Tanith Davenport's Blog, page 15

Best biography or autobiography

 This topic from Long and Short Reviews was an interesting one, because I love biographies and autobiographies. Warwick Davis, Burt Reynolds, Agatha Christie, the Bronte sisters... I'll read pretty much anybody. Which is why I had to narrow it down to two favourites, in the end, as I couldn't stick to just one.

The first is The Brontes by Juliet Barker. It's thorough (this book will last you for ages), it's up to date and it deals with all of the Bronte family, as opposed to a number of biographies which only deal with one sister at a time and often get confused over who is doing what.

And the second? Gavin Maxwell: A Life by Douglas Botting.

I actually read this one before I even knew who Gavin Maxwell was, just because I saw on the back that he had worked with Terry Nutkins. He was a fascinating, if flawed, man and this is an excellent take on him written by one of his good friends.

So which is your favourite biography or autobiography?

A person who inspires me

 This topic from Long and Short Reviews was surprisingly easy. As a writer myself I'm inspired by other writers, and one in particular has been a shining light for me since I was a teenager.

Anne Bronte.

Despite her novel Agnes Grey being overshadowed by her sisters' more dramatic novels, she achieved great success with The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, a fact that is often forgotten since Charlotte Bronte blocked publication of it for years after Anne's death. Her purpose was reform, not drama, although sadly her attempts to reform the situation of governesses and of women trapped in abusive marriages weren't appreciated during her lifetime.

For this reason I was very proud when I was given the chance to work on the Clandestine Classic version of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I enjoyed the challenge of matching my writing style to Anne's and adding sections which would fit into the story. While I highly doubt this had any bearing on Anne's more recent rise in the public's estimations - there are many Bronte historians to thank for that - I'm still thrilled to have my name next to hers.

So who inspires you?

A Person who inspires me

 This topic from Long and Short Reviews was surprisingly easy. As a writer myself I'm inspired by other writers, and one in particular has been a shining light for me since I was a teenager.

Anne Bronte.

Despite her novel Agnes Grey being overshadowed by her sisters' more dramatic novels, she achieved great success with The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, a fact that is often forgotten since Charlotte Bronte blocked publication of it for years after Anne's death. Her purpose was reform, not drama, although sadly her attempts to reform the situation of governesses and of women trapped in abusive marriages weren't appreciated during her lifetime.

For this reason I was very proud when I was given the chance to work on the Clandestine Classic version of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I enjoyed the challenge of matching my writing style to Anne's and adding sections which would fit into the story. While I highly doubt this had any bearing on Anne's more recent rise in the public's estimations - there are many Bronte historians to thank for that - I'm still thrilled to have my name next to hers.

So who inspires you?

Saddest book I've ever read

 I'm going to open this particular Long and Short Reviews topic by saying that I am not a person who cries over books. Hell, I'm not really a person who cries over films either. I am definitely not someone who seeks out weepy books or films (and have never read Nicholas Sparks for that reason).

So the book I eventually came up with for this topic?

The Virgin Suicides.

As you can probably gather from a title like that, it has a lot of teenage angst and, yes, suicides, but it is beautifully written and manages to avoid the tacky shock value that it could otherwise have had.

I didn't cry over it, but I did find it moving, and that's about as far as I go.

So what's the saddest book you've ever read?

The best parts of each season

 This topic from Long and Short Reviews was easy in some parts and difficult in others.

My favourite season is winter. Why? Simple - Christmas. I love everything about it - dark nights lit with fairy lights, mulled wine at the German market, exchanging presents and having dinner with family. Who know, we might even get to do that this year.

Autumn, though, was a tough one. I don't like much about it - it's cold, damp and grey. However, it does contain one benefit - my birthday.

Which is always a bonus. (No, I don't know how they did that design either.)

For summer the best thing for me is holidays.

That one was taken on Capri, but it looks as though this year will be Scotland and the Lake District. No bad thing, the UK has some beautiful areas and the Lakes and Highlands are definitely included.

And spring? I couldn't find a photo of it, but a couple of years ago we went to Alnwick Castle to see the cherry blossoms, which come out around the end of April. If you're in the UK around that time I would recommend it - I love seeing the blossoms come out and they make a spectacular display at Alnwick, with swing seats to sit in under the trees.

So what are your favourite parts of each season?

The best gift I ever received

 I had to think back for this topic from Long and Short Reviews. What counts as the best gift? 

