Jan Marshall - Author of A Curious State of Affairs (UK and USA) talks about books on her “to read” shelf:

There is a shelf in my study where I line up books waiting to be read.  I love reading and I’m the sort of person who feels nervous if there are not at least half a dozen books on that shelf waiting to be read, as well as the one I’m always half way through. My biggest fear is running out of reading material! When I go on holiday I usually take at least six novels with me - then once I’ve read them I scour wherever we are visiting for secondhand bookshops or street-markets selling books written in English. Fortunately, my husband is also a bookworm - so we book hunt together.

I’m currently reading: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. I found this book really easy to get into in the early chapters. It is a tale of regret and redemption, beautifully drawn. It does seem to have slowed down a little as I’ve continued through the novel - although in fairness I’ve not had much time to read of late and this makes it more difficult to keep the momentum going. I’ll let you know more when I’ve finished reading it.

This “novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins.
His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down’s Syndrome. For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is a brilliantly crafted story of parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love.”

My next door neighbour gave birth to a beautiful little Down’s Syndrome daughter when she was just 30 years old. She felt cheated - because of her young age she was never offered the test that would have allowed her to consider abortion. She found it extremely difficult coming to terms with her daughter being less than perfect. I thought this book might give me some insight into what she experienced and how she might have felt. I moved away from that house when the child was still quite young  and she would be a teenager of about 15 years old now. I often wonder how the mother and daughters relationship progressed and how they are doing now. I  rather hope and suspect that the daughter is fully integrated and a much loved and appreciated member of the family. The author (see below) David Lodge’s youngest son Chris was also born with Down’s Syndrome. When he was born in 1966 a health official predicted he would never learn to read and write and encouraged his parents to place him in a mental hospital. I’m glad to say his parents ignored the advice and kept their son at home sending him to State Special Schools when he was old enough. By the time the young man was in his twenties he was leading a relatively independent life.

On my bookshelf waiting to be read at the moment are:

1. Balance of Power by Paul Palmer- this is a book my husband bought to read and said was so good that I should read it too. We don’t have the same taste in books so I’m not sure if I’ll like it - but I’ll probably give it a go! I asked him today what it was about and he said ” the corruption of power and politics.” He added that it’s set in Washingon DC and he said I’d recognise lots of the places we’d explored together when we were last there.
2. Next on the shelf is Author, Author by David Lodge. It caught my eye in a charity bookshop in my town because I know the author and love the title. He was my personal tutor and mentor at the University of Birmingham (when I was reading English as an undergraduate) - just how fortunate was I? He’s a really interesting guy and a really accomplished writer. (By chance we both share the same birthday, although he’s much older than me!) He was always dark and brooding as a tutor but he gave me good grades - so I’m not complaining. He’s written lots of books and I’ve just about read them all.  The critics say that this book: “presents a fascinating panorama of literary and theatrical life … but is essentially a novel about authorship and the obsessions, hopes, dreams, triumphs and disappointments of those who live by the pen…” My type of novel! my kind of author. The story is about the life and art of Henry James who tried and humiliatingly failed to re-route his career, from mandarin novelist to celebrity playwright in the Victorian era.
3. Alan Bennett’s Untold Stories is third on the shelf. This was given to me as a gift and I can’t wait to read it. I’m a real fan of Alan Bennett’s work anyway - I directed one of his Talking Heads at the theatre many years ago - and received standing ovations. I read everything of his I can lay my hands on. This particular book is a poignant family memoir with an account of his parent’s marriage - it also contains excerpts from Alan’s diary and it is said to be heart rending and funny. I’d expect no less from such a brilliant writer.
4. Mercy by Jodi Picoult is next. I’ve read almost all of her books too - they’re a comparatively light read but still brilliantly crafted and written. I particularly like her books because they explore subjects that are often considered taboo in society. This novel explores “mercy” killing - others I’ve read have explored suicide pacts, organ donation amongst siblings, high school gun massacres - and all sorts of other challenging subjects. The main characters are always easy to like and relate to, although often complex in themselves. The story-lines are thought provoking and linger on in your mind way after you’ve finished reading the book.
5. New York Nights by Eric Brown- is another book my husband picked up in a secondhand bookshop. I know he will have been attracted to it by it’s title and cover. The cover shows a night-time image of the beautiful art deco Chrysler building in New York city- an incredible bit of architecture that we both adore. New York is our favourite city that we regularly visit - and also the place where we got married (at the beautiful little Victorian church opposite Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.) The novel is a Sci-Fi thriller set in the devastated New York of 2040; it explores the human costs of isolation and escapism in a future that offers wild possibilities. I read Sci-Fi occasionally but it has to be good or I dump it - I’ll give this one a go! On the whole I prefer books that explore modern day relationships of all sorts.
6. A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon- now Mark Haddon is my kind of writer and when I read the book review of this novel in the Sunday Times, I rushed out and bought a copy the same day, and I can’t wait to start reading it. Mark’s books are both funny and poignant, have pathos and humour - and they allow you to glimpse life from another angle. You think you are reading about others - then you find yourself examining yourself. You may have read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by the same author - now that was an amazing book - if you haven’t read that, do yourself a favour and borrow, beg or steal buy it!
7. How to talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper - I took a gamble on this one as I’ve not read this author before. It has been described as a darkly comic tale about love and loss - and since you could use these exact words to describe one of the novels I have written, I was intrigued enough to take a look. It is a “Richard and Judy” summer read, although that doesn’t guarantee a good novel. I’ve read some of their recommendations that have been superb and others I’d wished I could ask for my money back on! I’ll let you know which category it falls into! 

So if I don’t blog this coming week, you’ll know why - I’m away on busines and I’m taking a case full of books with me!

David Lodge my old tutor and mentor (we share the same birthday!)

Biography: David Lodge

(follow this link for full: biography)

David Lodge was born in south London in 1935. He studied English at University College London. He wrote a postgraduate thesis on the Catholic novel and taught at Birmingham University from 1960 until he retired early from the professorship in modern English literature in 1987. His critical works range from The Novelist at the Crossroads (1971) and Working with Structuralism (1981) to Consciousness and the Novel (2002). The Picturegoers (1960) began his career as a novelist, which includes Changing Places (1975), How Far Can You Go? (1980), Small World (1984), Nice Work (1988), Paradise News (1991), Therapy (1995) and Thinks… (2001). Lodge’s novel, Author, Author, is published by Secker & Warburg. He was awarded the CBE in 1998.

Thanks David for being my tutor. Jan.

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