Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons by Gerald Durrell

Like many readers I'm sure, my first encounter with Gerald Durrell was with My Family and Other Animals which I read many years ago. Just recently I stumbled across this copy of Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons and was drawn by the eye-catching cover (illustrated by Edward Mortelmans) and the curious title - pink pigeons, really?



So. Yes. To answer the most important question; there is indeed such a thing as a pink pigeon - and you'll have to take a trip to Mauritius if you'd like to see one... oh, okay - or Jersey zoo (wildlife park).

Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons is Gerald Durrell's account of his first sustained overseas conservation efforts for his animal sanctuary in Jersey; his expeditions to Mauritius to help prevent the extinction of several threatened species. His companions for the trips were his assistant John and secretary Ann and the secondary aim of the trip was to discuss a new captive breeding programme with the Mauritian Government whereby the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust offered a scholarship scheme for students to train with them over in Jersey and then return to their native countries to set up their own captive breeding programmes; thus ensuring the survival of a number of endangered species. Reading Golden Bats has reminded me what a ground-breaking conservationist Gerald Durrell really was. I had no idea quite how much work and dedication went into finding and capturing these birds and animals, so that they could learn from them and breed from them in captivity. Just read Durrell's descriptions of the team's visits to the extremely inhospitable Round Island for a true taste of commitment to one's work. Steep rocky screes, scorching unremitting sun, a boat landing to make even an intrepid explorer nervous; not to mention his side-splitting account of camping in the middle of a colony of Shearwaters.

Durrell writes superbly; succintly and with enough wit and humour to make conservation accessible and interesting to everyone. His descriptions make the habitat and the animals leap off the page, lifelike. I love this description of his first encounter with a Jak fruit, an essential weapon in the arsenal for bat-catching:

"What was revealed when the swaddling clothes were stripped away, was an obscene green fruit covered with knobs and looking rather like the corpse of a Martian baby. To help the illusion, there arose from it a thick, sweetish, very pungent smell, vaguely reminiscent of a putrefying body."

Although Durrell described himself as a naturalist first, writer second, his writing is accessible, fun and entertaining and I'm going to enjoy exploring some of his other books. There are loads to choose from. Here's my shortlist of titles that take my fancy:  The Drunken Forest, Menagerie Manor, The Aye-Aye and I, Fillets of Plaice, Catch me a Colobus, A Zoo in my Luggage... those should get me started. Mauritius may be a little beyond my means, but I am inspired to take another little trip to Jersey and this time visit the wildlife park. Camping there looks fun (and luxurious) too.

Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver

(Puffin, 2012)

A Greek Bronze Age edge-of-your-seat adventure for older children (and adults). 

I love Michelle Paver's books. Having first discovered her children's books years ago with Wolf Brother, the first title in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, I've since devoured them all and, yes, you've guessed it; I'm not a child. I can't even pretend I was child when Wolf Brother was published. Ahem. No, not even remotely. Much like other good children's books, her books are for children of all ages (approx. age 9 and up). Gods and Warriors is the first of a new series, so I approached it with more than a little trepidation: "how on earth could it match up to the thrilling Neolithic stories of Torak et al.?" BUT, cast your fears aside because this book is every bit as good.

Do you ever pick up a new book at night and say to yourself, 'I'll just read a few pages before I go to bed?'. Well, there I was a few hours later still reading - I literally couldn't put this book down until I'd finished it and I'm still trying to recover those lost hours of sleep. The story doesn't stop for breath; it's so fast paced it almost turns the pages for you.

Without giving away any key moments, here's an outline. This is the story of Hylas, a boy aged 12 who we meet at the beginning of the novel, fleeing from a frightening group of black-clad warriors. His little sister has gone missing, he's lost his dog and he has no idea why these soldiers are after him but it's fairly clear they would like to see him dead. Hylas must escape and find his sister. After being turned away by the nearby villagers Hylas seeks refuge in a cave. Here his destiny meets him head on and the story takes on a sense of mystery. The young boy sets out on a path to the sea, along the way befriending the runaway rebellious daughter of a High Priestess, Pirra. A lone dolphin, Spirit, tries to help Hylas but can anything save him from the fearsome black warriors? Will he reach his sister...?

