OK, eighteen years is not really that distant but it certainly feels that way.
Are you ready for another trip into my reading past? Then let’s go!
It’s December 2004. The comedy film Meet the Fockers is released. Band Aid 20’s version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ is number one in the UK music chart for three weeks. On Boxing Day there is a devastating tsunami caused by earthquakes in the Indian Ocean, claiming an estimated 227,898 lives.
And somewhere a 16-year-old bookworm is reading…
It by Stephen King (1986): I think this novel is responsible for the general perception that clowns are creepy. I never found them especially funny or scary until I saw the TV series and read the book.
Three of Diamonds by Anthony Horowitz (2004): As I said in the first episode of my time travels, I’m a Horowitz fan. This book is a collection of three shorter stories featuring the Diamond Brothers detectives: The Blurred Man, The French Confection and I Know What You Did Last Wednesday.
The Dance of the Voodoo Handbag by Robert Rankin (1998). Rankin’s books are, shall we say, somewhat eccentric. And also hilarious. This one features the recurring characters of detective Lazlo Woodbine and Barry the Time Sprout. The plots are never that coherent but that’s sort of the point… I think.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (2003): At the time, this was the latest book in the Harry Potter series and I would’ve been reading it again while waiting for the sixth instalment, The Half-Blood Prince (2005).
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier (1936): I’ve read many of Daphne’s works. This is one of her most famous but it’s not a favourite with me. I prefer her novels set in contemporary times, rather than historical settings.
The Eternal Enemy by Christopher Pike (1993): I was a fan of Pike, the 90s master of teen horror. I don’t remember this one at all, so here’s the blurb: ‘Rela sets her VCR to tape a movie she plans to show at a party, but instead of the movie she gets tomorrow’s news. Soon Rela is regularly recording next week’s news, even what is to happen in the far future. It’s fun, until she sees herself on the news, and learns that there is no future for her.’
The Highest Form of Killing by Malcolm Rose (1990): This YA thriller was about a deadly chemical weapon being developed by the Ministry of Defence.
Mondays Are Red by Nicola Morgan (2002): I still have this tense YA novel but haven’t read it in years. It’s an unusual story about a boy who after waking up from a coma finds he has synaesthesia.
Let’s go back to the future. Phew, that was quite a journey! I hope you enjoyed the trip.
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