Today I’m delighted to welcome young adult author Chantelle Atkins. Her ‘Porridge & Cream’ read is The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger.
“I first read this novel when I was fifteen years old, so around 1993/94. I discovered it when I was flat and cat sitting for my oldest sister for a weekend. Every now and then my sister and her boyfriend would have a weekend away and she would ask me to flat sit from Friday to Sunday. Of course, at this age, I absolutely jumped at the chance. I was allowed to have a friend if I wanted, but on the occasion, I started reading The Catcher In The Rye, I was alone for the entire weekend. My sister, who back then was obsessed with 1950s music and memorabilia had the coolest flat in the world. It was crammed full of retro and vintage furniture, clothes, records and books. It was a treasure chest full of goodies. 
“That weekend, browsing her bookshelves, I discovered so many intriguing old books. I started reading The Catcher In The Rye [above] and could not put it down. It’s fair to say I fell completely and utterly in love. I have been in love with it ever since and have read it countless times at various stages in my life. I get something new from it every time I read it. I would say I re-read it every couple of years, mostly out of love, but also familiarity and curiosity. What else will I get from it, if I read it again? The one thing that draws me to it is the character, and I have always been drawn to character-driven books. I think this was the first one I ever really came across, where not much happened in terms of plot, but it had a character I would never forget and always feel a connection to.
“If I was to describe it as an elevator pitch, I think I would say: This classic coming-of-age story follows the exploits of a teenage runaway trying to find some meaning in life and some authenticity in the people he meets.”
Amazon
Chantelle Atkins’ Bio
Chantelle Atkins was born and raised in Dorset, England and still resides there now with her husband, four children and multiple pets. She is addicted to reading, writing and music and writes for both the young adult and adult genres. Her fiction is described as gritty, edgy and compelling. Her debut young adult novel The Mess Of Me deals with eating disorders, self-harm, fractured families and first love. Her second novel, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side, follows the musical journey of a young boy attempting to escape his brutal home life and has now been developed into a 6 book series. She is also the author of This Is Nowhere and award-winning dystopian, The Tree Of Rebels, plus a collection of short stories related to her novels called Bird People and Other Stories. Her next book Elliot Pie’s Guide To Human Nature was released through Pict Publishing in October 2018. She writes for Author’s Publish magazine.
Chantelle Atkins’ links
Website/blog
Facebook
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Chantelle Atkins’ latest book
One boy’s mission to find the good in people. Twelve-year-old Elliot Pie lives a solitary life with his agoraphobic mother. He is desperate to help her and he also wants to find out what happened to his Uncle Liam, who walked out one night leaving his dog and his car in the back garden. While his mother sinks further into the darkness, Elliot finds comfort in people-watching. He is determined to prove to her that good people still exist and when a stranger is kind to him one day, a plan is hatched. A plan to save his mother. A plan that might help him find Uncle Liam. Elliot’s collection of strangers all have stories to tell about human nature, but is he placing his trust in the wrong people? Or is the real danger closer to home?
Amazon
What is a ‘Porridge & Cream’ book? It’s the book you turn to when you need a familiar read, when you are tired, ill, or out-of-sorts, where you know the story and love it. Where reading it is like slipping on your oldest, scruffiest slippers after walking for miles. Where does the name ‘Porridge & Cream’ come from? Cat Deerborn is a character in Susan Hill’s ‘Simon Serrailler’ detective series. Cat is a hard-worked GP, a widow with two children and she struggles from day-to-day. One night, after a particularly difficult day, she needs something familiar to read. From her bookshelf she selects ‘Love in A Cold Climate’ by Nancy Mitford. Do you have a favourite read which you return to again and again? If so, please send me a message.
Discover the ‘Porridge & Cream’ books of these authors:-
Helen J Christmas chooses ‘Camellia’ by Lesley Pearse
Rosie Dean’s choice is ‘Prudence’by Jilly Cooper
‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ by Philip K Dick is chosen by Lisa Devaney
And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
Why does #YA author @Chanatkins re-read THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by JD Salinger? #books https://wp.me/p5gEM4-3KQ via @SandraDanby
“The Prince of Tides has the power to transport the reader from the very first line.
It has taken conviction to right the wrongs.
“I have read and re read these books throughout my life. In particular, when life has been difficult; after weeks of sleepless nights with babies; when my parents were very ill; when I had to stop work because life temporarily overwhelmed me. Gosh, as I write that list it makes me realise how important this ‘porridge and cream’ book has been for me!
Behind the Smile is the story of Lowri , who, alone and pregnant, agrees to ‘settle’ with estranged husband, Jack, and move to idyllic village the Isle of Wight. She is befriended by Heather, the popular café owner and Carina, the beautiful Italian wife of the owner of Elmstone manor. Both appear to Lowri to have perfect lives. However, Lowri slowly discovers that, behind the smiles, lie secrets, addiction and an obsession which threatens to destroy them all.