Apart from the great story, there's one other thing I love about this book: it's nicely made. I love well-produced physical books. It's a pet subject of mine. Sadly 9 times out of 10 the Americans do it better than our British publishers ever do. I've even been known to order US hardback editions of my favourite books because they are so much better made. But this time Puffin have done a good job. Good paper, striking colours, vibrant red endpapers contrasting with black page edges and a well-thought out appealing dust jacket design. All these factors make it a book I want to keep (and so I shall!). Well done Puffin. Keep up the good work with attractive physical books that we want to keep for ever and ever.

                   



Stories about Banburyshire Churches

The Saxon Princess and Her Infant Saint: Stories from the treasury of Four Shires churches by Graham Wilton

I wonder how many local residents there are out there who (like me) have little idea of the wonderful treasures sitting right on our doorstep, waiting to be discovered. This little book has opened my eyes.

The author has visited a number of churches in the villages surrounding Banbury, all shown on my map below, and also Dorchester Abbey (not included on the map as it's south of Oxford). You can tell how much I enjoyed the book - it took me ages to put the map together; that's dedication for you!

View The Saxon Princess Map in a larger map

These small parish churches have a wealth of history, architecture, beautiful stained glass windows, medieval wall paintings, Civil War history, grotesque gargoyles, 18th-century graffiti, a font dating from 1100AD, and so much more. The book is lavishly illustrated with lots of colour photos; taken on different cameras, some photos are superb, whereas others just do a good job of illustrating the text. The author has sounded out some really interesting bits of local history about each parish church.

Amongst my favourites from the book is St. Peter's at South Newington - now firmly on my list of churches to explore to see the gory Thomas a Becket wall paintings:

Another one on my must see list is St. Mary Magdalene Church at Helmdon to admire the medieval stained glass windows:

Copies of the book are just £5 (plus £2.00 P&P if required) and are available from Books & Ink Bookshop - 01295 709769

The Lighthouse by Alison Moore

The Booker judges have done a great job of selecting The Lighthouse for this year's shortlist nominations. Although first appearances suggest otherwise, there's nothing simple about this short first novel from Alison Moore.

Meet Futh; standing on a wet and blustery ferry deck on a summer's day, on his way to Germany for a solo walking holiday. Forty-something Futh, recently separated from his wife and removed from a marriage seemingly lacking in mutual love and affection, is re-visiting the country of his grandfather and the only place he holidayed with his father, at the age of twelve.

As the novel unfolds it becomes evident that adult Futh is stuck in the past of his childhood; never recovered from his mother's abrupt abandonment of he and his father more than 30 years previously. Futh carries around with him, obsessively, an antique silver perfume case in the shape of a lighthouse. It is the only memento he has of his mother. Little wonder his marriage has now gone awry as what wife can live up to the memories of a long-gone mother and a husband who is constantly making comparisons with an idolised woman?

Futh collects stick insects, he cannot stay in a room without first planning an escape route, he doesn't think to wear-in a pair of boots he expects to wear for over 100 miles of walks, his job is making synthetic perfumes, trying to re-capture his mother's scent. Socially-awkward Futh paints a disconsolate picture of a man who has never found the tools and support to face the past and move on with life.

In alternate chapters we encounter Ester's story, landlady of the small hotel in provincial small-town fictitious "Hellhaus", where Futh is to spend the first and last nights of his walking holiday. Trapped in an abusive marriage, lacking in any real affection from an obsessive, controlling husband, Ester seeks solace in sexual encounters with hotel guests. Where Futh and Ester's stories converge, leads to the catastrophic denouement of misunderstanding at the novel's close.

The novel is tightly written in symbolic and evocative prose. Effects are often hinted at rather than explicitly disclosed, adding to the novel's poignancy. As you are reading, many layers unravel and the author's understanding of the psychological make-up of her characters becomes increasingly apparent. Sad and melancholy, it's a brutal exposé of loveless dysfunctional relationships between men and women and the consequences that can arise.

I devoured this book in one sitting. It's an excellent choice for the Booker shortlist and it's refreshing to see a new author receiving the recognition she deserves. Read The Observer's recent interview with Alison Moore here. Published by independent publisher, Salt Publishing.