Books books books

Posted in Janine's blog on ,

There a books Q&A doing the rounds of bloggers at the moment, and I've been tagged by Volty over at Shiraz Socialist. So here goes ...

1. One book that changed your life.

It was a song that changed my life (Going Underground by The Jam) rather than a book. But 'Ten Days That Shook the World' by John Read certainly improved it, as did 'Is The Future Female?' by Lynne Segal.

2. One book that you've read more than once.

'Lord of the Rings' by J.R.R. Tolkien. Yeah yeah, I know - but I love a good epic yarn.

3. One book that you'd want on a desert island.

Some sort of survival guide, I should think. Though nothing by Ray Mears - my paranoid imagination is convinced he's a fraud and that there's some fantastic high-tech all-mod-cons, mobile mansion parked behind the TV camera!

4. One book that made you laugh.

'Click Clack Moo - Cows That Type' by Doreen Cronin. It's a little kids' book about livestock who go on strike. Go on - introduce the toddler in your life to workers' struggle.

5. One book that made you cry.

'Gallipoli' by Les Carlyon. Or probably any book about Gallipoli. A hell on earth that reminds you what vile murdering scum the ruling class are, and knocks the shine right off Winston Churchill's glossy reputation.

6. One book you wish you had written.

'Animal Farm'. But George Orwell beat me to it.

7. One book you wish had never been written.

The Bible. Or its authors could at least have presented it as a collection of fictional stories rather than as fact.

8. One book you're currently reading.

Everything I'm currently reading is research for a book I am writing about Poplarism. Of these, I'll pick out John Shepherd's 'George Lansbury: At The Heart of Old Labour'. Its the most recent and comprehensive biography of this great (but flawed) socialist, political father of Tony Benn and actual grandfather of Angela Lansbury.

9. One book you have been meaning to read.

'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' by Mark Haddon. Firstly, because lots of people have told me it is good. And secondly, because my four-year-old son has Asperger Syndrome, so I'm hoping it will help me see the world how he sees it.

And I shall tag ... Paul Hampton, DK, Arthur, Charlie Pottins, Anna Chen

Culture and Reviews

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