Books you really ought to read… & how to look the part whilst reading them, a guide by Katy Creates
I have a confession to make: I am a book-freak. Books line my walls, pile up on my floor, fall apart in my handbag, come out when I’m drunk and take up one side of my bed before the boyfriend gets home and turfs them out again. I believe in the power of books with an almost religious fervour and will happily preach to anyone within earshot about the moral fibre of proper literature and the hell and damnation of all titles to be found in the Richard & Judy Book Club or, to that end, your average university syllabus.
While not claiming to be a thorough introduction to the grand field of Modern Literature, it will serve to introduce the uninitiated student of the printed word to a wide selection of appropriate titles from across the world for their prolonged delectation.
Most of these titles will be found in your local charity shop, and so the exercise is a cheap one.
Class! Turn to page 1!
Richard and Judy: Ruining coffee tables since 2004
Hangover Square - by Patrick Hamilton
‘The world that he regarded with horror, in the dark outside the saloon bars, is not better than it was when he was writing these novels, it is if anything – worse. So I feel that there must be thousands of youngish readers who will not only appreciate his unique talent but will welcome his as a friend and a brother.’ J.B. Priestley
It’s between world wars, you’re in London, the weather’s miserable, drinking is a reason to get up in the morning and the man or woman of your dreams is driving you insane. Literally.
Hangover Square is one of my all-time favourite novels. Darkly humorous, it depicts the seedy world of George Harvey Bone. George is an unhappy, semi-alcoholic Londoner who frequents the saloon-bars of Earl’s Court. Obsessed and addicted he follows the cruel, spiteful wannabe actress Netta around like a love-sick puppy in a drunken hell. Only George isn’t your average pup. He suffers from murderous blackouts.
‘It was as though a shutter had fallen… so quick that he could only think of it as a crack or snap.’
He has no recollection of what occurs during those dark times, the only thing he becomes sure of is his desire to murder Netta. Brilliant, page-turning stuff.
What to Wear:
Inter-war chic is everywhere this autumn. If you want to dress like George or Netta the footwear is simple:
‘…he had been reminded of her by the sight of his own shoes… because the brogue of his own brown shoes was exactly the same as the brogue on the new brown shoes she had begun wearing a week ago.’
Brogues it is then - for men and women. There are loads of brogues out there of varying prices and styles, so I won’t bore you with the details. For men try charity shops and for ladies Office do some very sturdy looking pairs.
Netta is described as wearing: ‘a navy blue coat and skirt over a scarlet silk blouse’ and a ‘dark-brown knitted frock’ with a ‘red scarf.’ So we’re talking deep, dark, natural, berry colours; maroon, purple, indigo and luxurious, old-fashioned fabrics; silks, woollens and thick, cosy stockings or tights. All slightly Burberry and frightfully English. Accessorize with scarves and brooches and go full-on with the make-up. The right red-lipstick is a must for any cold-hearted 1940s seductress.
For men: George is described as wearing, ‘rather outlandish clothes, which he had always outgrown…’ Peter, a friend of the nasty Netta is less cutesy: ‘his fair, cruel face, his eccentricity of dress, his hatlessness, his check trousers and light grey sweater with polo neck – ‘sensible’ enough no doubt…’
Peter’s hatlessness infers that wearing a hat was a given for the man about town and in this weather a sturdy fedora would not go amiss. Again, a classic look. Fitted suits and tailoring in drab, military colours work well.
Frivolous or glamourous is out. Although slightly before the full-on World War Two aesthetic, this was still the era when material was scarce so don’t be a waster: ‘make-do and mend.’
Drink of Choice: is of course a double-measure Gin & Tonic.
Further Reading:
Follow it up with...
- Graham Greene – Brighton Rock; or
- Patrick Hamilton – 20, 000 Streets Under the Sky
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