Best as a child was probably the keyboard-synthesiser my parents got me when I was 14. I never did learn to play it properly, but I was never off the thing.

Most expensive would be either the opal earrings my dad got me for my 18th birthday or the honeymoon in Portugal my mother paid for.

However, in terms of being most special, it would have to be this:

My husband commissioned one of his friends, who is an artist, to paint this for our wedding anniversary. It's exactly the sort of thing I like - I love beach scenes - and it's absolutely beautiful. The photo probably doesn't do it justice, but it's still the best piece of artwork I have - and I have a lot now.

So what's the best gift you ever received?

My favourite book and how I'd cast it for a movie

 I've decided to go a little off-piste for this topic from Long and Short Reviews, as I was struggling to think of a favourite book of mine that hasn't already been made into a film. My automatic response when I like a film is to check out the book. So I decided to do this with my favourite of my own books, because I would love to be able to cast it for a film.

Photograph has one particular trick in that the two heroines are fraternal twin sisters - as written, Tara and Azure are facially identical but have opposite colouring. As a result, I would prefer to cast one actress in a dual role and have her wear wigs and coloured contact lenses. My favourite actress for this role would be , who I've loved in every film I've seen her in.

For Tara's love interest Ryan, I would cast . Ryan is American, but I'm pretty sure Taron Egerton could manage an accent. I loved him in the Kingsman films and also Rocketman.

For one of the side characters, Tara's roommate Kiki, I always saw . She's possibly a little old for the role now but I don't believe I ever stated Kiki's age, so I don't think that would matter.

The most difficult character to cast would be Liam, Azure's husband, who is a celebrity theme park owner and was originally inspired by Gene Wilder's performance as Willy Wonka. I eventually settled on . He's very good at playing genius characters.

So which book would you like to cast for a movie?

My fantasy vacation

 I'm currently on leave from work and just back from a short holiday, so this topic from Long and Short Reviews was quite appropriate. However, in our case we're just back from the Scottish Highlands. It was a lovely few days, but certainly not fantasy level.

My fantasy holiday? A driving tour of America, taking in New York City. Niagara Falls, Route 66, the Grand Canyon and everything in between.

I've always been fascinated by the USA. As a teenager I fully intended to emigrate and become a citizen as soon as I finished university, and I memorised as much information as possible in service of that process (state capitals, presidents and so on). However, life happened and I never went, and since I couldn't do without the NHS I'm never going to move there now. But I still love the place, and would love to do a driving tour - or maybe a fly-drive, as there are a lot of wide open spaces in the middle of the USA.

If I did drive the whole way, it would be in a pink Cadillac Eldorado. Just because.

So what would be your fantasy vacation?

My favourite indulgence

 I really had to think about this topic from Long and Short Reviews, because the timing isn't ideal - I have just started a WW diet, and while it's going well (lost a stone already) I've had to cut back on basically every indulgence known to man. I haven't even eaten cheese for three weeks, and coming from me, that's something.

There are, of course, low-calorie versions of a lot of things, but it's often a balance between saving the points and enjoying the food. Low-calorie bread tastes like cardboard to me, so I would rather just use the points and have real bread. As for low-calorie wine, forget it.

However, I have discovered one indulgence I can still have - low-fat chocolate ice-cream.

There are a few companies like Halo Top and Oppo that do great ice-cream, so I've been keeping a tub of chocolate fudge brownie in my freezer for those days when nothing else will do. It's not quite up to the level of Phish Food, but it tastes amazing.

So what's your favourite indulgence!

Fictional character I'd love to meet and why

 After a break last week due to being away, I've picked up this topic from Long and Short Reviews and, just for a change, I had an idea straight away.

I've been very into reading Kazuo Ishiguro lately. His novels have a contemplative air which somehow draws the reader even when you realise that very little action has taken place. I read "Never Let Me Go" some years ago and "Klara and the Sun" just recently, so after that I took up "The Remains of the Day".

For which reason I've decided that I would like to meet Mr Stevens, the famed butler.

Why? The central point of the novel is that Stevens has dedicated his entire life to serving as a butler, never allowing any time for a personal life, and as he grows old he goes on a journey and starts wanting to enjoy what is left of his days. So I would like to follow Stevens on his journey and introduce him to a few places and life experiences he hasn't known. Frankly, given how limited his life has been, even taking him on a tour of the UK would be an adventure for him.

So which fictional character would you like to meet?