Bookworm Lucy Mangan
I had a big Christmas party at work – and me being me, I decided to make a fairy dress and not tell anyone until the day. It was a roaring success, but as it involved lots of pinning and cutting and trimming and pleating, I had a lot of time without the whirr of my sewing machine. In this time, I listened to a significant bulk of Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading on audible.
Lucy Mangan Bookworm
Bookworm, page 1. Also by Lucy Mangan Dedication Title Page Introduction 1. The Very Hungry Reader 2. To The Library 3. Bookworm by Lucy Mangan is a memoir of childhood reading, from her earliest memories as a small child reading ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle, to her secondary school years in the late 1980s when Judy Blume books and the Sweet Valley High series were at the height of their popularity.
If you’re curious, my dress is up on my Instagram here.
Lucy Mangan leads readers through a long distance reading journey with map, compass and excellent orienteering skills Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2018 Oh heavens, I didn’t want to get to Journey’s End, I really didn’t.
Title: Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading
Author: Lucy Mangan
Published: 2018
Format: Audiobook (Narrated by Lucy Mangan)
Length: Some Seven Hours of reminiscing fun
While I’m not usually one for memoirs, I decided to read this for two reasons. The first is that I bloody love books, the second is that I’ve met Lucy Mangan, and she’s awesome. This is a book about the stories and books Mangan read growing up in the 70s, with some hilarious commentary about the characters, authors, children of a certain age, the dark times before the internet, and the various nefarious attempts of her parents to get her to engage with the world around her (And now her attempts to convert her son with the books she adored when she was his age).
Quite simply, it’s gold. I am not sure how much of my enjoyment is derived from Lucy’s narration of her own opinions with all the derision and wit as required. It’s great. If you get a chance to listen to the audio book, I would recommend! This is the kind of memoir I can get behind – what book was I reading when x, y and z milestones were being attained?
I confess I didn’t really know that many of the picture books she seems to have adored, but I remember reading The Tiger That Came to Tea by Judith Kerr to my younger sister, and various others like Mog the cat. I laughed out loud, however, at the section devoted to pony books, and another on Enid Blyton, recalling with fond memories my own years scrambling in car boot sale boxes for the sixth Mallory Towers book, and for further adventures of the Famous Five.
The great thing about this book is that I can relate to it, and half of the humour was my humour. I too was a child that hid in spaces just big enough for myself, a book and the cat (sometimes tussles over space between me and my ever-beloved Chocolate Cat emerged but they were usually swiftly rectified). Bookworm is witty, and it is relatable and that is what makes it so enjoyable and fun to listen to.
I was one of those children that adored fantasy, and animal books, whereas Mangan seems resistant to both until her discovery of Charlotte’s Web in the prepubescent years. It’s entertaining hearing her perspective of books that I adored or slid into oblivion, and the little girl buried (not very deeply) inside me keeps raising her pigtailed head (like a baby meercat) with every book that I have read.
And I’ve picked up a few childhood books that I didn’t read as a child and was worried I would lose the magic by attempting into adulthood. However, I am perfectly baffled as to how The Phantom Tollbooth passed me by as, from Mangan’s description, it is very much a book I would have adored then and now. This, amongst others, has been added to my kindle to read as soon as is possible (which means as soon as I get home for Christmas and can curl myself up in the nearest approximation to my childhood airing cupboard – for effect you understand).
If you were also a child that repelled reality with a near constant diet of words, then I recommend this for you! The cover is also gorgeous, so if you aren’t a fan of audio, then read it by all means instead. We are, after all, bookworms.
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I am still in the thrall of Lucy’s memoir, I feel oddly bereft now it’s finished! Deezer yamaha musiccast.
