by Christine Swan

I have commuted for a number of years and during these, USB charging points have become commonplace on the trains on my route. Some commuters travel glued to their phones and traverse the miles watching Netflix or playing games. I recently started looking for other travellers who, like me, choose to settle down with a good book. Happily, I think it is on the increase.

I don’t know why I haven’t really noticed before but, it seems to me that there has been an increase in people reading conventional books.

Book worms are real – and they devour books! By Lieven – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41062299

I love to lose myself in books. I picture the scene described, the characters, their clothes and features, so that they become real figures in my mind. To me, there is great pleasure in reading. When I was a child, I acquired or was given a second hand copy of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. They captivated me and every time I read, the richly illustrated pages came alive in fantastical detail, drawing me in to read more. The Little Mermaid, so smitten that she gave up her voice for love and a pair of human legs, the ugly duckling who was a victim of relentless bullying before becoming a swan, and the emperor tricked into walking naked through the city believing that he was wearing the finest garments. These stories were the product of an incredible imagination. I could not wait to find an opportunity to get back to my book and continue reading.

The Little Mermaid By Edmund Dulac – Gutenberg.org: Stories from Hans Andersen, with illustrations by w:Edmund Dulac, London, w:Hodder & Stoughton, Ltd., 1911., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143476527

After I began secondary school, I was introduced to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Dickens. I was particularly drawn to these authors even though we read the works of more recent authors too. As an adult, I have continued to love to read to escape into a different world, not always a better one, or one without a degree of peril. My O Level set text was Dickens’ Great Expectations. From Pip’s first meeting with Magwitch, the die is cast. Miss Haversham’s macabre surroundings and sinister intentions coupled with Estella’s coldness highlight Pip’s vulnerability. The descriptive passages are shocking but so compelling that you have to read more. Wemmick and the Aged P. provide some light relief with the charming details such as their castle home, complete with drawbridge and rooftop cannon.

Break his heart! Miss Havisham, Estella and Pip at Satis House – By H. M. Brock – http://victorianweb.org/art/illustration/brock/2.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4275286

I still read Dickens. I am currently working through Little Dorrit, after discovering my own Southwark heritage with attendant poverty and debt. I look forward to settling into my train seat and virtually walking through the Marshalsea Prison gate and feeling Amy Dorrit’s desperate dilemmas. I recently walked along the old Marshalsea wall and imagined Amy flitting in and out of the gate with her needlework basket and poor clothes.

Little Dorrit, Amy Dorrit leaving the Marshalsea, by Phiz

So what is the point of my post? I am a committed book worm but what prompted me to write was the realisation that many other commuters feel the same. In the days of audio books, mobile phones, iPads and Kindles, my informal research concludes that paper is still king.

Another trip, another book. One of my charity bargain buys which was an enjoyable read.

Looking around my train carriage yesterday, I spotted three book worms in my little section. I walked to a school and saw a young woman wearing headphones walking along a pavement totally engrossed in a book. Last weekend I attended the Cheltenham Literature Festival – a celebration of all things bookish. The auditorium, bookshop and signing queues were a testament to the enduring popularity of books.

A book with a view

My low-risk book investment occurs annually at my local wildlife hospital open day. A second hand book stall allows me to try different authors and test drive their books. Two years ago, I bought a Jackie Collins novel. It was not a good fit. I found that I disliked every single one of the characters and was irritated by the storyline. My small investment did not go to waste as I passed on these books to other book worms in my workplace. Fortunately, they informed me in my coffee-queue wait, that they had thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

A book with breakfast on the train

So here’s to the book worms – they don’t need the charging points, headphones or screens. We can rely on our imagination to create the magic. We can help charities through our book habit and entertain our friends by sharing them around. We don’t make a noise or disturb fellow passengers, all we need is a place to sit and read. But be warned, the book worms are everywhere – and they are multiplying!