Beth is Associate director, patient and community engagement and participation.
Harry Potter - J K Rowling
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news - Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The magic starts here.
Beth says: "I am a card-carrying member of the Harry Potter generation, and I could not take part in this without paying homage to the series. It is difficult to articulate what it has meant to me over the years – it has been part of my life since I was seven when the first book came out, and I was 17 by the time the last was published (in fact I left a friend’s birthday party early to join the queue of fans waiting to get their hands on the book at midnight!). I could try to analyse it’s merit as an adult, but I prefer not to over-analyse and hold the series in its special place in my childhood.
If I was pushed and had to choose just one book to take to the island, I would be torn between the third (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban) and the fifth (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), and I’d probably go for the latter as it’s the longer of the two to maximise my reading material!"
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
Meggie loves stories, but her father, Mo, hasn't read to her since her mother disappeared.
When a stranger knocks at their door, Mo is forced to reveal an extraordinary secret – when he reads aloud, words come alive, and dangerous characters step out of the pages.
Suddenly Meggie is living the kind of adventure she has only read about in books, but this one will change her life for ever.
Beth says: "Another firm favourite from my childhood is Inkheart, part of the trilogy of the same name (although rumour has it a fourth book is set for release). As an avid reader growing up, there was something enthralling about this book about books, and I loved escaping into the different stories contained within the story. It is interesting to reflect on the thread of storytelling through my life, from childhood to the storytelling I now encounter as a powerful tool for helping healthcare professionals understand the lived experiences of those who our services."
Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus succeeded his adoptive father as emperor of Rome in a.d. 161 and Meditations remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. With a profound understanding of human behavior, Marcus provides insights, wisdom, and practical guidance on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity to interacting with others. Consequently, the Meditations have become required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style.
Beth says: "Meditations is essentially a book of Marcus Aurelious’s notes to self on how to live well, drawn from early Stoic philosophy. His thoughts and relaying of ideas are very accessible, and it is quite incredible how relevant they still are today. I have found it enormously helpful in both my personal and professional life, especially in terms of the power of my own internal narrative and what is within my individual control, for example, “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you find strength.” I highly recommend."
Discourses - Epictetus
Epictetus, a Greek Stoic and freed slave, ran a thriving philosophy school in Nicopolis in the early second century AD. His animated discussions were celebrated for their rhetorical wizardry and were written down by Arrian, his most famous pupil. The Discourses argue that happiness lies in learning to perceive exactly what is in our power to change and what is not, and in embracing our fate to live in harmony with god and nature. In this personal, practical guide to the ethics of Stoicism and moral self-improvement, Epictetus tackles questions of freedom and imprisonment, illness and fear, family, friendship and love.
Beth says, "Reading Discourses was a game-changer for me. Another early Stoic, Epictetus’s Discourses is a series of lectures captured by his pupil. I have no background in philosophy, yet again I found this book accessible, informative, and also amusing, which I had not expected. You can sense how engaging a speaker Epictetus must have been, and I would love to have heard him lecture. I wish I could digest this book as a daily vitamin, its wisdom is like a shot in the arm, and one I keep returning to. I don’t want to diminish it into a few quotes, but those that stand out include “Don’t put your purpose in one place and expect to see progress made somewhere else” and “What are we to do then? To make the best of what lies within our power, and deal with everything else as it comes." "
Ultra-processed people - Chris van Tulleken
An eye-opening investigation into the science, economics, history and production of ultra-processed food.
It's not you, it's the food.
We have entered a new 'age of eating' where most of our calories come from an entirely novel set of substances called Ultra-Processed Food, food which is industrially processed and designed and marketed to be addictive. But do we really know what it's doing to our bodies?
Beth says, "The book is a non-judgemental introduction into the world of ultra-processed food, providing some quite astonishing evidence of how this is impacting our health and environment, exacerbating existing inequalities on an individual and global scale. Given the prevalence of diet-related disease in north east London, this is something I think we all need to take seriously – what food environment are we providing in our hospitals, how well are we catering for staff and patients that choose not to eat ultra processed food, and how can we be unbiased with industry sponsorship? The book doesn’t necessarily provide the answers, but my goodness, it certainly provides food (pun intended) for thought.
Whilst far away from ultra processed food whilst castaway on the island (although its encroachment on even the most remote communities in the world is astounding), I would appreciate even more exploring the indigenous fruits, plants, nuts and seeds!".
How not to age - Dr Michael Greger
We all want to stay healthy as we age but, with so many different claims out there, it can be hard to know the best advice to follow. In How Not to Age, Dr Michael Greger digs into the top peer-reviewed anti-aging research to deliver a complete and optimal guide with simple steps to extend your lifespan and slow the adverse effects of aging.
Beth says: "The book I have on pre-order ahead of its release in early December is How not to age by Dr Michel Greger. The book is not about anti-aging, as you might suspect from the title, rather it is about how to age healthily, avoiding common age-related illnesses. I love Dr Greger and his other books on plant-based nutrition and always recommend his website as it is not-for-profit and does all the hard work of scanning research papers and assessing the quality and independence of evidence for you!"