My reading life as a book reviewer, 1985 to 1992

When I left university, I thought, “Great. I will never have to read what other people want me to read.”

No more Walter Scott’s Waverley and no need to finish Nostromo.

Life is too short to finish books you are not enjoying.

Then I started Shelf Life, a book section on Channel 4’s teletext service, created with the sole purpose of allowing me to get free books.

1986 Perfume by Patrick Suskind

Beautifully written, Patrick Suskind’s novel is a beautiful evocation of the sense of smell from the reek of flesh to delicate scents.

1987 The Years With Ross by James Thurber

I loved Thurber’s humorous memoir of the legendary New Yorker editor.

1988 Illywhacker by Peter Carey

I loved the title and the first line:

My name is Herbert Badgery. I am a hundred and thirty-nine years old and something of a celebrity. … I am a terrible liar and I have always been a liar. I say that early to set things straight. Caveat emptor.

1989 Oscar and Lucinda By Peter Carey

I queued at Foyle’s to get my copy of Oscar and Lucinda signed. I couldn’t think of what to say to Peter Carey so I made my excuses and left.

The ending is crushingly sad.

1990 A Month in the Country by JL Carr

This was a Channel 4 film starring Colin Firth, Kenneth Branagh and Natasha Richardson.

The novella is JL Carr’s masterpiece. I read it in one sitting. It is beautiful and heart-breaking.

1991 Money by Martin Amis

My review for The Leeds Other Paper was headlined Parables of Mass Morality. I have no idea what this means. For me, this was Amis at his best. John Self is a modern-day Falstaff. His tennis court humiliation made me snort with laughter.

1992 Out of Sight: the Experience of Disability 1900 to 1950 by Rob Humphries

This Channel 4 book took me back to my oral history past.

Little did I know how much the oral history of disabled people was going to be part fo my working life!

Next: My reading life as a commuter 1992 to 1999