Mrs McTwig

A few years ago, I was chatting with a couple of friends about something or other (books, probably) and I said “I don’t think reading should be some kind of test or chore”. Friend said “But you should challenge yourself intellectually with the books you read or you stagnate”. Other friend said “Ooh, two contrasting points of view, both with merit!”. (What I should have said but of course didn’t think of at the time was, well why doesn’t that apply to television? Or films?) But anyhoo – I remain of the view that reading should not be a chore. So with that in mind, here’s a couple of recommendations. Don’t mention it.

First up – The Wind in The Willows. A children’s book perhaps but it has much wider appeal. It’s properly character-driven; you get the best and the worst of Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger. Particularly old Toad. It’s about about our friendships, and our homes, and how both of these things change and define us. And there’s a road-trip. It is such a gentle time-out. If you can, get hold of Alan Bennett’s abridged reading of it – it’s a real joy.

Second, the Jeeves and Wooster books. It’s hard to pick a favourite of these; any one is a cheery read. Proper escapism. But I think that one of the funniest things ever written by anyone anywhere is the school prize-giving scene in Right Ho, Jeeves. It’s hilarious. HILARIOUS. Bertie Wooster’s tee-total friend Gussie Fink-Nottle is roped into presenting prizes at the local grammar school, but he takes on more whisky than is good for him.

Bertie says Long association with the members of the Drones Club has put me pretty well in touch with the various ways in which an overdose of the blushful Hippocrene can take the individual, but I had never seen anyone react quite as Gussie was doing. There was a sort of snap about his work that I had never witnessed before, even in Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps on New Year’s Eve.

But if you don’t fancy reading it, why not watch it in the Fry and Laurie series? Brilliant.

Sadly, some of us, adults and children, have to navigate a stressful world. If you’re looking to escape it a while, you could do worse than try these. And remember Mrs McTwig says that reading is not a test – so if you don’t like it, you don’t have to finish it. And that includes this post.

*These books occasionally use language and themes that you might find are outdated. In my view these are not reflective of the books or their intention as a whole, but it should be acknowledged.