The Loss of Some Detail by Mandi Martin

I have so many books I adore that it’s not easy to pick just five but here are the first that spring to mind!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I have lost count how many times I have read this novel and how many copies I have gotten through due to this.

The story contains all the elements I love in a novel. Emotions, good and bad, beautifully painted and haunting scenery and characters that are relatable. 

Cathy and Heathcliff are both captivating and disagreeable at the same time, their clash of personalities making them addicting to read about, accompanied by the images of wild moors and ghostly mists. 

Every time I read this I see something new, something I love in any book.

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
I am very fond of gothic literature and this book was a real treat. Without being disparaging I struggle to find modern works that have the same flow and imagery as the old masters but Susan Hill replicated this in The Woman in Black.

A proper, haunting ghost story that really sent shivers down my spine. I made the fatal error of reading it before I went to bed and every creak woke me up, a mistake I won’t repeat quickly!

She manages to create a vision I can like to M.R James, another author I am very fond of, crafting a horror story without copious gore but nonetheless frightening.

The Lesser Key of Solomon by Anonymous 
This one is a bit different. I think people can tell I enjoy the supernatural and take also encompasses the ‘true’ tales also.

This is an anonymous book on the subject of demonology, divided into five parts. 

The part that intrigues me the most is the Ars Goetia which details the names and symbols of seventy two different demons. I actually find I sometimes get inspiration from reading about such creatures and I just find it very interesting, not much more I can add!

The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
A semi-autobiographic novel by an Irish house painter and sign writer this book creates a picture of social, political and economic Britain at the time socialism was beginning to gain ground.  

It is a moving account of the hardships workers faced when they had little to no rights, literally working themselves to death in the hope of enough money to keep a roof over their heads. A picture of a harsh reality and class divide that was not really too long ago.

Even though times have changed and the working class have more rights it still rings very true today and inspires me to do more in the hope of helping others and also reminds me how fortunate we are even though there is still work to be done. 

The characters are relatable and both likeable and detestable in their own rights and both they and the story narrated create so many emotions. That is one of many reasons I am very fond of it, a good book not only opens a new world but makes you feel also.

The Faraway Tree Series by Enid Blyton
This may seem childish and very different from the others on my list but I thought I would include it as it was one of my favourite books as a child and still is. I read it even though I am in my thirties when I feel low or unwell, an easy read and a nostalgic one.

Some names and language today may be considered politically incorrect but since that was simply the way it was, we cannot sugar coat the past.

I used to have most of Enid Blyton’s books but this series always remained a firm favourite. The idea of finding a tree that led to another land, meeting unique and quirky characters sparked by imagination. I remember I used to look for tall trees and wonder if they really reached the clouds and if indeed something wonderful, or not so wonderful, was hidden in the furthest boughs.

I never did find a big enough tree, but that never stopped me searching and pretending, and the everlasting child in me still would like to discover it!