What is a ‘Porridge & Cream’ book? It’s the book you turn to when you need a familiar read, when you are tired, ill, or out-of-sorts, where you know the story and love it. Where reading it is like slipping on your oldest, scruffiest slippers after walking for miles. Where does the name ‘Porridge & Cream’ come from? Cat Deerborn is a character in Susan Hill’s ‘Simon Serrailler’ detective series. Cat is a hard-worked GP, a widow with two children and she struggles from day-to-day. One night, after a particularly difficult day, she needs something familiar to read. From her bookshelf she selects ‘
England, 1813 Greed, deception and lust. Miss Eloise Camarthon is no ordinary debutante, she wants to live her life on her own terms. But Eloise is wealthy in her own right and a target for those with her fortune in their sights. Benedict Warrington, the Earl of Rothsea, has come to London in search of answers to a family tragedy. He meets the beguiling Eloise, and a dangerous chain of events is set in motion. Circumstances force an ultimatum, which threatens to change the course of Eloise’s future. Benedict is on the trail of a vicious murderer but finds more than he bargained for as the deaths mount up. Can he protect Eloise, or will one of them be the killer’s next victim?
It’s AD 190. Romano-Briton Lucretia is determined that her get-rich-quick scheme will not be undermined by minor things like her husband’s death, dubious imposters or her married daughter’s fascination with a celebrity gladiator. But when the deaths start to mount up, wise-woman Tryssa starts to ask awkward questions.
“I have had many copies of the book over the years but this one [above] is my favourite as it contains all three books in the series. Part of its enduring appeal for me is the characters who are all just flawed enough to make them endearingly frail and human. My favourite character is Jo who is unruly and tempestuous and rails against the confines of poverty and the expectation that women should conform to the domestic role expected of them rather than pursue any ambitions of their own. There is also a small broken piece of my heart that will forever be in thrall to Beth who shows just how much a small life can matter and influence those around it.
Each murder brings him one step closer to the perfect death. Ex-priest, DI Farrell is called on to investigate a gruesome death in rural Scotland. All evidence points to suicide, except for one loose end: every light in the cottage was switched off. Why would he kill himself in the dark?
“When I feel I haven’t had a book grab me in a while, or if I’m in a reading slump, I turn to this book, which is normally about once a year or more if I need it. One thing that draws me back to the book is the emotions in the book and how they have changed as I grew. What I take from the book and how I relate to the characters has changed over the years, it is a brand new book every time I read it. When I first read it I identified with Mark, the main character, but as now that I have my own family I identify with his mum and his lawyer.
Bronagh seems to have it all; her own flat, a fantastic new job as a party planner and a blossoming romance with long-term friend, Max. Little does she know that someone is plotting to take everything away from her.
“I first read it when I was about fifteen. I have always loved westerns, but this is probably the best western I have ever read. I bought it because I like the author’s style and stories. He is above all a great storyteller. I bought it in the winter and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a great sense of ‘place’ with writing truly evocative of a cold, frozen climate. I read it every winter and never tire of it. It would in reality be strange to read it in the summer.
The plot: “King Mabry, an aging gunfighter and cattleman, is travelling to Cheyenne across frozen wastes and is being hunted for what he knows and the gold he is carrying. Thwarting his pursuer, he comes across a troupe of players (being led astray by outlaws), he is attracted to one of troupe and returning to help against his better judgement, tracks them and tries to help. Wounded, he is aided by one of the troupe who escapes. Travelling together they fight Indians, the weather and finally the outlaws in a tense action filled showdown. It is a perfect story of relationships, growth of spirit, survival and romance.”
Rupert Brett is back and it is 1995, with the property markets raging and the Sub-Prime madness just beginning. The Irish Sea, a shipment of drugs is intercepted, the IRA lose the cocaine and their most feared enforcer, Tir Brennan, is captured. Deauville, a wealthy French aristocrat has a terrible accident with far reaching consequences. Bogota, the head of the old drug cartels is dead and Ballesteros is now running new routes to the US and beyond. The events are all linked and somehow drugs are being smuggled with impunity across the globe. With a source originating in Palm Beach, US, Rupert Brett is again asked to go undercover, with SAS Sergeant Chris Adams as protection. They must find out how the drugs are being smuggled into the corporate world of property, polo and high finance. The answers run deeper than either could imagine and a dangerous former nemesis returns, throwing their lives into turmoil.
Song of the Robin is a tale of destiny and love, tragedy and joy. The story of a young woman’s weeklong struggle for survival amidst whispered voices, unsettling dreams and disturbing visions.
When Annie Crowe travels from Seattle to a small Irish village to promote a new copper mine, her public relations career is hanging in the balance. Struggling to overcome her troubled past and a failing marriage, Annie is eager for a chance to rebuild her life. Yet when she arrives on the remote Beara Peninsula, Annie learns that the mine would encroach on the nesting ground of an endangered bird, the Red-billed Chough, and many in the community are fiercely protective of this wild place. Guided by ancient mythology and challenged by modern problems, Annie must confront the half-truths she has been sent to spread and the lies she has been telling herself. Most of all, she must open her heart to the healing power of this rugged land and its people. Beautifully crafted with environmental themes, a lyrical Irish setting, and a touch of magical realism, The Crows of Beara is a breathtaking novel of how the nature of place encompasses everything that we are.
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