LIFE UNDER THE STAIRS

By Jane Stevenson

Good Day All

After many years of not bothering, I’ve begun to buy the occasional morning paper. My journal of choice is the ‘I’. Cheap and factual with little of the celebrity news and gossip which fills some of its competitors’ pages.

It helps me keep in touch with what’s going on in the wider world, and offers an alternative view to the BBC which is my main source of information. It’s good to have pages to turn.

My mum and dad swore by the Daily Mail; delivered every morning for many years with dad always having first dibs on reading it. I read it because they did and it was only when I began working I took stock of other papers and periodicals. Having just started work in London, I came home one evening with a copy of the Guardian (I liked its arts coverage). Sniffily referred to as ‘that artsy fartsy rag’ it became my go to paper almost as an act of rebellion.

I’ve tried them all, some still around and many now defunct or online only. Whenever I got to collect a takeaway, there is usually a four-day old copy of The Sun lying around. It passes a few minutes. The Daily Star is a laugh and The Times beautifully pompous. I’ve given up on the Sundays – I’m not strong enough to lug them and the inserts home!

Covid resulted in most community places removing reading material from the premises. Gone are the days when I could browse old copies of the Readers Digest at the dentist or Home and Gardens at the doctors’ surgery. Newspapers in most coffee shops are no longer on offer either. It is pleasing to see that copies of Dartford Living and other community magazines are still available to read, and indeed hard copies can be obtained from various outlets around town.

My reading took a dive generally after university where studying the literary giants was called for. No matter how many times I’ve tried, I cannot appreciate Virginia Woolf or George Eliot for example. These type of books are guaranteed to bore me to tears. I was an avid reader for years, but for a period after graduating, I couldn’t settle to read a thing.

Thank goodness then for libraries, charity shops and community exchange groups. It is like reconnecting with an old friend. My local library recently obtained four books I wanted, free of charge. The local charity shops let me rebuild my collection of ‘Cadfael’ and ‘Sharpe’ adventures. The community exchange group offers many contemporary novels by well known authors. Of course, these books aren’t always in the best condition, but to my mind that shows they have been read, reread, and loved.

I have no idea as to the reading standards of students nowadays – I left education long ago. All I have is my own experience of the written word and how much enjoyment it gave me. Whether The Beano or Dandy, Jackie or Hotspur and always Look and Learn at mum’s insistence. I just hope there is access to any suitable reading material for any student of any age.

To be honest, my two kids would read anything from the back of a cereal packet, graphic novels, books, magazines or even leaflets. I’m sure it helped with their accumulation of general knowledge and gave them a good grounding for finding out things for themselves. As an aged adult, I am delighted to belong to a book club. Even if the chosen novel is something I’d never gravitate to usually, discussion with a group of keen readers is always time well spent. Over time, students have other media to interest them so I really hope there are reading initiatives planned for school holidays that will spark a desire in younger children to develop a lifelong reading habit.

To ‘live’ a book in your own imagination is a truly wonderful experience.

Take care All

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