Reading Suggestions

The list below contains mostly short stories, so that nothing needs to be remembered from one reading session to the next, because remembering can be very hard when affected by cancer fog or fatigue! The list also contains some Australian yarns, narrative non-fiction (also stories, but they happen to be true), quality children’s stories (studies show that adults still enjoy these) and a tiny bit of poetry. Some of these items are contemporary; while others are older, and they use an older style of language which can be beautiful to read aloud and listen to (e.g. Saki’s ‘The Mouse’), or they can be hilarious (e.g. the radio-play style of Wodehouse’s ‘Mulliner’s Buck-U-Uppo’). However, we are all unique individuals, and what appeals to one person may not appeal to another. Likewise, senses of humour are varied. For instance, I laughed uproariously while reading Gleitzman’s ‘Bits of an Autobiography I May Not Write’, yet another person kept a straight face … so in that instance, I seamlessly switched to another story that I thought they would enjoy more. The key is to choose something to read that you’re fairly confident will be enjoyed, but also have an alternative tucked into your bag.