Desert Island Books...

Image Courtesy of: Arvind Balaraman / Free Digital Photos

Another fantastic desert island book selection for you, courtesy of Assistant Librarian Alison Evans who works at our Swansea Business School library.

The 4 books I’d take with me.  I may have cheated a bit here, by listing book series rather than books - but come on, just FOUR books …??! 

.   Wolf Hall / Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel.  Un-put-downable books by one of my favourite authors - will also remind me of some of the best productions I have seen on stage.

.   The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson.  Not that I probably need it, as I am just about word perfect - with voices!  I have read this book aloud at bedtime many, many times.  It will bring back happy memories.

.   The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams.  To remind me of the absolute madness of the world I have left behind.

.   Hmmmm  …  the last one will have to be something that will keep me occupied for a long stretch of time.  So, it’s probably got to be The Hobbit / The Lord of the Rings / The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien.  It would probably take me something equivalent to a Middlearth Age to work out all the complicated mythology …!

The character I would bring to life:

No question - the clever mouse from The Gruffalo.  He would be excellent company and so wily that he would know lots of ways to keep us well fed, safe and happy …

My luxury item:

Ice cream to keep us cool – vanilla flavour, not owl …

The book I would bring back:

The Gruffalo, of course.

As seen on screen

You might have spotted our tweet and Facebook post on Monday when we recommended Ang Lee’s new film Life of Pi and let you know that the novel is available for you to borrow at Townhill Library. That got us thinking about some of the other books on our shelves that have made their way to the big screen.

Great Expectations and The Hobbit are two lavish productions that I’m sure lots of us are looking forward to seeing this festive period. Both films are adapted from wonderful novels which are well worth a read (though it’s worth noting that Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit is the first in a trilogy, so you’ll have to decide whether you want to read the book and find out how it all ends before or after you’ve seen all the films!). As for Great Expectations, well, you’ve got to have a bit of Dickens at Christmas, haven’t you? I’m looking forward to seeing Helena Bonham-Carter’s interpretation of Miss Havisham!

Speaking of Dickens, it’s been a while since the last big screen adaptation was released, but A Christmas Carol is always a firm favourite at this time of year. There are sure to be lots of versions popping up on the TV over the next few weeks (A Muppet Christmas Carol is surely the best!), but it’s well worth going back to the source. The spooky tale of Scrooge’s redemption is available in Townhill Library, along with some of Dickens’ lesser known Christmas stories.

 

The due dates for our ordinary and weekly loans have already gone over to next term, so if you stock up on your Christmas reading this week, you can keep the books until the 10th January! (Two-day and overnight loans will still be due back this term, so keep an eye on those!)