

Growing up, I harboured a secret that was so controversial that I'm still not quite sure I ever confessed to anyone. Dun dun dun. I'm more of a Dahl that Rowling fan. Not to say that I'm not a fan of Harry Potter all together - crikey, I'm not a psychopath! My love was ignited when I'd just moved to the UK and my primary school teacher Miss. Jagota animatedly read us The Enormous Crocodile! 

I think most girls growing up in Britain during the early noughties went through a Jacqueline Wilson phase. JW was my hero - not just because of her insane ring collection, but because of the themes her YA books explored. Adoption, divorce, bullying, disability, homelessness etc. I actually have a letter under my bed that I wrote when I was about eleven that I never got round to posting - every sentence began with Thank you. I must have read her book The Suitcase Kid at least once a week back then - mostly on the bad days.

My brother Billy and I were also mega Asterix fans ~ so much so that my brother had an Obelix birthday cake many moons ago! As a child I was also an enormous Scooby Doo and Pink Panther fan, I think that's why I took to Sherlock Holmes when I began studying it in high school. I can remember reading the hound of the baskervilles whilst walking home one autumn afternoon.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.

I have my high school English teacher Mrs. Robinson to thank for my love of Gothic lit. We studied Dracula, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Rebecca in class - we were spoiled! I discovered Seth Godin's work towards the end of sixth form ~ it was just what I needed to light the fire for my move to London. I have a lot to thank Linchpin for. On the day I received my acceptance letter to Greenwich university, my mum gave me a copy of Dr. Seuss' Oh The Places You'll Go. You guys already know how much I love this wackydooda book. Speaking of books to stretch your imagination, I implore you to give The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy a spin.

One of the first novels I studied during my creative writing degree was Dickens' Great Expectations. I was actually going through a break up at the time which made the experience all the more gut wrenching and... well, tragic.

Throughout my final year of university, there have been two books of poetry that have never left my bag: Maya Angelou's And Still I Rise and Grace Nichols' The Fat Black Woman's Poems.

A battered Lazy Jane poem has been in my purse for years.

My poetry is rather abstract and playful. No surprises then that I've always been an admirer of Shel Silverstein and E. E. Cummings' work. The idea of living in a world where always it's spring and everyone's in love and flowers pick themselves sounds pretty inviting.

Although having said that, my heart is with Sappho.

Her Come Close collection of poetry travels with me across land and sea.

My Family and Other Animals, Part One. // Gone mad? Make the most of it!

Whenever I'm feeling homesick, I reach for a book by either Gerald or Lawrence Durrell and I'm home again. Here's a photo I took a few summers ago of their former home, the infamous white house. Taken from the Corfiot sea, or in the words of Lawrence, the heartbeat of the world itself. If you're not much of a reader, I'd highly recommend trying short stories - Tobias Wolff's The Night In Question is ace. Also ain't no shame in good old agony aunt books. My favourites are Graham Norton's Ask Graham and Cheryl Strayed's Tiny Beautiful Things. My oh my.

Read me x

Needless to say, this is just a drop in the ocean. For those still curious, here's a glimpse of my bedside table:

What book is currently on your bedside table?