We are drawing our Desert Island Books series to a close and have decided to give the last choices to members of the Barts Library team past and present.
Here members of the team tell us about the books they would choose to take with them and why.
Helen Alper, Associate Director of Knowledge Services
Gormenghast is the vast, crumbling castle to which the seventy-seventh Earl, Titus Groan, is lord and heir. Titus is expected to rule this gothic labyrinth of turrets and dungeons (and his eccentric and wayward subjects) according to strict age-old rituals, but things are changing in the castle. Titus must contend with treachery, manipulation and murder as well as his own longing for a life beyond the castle walls.
Helen says “I would have said Lord of the Rings but I'm sure you'd have a lot of people saying that.
So I'm going for the Gormenghast books - preferably a huge tome containing not just the trilogy but the fourth book his wife finished from his notes after his death.
Truly surreal, bizarre and wonderful. Many of the characters are grotesque - I imagine they could be in a Tim Burton movie (in fact I wonder why he never made a film of it! - Helen Bonham Carter as Fuschia and Johnny Depp as Steerpike!) The castle is a character in its own right - I love the horse galloping over the distant roof tops. I found Titus Alone less engaging but on my island I'll have time to give it another go.
If I can have a record I'd like Blue (the album) by Joni Mitchell - or S&M by Metallica (the album they did with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra)”.
Mehreen Khalid - Assistant Librarian
Two sisters on trial for murder. They accuse each other.
Who do you believe?
'911 what's your emergency?'
'My dad's dead. My sister Sofia killed him. She's still in the house. Please send help.'
'My dad's dead. My sister Alexandra killed him. She's still in the house. Please send help.'
One of them is a liar and a killer.
But which one?
Mehreen says “A cleverly written courtroom thriller with twists and turns throughout. Kept me guessing until the very end! Steve Cavangh's other books are now on my to-read list!".
Abijha Rex - Library Assistant
Around the World in Eighty Days is a classic adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, published in 1873. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a £20,000 wager (roughly £1.6 million today) set by his friends at the Reform Club.
Abijha says “This book portrays Phileas Fogg's adventure, courage and determination to travel around the world in such a short time. It also focuses on the significance of human connection which Fogg realises by the end of his journey. As Fogg makes his way across the world, the reader also gets a glimpse of the many cities around the world along with him.”
Adam Tocock, former Specialist Librarian, now Library Manager, Hillingdon Hospital
In gripping detail, London bares the savage realities of the battle for survival among all species in a harsh, unyielding environment. White Fang is part wolf, part dog, a ferocious and magnificent creature through whose experiences we see and feel essential rhythms and patterns of life in the animal kingdom and among mankind as well.
Adam says “I read it when I was a kid because it was a story about a cool wolf, and missed all the social commentary. Looking forward to another reread soon. I've loved everything I've read by Jack London actually, might have snuck his way to being my favourite novelist.”.
Hayley Clark - former Specialist Librarian now Deputy Librarian at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
New York is slipping from Cleo’s grasp. Sure, she’s at a different party every other night, but she barely knows anyone. Her student visa is running out, and she doesn’t even have money for cigarettes. But then she meets Frank. Twenty years older, Frank's life is full of all the success and excess that Cleo's lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a green card. She offers him a life imbued with beauty and art—and, hopefully, a reason to cut back on his drinking. He is everything she needs right now.
Hayley says "It is a story about a British girl who has moved to New York and looks at the way she navigates her life in her mid twenties. It is a really good read and doesn't shy away from dealing with challenging situations."