Or some recommendations from my decades

I said in last weeks newsletter that this week I’d recommend some books. I’ve been trying to think of the best way to do this and to be honest I don’t think a big long list of books is the way to go. This newsletter has a focus around fifty things, but fifty book recommendations? Well I can do that but would you want to read that? So instead what I’ve opted for is a couple or so books recommended from each decade of my fifty years. I suspect your mileage will vary depending on where you sit in the spectrum of those decades and of course your experiences may vary and there would be books you would recommend that are from the same decades of your lifetime but a different era e.g. there was no Harry Potter when I was a lad.

So here goes:

Years 0 to 10

This is a bit difficult as really I think I’m channelling the years 8 to 10 rather than anything younger as those earlier years were full of Ladybird books and Janet and John learn to read type things. But with those caveats in mind I’m going for:

Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper. Actually anything in the ‘Dark is Rising’ sequence, but this one is the first book in the series and the first one that I read. Think Cornish treasure hunt with mystery and mythology thrown in. I still pick it up to read occasionally today and give it as a present to appropriately aged children when I get the chance.

Any of the ‘Adventure’ series by Willard Price. This are a little bit dated now, but I still have fond memories of them. I started with African Adventure but any of them are good and some are amazing.

Years 11 to 20

Alistair MacLean I probably knew Alistair MacLean more from the films made of his books. Where Eagles Dare and The Guns of Navarone were two regulars in our household and still hold fond memories today. With the books though there are other stories that stand out. Ice Station Zebra, San Andreas & Night Without End are some of my favourites.

Dick Francis A friend of mine started me on his books. Flying Finish, which I’ve recently reread is one of my favourites, but many of them are excellent thrillers, although perhaps a bit dated now.

Years 21 to 30

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton before this was a movie or even a series of movies this was a book. I remember where I was when I read it and how much I enjoyed it. I don’t think I’ve read it since, and maybe I should before recommending it now, but an author who died much to young.

Robert B Parker. His Spenser series are just great as is his Jesse Stone series. Snappy dialogue, no nonsense heroes, although some of the earlier books have some bad stereotypes they are all great stories.

Years 31 to 40

Waterlog by Roger Deakin. Yet another author who died too young but this is probably the original story of wild swimming and an amazing read. If you only read one book from this newsletter make it this one.

Henning Mankell. The author and creator of the detective Wallander, as well as some other great stories. I’m going to recommend a non Wallander novel – After the Fire – although this might technically be one that I read in the 41 to 50 bracket as most of my reading of his books during this decade of my life was his Wallander stories.

Years 41 to 50

Brothers in Arms by James Holland This only scrapes in as technically I think I read it last year or the year before, but it is an amazing piece of non fiction following the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, an armoured tank regiment from D-Day to the end of the Second World War. It’s an amazing piece of work and shows the true horrors of war. There are passages that are firmly stuck in my mind still.

Illumination in the Flatwoods by Joe Hutto The author raises a flock of wild turkeys from eggs to adults and writes about his experience of being a “turkey Dad” 24-7. Simply brilliant and an immersive experience that really captures what it was like.

It addition to the above I recently recommended some books to my friend who was starting out on his journey of book writing. Some of the above were amongst the books I recommended to him, the rest are below.

Stephen King – “On Writing”

John McPhee “Draft No. 4”

Pretty much anything by Patrick Leigh Fermor

Anything by Horatio Clare but in particular “A Single Swallow”

Anything by Roger Deakin but in particular “Waterlog”

Anything by Robert Macfarlane but in particular “The Wild Places” & “The Old Ways”

Richard Nelson “The Island Within”

Pete Fromm “Indian Creek Chronicles”

Philip Connors “Fire Season”

Edward Abbey “Desert Solitaire”

Anything by Craig Childs but in particular “The Animal Dialogues”

Anything by Joe Hutto but in particular “Illumination in the Flatwoods”

If you do decide to check out any of these recommendations, I’d be interested to hear how you got on. I realise that not everyone will like the same books you do but also having someone recommend a book can often open up a gateway of new experiences.

Thanks for reading.