As a child I read voraciously – Enid Blyton (there was nothing I wanted more as a child than to go to boarding school and drink ginger beer. I finally got to experience the latter for the first time last year and it was AMAZING! I knew it’d be wonderful), Roald Dahl, CS Lewis, Aesop’s Fables, Grimms’ Fairytales, and on and on and on. I had my favourite spots: the bath (with no water; I used to sit there fully dressed) and the airing cupboard - or 'hot press' in Ireland - which was ideal, being toasty-warm and furnished with a nice, bright lightbulb. I read all the time; there was no stopping me. Later on, I discovered the hapless Adrian Mole, and as a teenager, my tastes were directed more towards the Great Love Stories, such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights (of course). I also went through a phase of being obsessed with Anne Rice and her vampire chronicles (I was one of those fans who nearly had a seizure when Tom Cruise was chosen to be Lestat in the film version of Interview with the Vampire. Although he was quite good in it). In university I became somewhat politicized, ploughing through No Logo by Naomi Klein and Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, books which probably helped to shape my leftie leanings. I also adored crime and detective fiction, including Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Patricia Cornwall, and Dick Francis. Funnily, I don't read that genre at all now, for whatever reason... maybe I just exhausted my appetite for murder most foul! As I get older I find I want to read ‘cheerful’ books. Although, saying that, I’m just coming to the end of One Day by David Nicholls, and I’m probably the only person in the entire universe who didn’t enjoy it at all until the exciting bit at the end. There must be something wrong with me.
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Even though I have “officially” hung up my lab-coat, I will always think of myself as a scientist. It is one of my defining characteristics, like being rubbish at all forms of DIY, and having brown hair. But I didn’t intend to be a scientist – it’s just how it turned out. In fact, way back in the day, when I was 16 years old and applying for university courses, my first choice was English and Psychology. Up until the very last minute, this was my first choice. Then, something came over me and I switched to do a Science degree, to everyone’s surprise, not least of all my own. And thus, I became a scientist.
I attended a very interesting panel discussion yesterday, entitled ‘All the World’s a Page’, in Anglia Ruskin University. The panel consisted of a broad mix of writers, publishers, and editors, who offered their viewpoints on the crisis facing the publishing industry regarding digitization of the written word (with some help from members of the audience). The striking take-home message was surprisingly upbeat: content is all, and the medium of delivery is largely irrelevant. Technology is developing at such a pace that it is impossible to predict what is going to happen next. People are always scared of the unknown; we’re creatures of routine and familiarity, and we are easily threatened. The major fears, of course, are that the printed word will cease to exist, and anyone will be able to digitally publish whatever they please, with no peer-review or filter. First of all, I don’t think the printed word will disappear at all, as human beings have a strong attachment to physical objects. We like the sensory aspects of books: holding them, smelling them, piling them onto bookshelves to advertise who we are. I find it hard to believe that temporary files on a computer can fulfill the same sensory needs. Human beings have an emotional attachment to the tactile properties of ‘things’ – it’s just the way our brains are wired (trust me, I’m a neuroscientist… there have been studies!). We’re sentimental collectors, and we use our collections to say something about ourselves – for example, when you visit someone’s home for the first time, it’s normal to have a quick look in their bookcase to see what their tastes are, in order to get some insight into WHO they are. Regarding the second fear, that a ferocious amount of drivel will ensue if self-publication is unfettered, one of the panellists made the valid point that even with the current system in place there are many, many published books that could be considered kind of rubbish (to be quite blunt).
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About my blog
Really, it contains a little bit of everything, from a celebration of science and the English language to the joys of travel and the Shipping Forecast. The title ('Meanderings') is a fairly accurate description of its content: I write about different things as the mood takes me, but hopefully there's something in here for everyone... Categories
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March 2021
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And on another note... |
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