One day in April 2018, I was strolling through Wymondham when a manager of Kett’s Books hastily stopped me and said, ‘I’ve read your book reviews on our website. They’re really good. We need reviews written for the local magazine and I never have time to write them – do you want the job?’ The conversation lasted about sixty seconds and then that was that. I had only come into town for a haircut and I had left with a job!
What I could not have predicted, however, is how genuinely rewarding that job would be. Being published in any form is an enormous privilege, and four years on (wow) I still remind myself of how lucky and proud I am to have had my corner of this wonderful magazine.
Life circumstances, however, mean that this will be my last time writing for the magazine as a Wymondham Sixth Former – so I thought I’d sign off with a bit of fun. The BBC Big Read was a project in 2003 to search for the Nation’s Favourite Novel. The survey results are available online. I have taken my Top 20 from the list (ie. the first twenty of those that I have in fact read myself) and given honest, bite-sized reviews of each!
Wymondham Teenager Reacts to 20 of the Nation’s Favourite Books
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I am both delighted and not surprised that this book is so popular.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - I never understood the hype for this book. Not my favourite. My only connection is that I share a birthday with the author (11th March).
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - Utterly iconic, and rightly so. Rowling’s actual literary merit was a source of much discussion in my lower school years, but ultimately these books are untouchable (with lots of humour!).
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - The Narnia series teaches timeless lessons, and they make great reading for both Christian and non-Christian readers alike.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë - A cursed classic, for most film adaptations I’ve seen have been somewhat forgettable. But as a novel, of course, Jane Eyre is fantastic.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - If this was a literary remake of Jane Eyre, it’s one of the few remakes that improved upon its source!
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - Sorry Salinger fans, but I hated this book.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - I loved this though! (I once wrote a Willows sequel for a Year 9 project where we wrote stories for primary school children. The Year 6 girl who got mine took it politely.)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - Don’t be put off by the length – skim the philosophy essays and enjoy the soap opera drama!
Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - Loving this book growing up did not make me popular with the Year 12 schoolgirls, most of whom hated it.
Middlemarch by George Eliot - One of the best English novels you will ever read.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - I couldn’t get through its sequel (Through the Looking-Glass) but the original is quite entertaining.
The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson - Dani Harmer’s CBBC incarnation of Tracy Beaker is the reason why I am obsessed with the TV show Dani’s House and still watch it as an 18-year-old (slightly embarrassing). By contrast, the original novels do seem less culturally significant.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - What is there to say? Best book ever written?
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - By contrast, this book provokes memories of unpleasant primary school lessons, so on that basis I will always avoid rereading it.
Persuasion by Jane Austen - This is surprisingly dark for a Jane Austen novel, but very effective. Possibly one for more mature readers.
Emma by Jane Austen - The only reason that this isn’t Austen’s best novel is because we have Pride and Prejudice.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Again, I must apologise here: I’m not a fan. Just watch the Baz Luhrmann film. (I don’t love that either but it’s the lesser of the two evils.)
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - I’m reading it now and it’s a page-turner! Again, don’t be put off by the length. Unlike War and Peace, this one doesn’t interrupt you with a history essay every five minutes.
Animal Farm by George Orwell - Bizarrely, I liked this less after studying it (usually it’s the reverse). I think Orwell makes brilliant points that are invaluable in our current time, but it makes for slightly depressing classroom teaching.
The BBC Big Read Poll results are available online at https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml. I look forward to writing for Wymondham Magazine in future from my new perspective as a Wymondhamer on the road.
The volunteers at local community bookshop Kett's Books will be happy to help you find any of these books, and more. https://www.kettsbooks.co.uk/