Bookworm Lucy Manganiello
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Bookworm Lucy Manganese
| by Lucy Mangan
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▼Tags ▼LibraryThing Recommendations Books Read in 2018(212) » 2 more Litsy Awards 2018(109) Technotrade driver download for windows 10. Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Showing 5 of 5 It is easy to spot a bookworm at a party, they are looking for the first opportunity to slide off to a quiet room or a comfortable seat and fish their book out of their bag where they can immerse themselves in the latest fictional creations. It is not recommended to disturb them as this could be detrimental to your health, just to leave drinks in the close vicinity. And maybe some snacks. I took the news and the list to my parents. 'I'm going to need all of these,' I said gently Lucy Mangan is a complete bookworm and has been for as long as she remembers. For her, the worlds that books opened up were places of adventure and full of magic or a place of safe haven where real life seldom ventured. If she had to go out it was invariably to the library or the bookshop to acquire more reading material. They were a source of information too, a way of learning how different people reacted to different situations. The more that she read, the more that she wanted to read further; the discovery of a first book in a series would be a moment of joy as another seam of stories would be mined. As well as books for birthdays, her dad generously provided books on an almost weekly basis, introducing new authors to her. It seems like she hasn't got rid of many of these either as she has 10,000 books, yes TEN THOUSAND books at home! A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one. ― George R.R. Martin I wasn't a complete bookworm as a child like Lucy was, I read a fair amount as a child, but unlike her, did venture outside to play on bikes and climb trees. However, reading books like this means that I can trawl my memories of the books that formed a part of my formative reading experience. I had some overlap with Lucy's reading, Blyton and CS Lewis to name but two of the authors that we have both have read. I remember being forced to read some dire books at school, but memories of others came like Swallows & Amazons, Stig of the Dump, the Willard Price Adventure books, Adrian Mole and even the Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone books that began with the Warlock of Firetop Mountain. All of my reminisces about childhood books aside, if you're a book lover of any form then you will almost certainly get something from this book and that alone makes it worth reading. Do though be warned there are spoilers for some of the books she talks about and hopefully, you will look fondly back on the books of your childhood too. 3.5 stars. ( ) PDCRead | Apr 6, 2020 | Loved it! Only the lack of a proper index stopped me giving it 5 stars. More here: http://annabookbel.net/in-short-some-recent-reads( ) 1gaskella | Jul 18, 2019 | The back cover of Bookworm has a blurb by Jacqueline Wilson that includes the phrase “gloriously opinionated”. It is highly apt. Bookworms of all kinds have strong opinions about the books that shaped them, and Lucy Mangan is no exception. Being somewhat familiar with many of the books she read, I found it interesting to read how her experiences matched (or didn’t match) mine. Inevitably, there were some we differed on, and we made the leap to adult fiction at different times (I think I started at 8 or 9, with Agatha Christie; many of the teen books she talked about I didn’t bother with). But overall I enjoyed this and related a lot to the young Lucy’s mindset. The book also includes a list at the end with all of the books she discussed in each chapter. Very handy for stocking your own library if you so choose. This is recommended for people who like to chat about books they’ve loved and revisit them from a different stage of life. ( ) 1rabbitprincess | Oct 7, 2018 | I think you need to have been a childhood reader, or now love children’s literature to enjoy this book. Luckily for me I tick both boxes and as such found this a delight to read. Mangan takes a chronological approach, starting pretty much at birth and finishing in her teenage years. Her style is informal and witty – it feels as though a good friend is talking to you. Whilst she shares a fair amount of family history, often in a way that had me laughing out loud the star of the show here are the books she escaped into. On the books themselves she provides a careful mix of nostalgic recollections, analysis and in some instances historical context so that each chapter is more than a retelling of the story. I found the back stories to some of my favourites fascinating (for example the who and wherefore of the writing of the Secret Garden) and mentally cheered when I found references to books I had forgotten I loved (Topsy & Tim for example, although I was shaken to find this is now a children’s tv show!) or opinions I shared (Mangan’s thoughts on Laurie in Little Women, the occasionally problematic nature of some of Blyton’s work). I think this will most appeal to people who have a significant overlap with Mangan’s chosen favourites but even where I did not (never really understood the fascination with pony books for example) there is still plenty to enjoy. The inclusion of a detailed book list at the end is both inspired and likely to be expensive. ( ) 2itchyfeetreader | Apr 27, 2018 | An ARC from netgalley. One of those books about books that involved a lot of head nodding, both about the books and about growing up a reader in a house with siblings who Did Not Get It! Fun. Mangan talks about the finegrain detail of book memories, from which teacher read which book aloud in school to the books stocked in the local library. She also includes detail about children's book origins, although I suspect most of this will not be news to those professionally involved, was interesting to me. Mangan has spent years writing (very funny) columns and I think in places it shows here - she goes for the joke at a pace, when perhaps it isn't always needed when reading chapter by chapter instead of week by week. But I would look for my own copy of this, as it's a lovely trip down memory lane. She even includes The Summer of My German Soldier a book that broke my heart when I was about 12. I really like that she includes a list of all the books referenced at the end, very handy. ( ) 1charl08 | Mar 30, 2018 | Showing 5 of 5 ▼Published reviews ▼Common Knowledge
References to this work on external resources. Wikipedia in EnglishNone A love letter to the joys of childhood reading from Wonderland to Narnia. 'Passionate, witty, informed, and gloriously opinionated' Jacqueline Wilson 'I felt like this was written just for me, and I think everyone will feel this way' Jenny Colgan 'Beautiful and moving.. It will kickstart a cascade of nostalgia for countless people' Marian Keyes When Lucy Mangan was little, stories were everything. They opened up new worlds and cast light on all the complexities she encountered in this one. She was whisked away to Narnia - and Kirrin Island - and Wonderland. She ventured down rabbit holes and womble burrows into midnight gardens and chocolate factories. She wandered the countryside with Milly-Molly-Mandy, and played by the tracks with the Railway Children. With Charlotte's Web she discovered Death and with Judy Blume it was Boys. No wonder she only left the house for her weekly trip to the library or to spend her pocket money on amassing her own at home. In Bookworm, Lucy revisits her childhood reading with wit, love and gratitude. She relives our best-beloved books, their extraordinary creators, and looks at the thousand subtle ways they shape our lives. She also disinters a few forgotten treasures to inspire the next generation of bookworms and set them on their way. Lucy brings the favourite characters of our collective childhoods back to life - prompting endless re-readings, rediscoveries, and, inevitably, fierce debate - and brilliantly uses them to tell her own story, that of a born, and unrepentant, bookworm. No library descriptions found. ▼LibraryThing members' description
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