Catherine Bateson
Which character from a book would you most like to be?
I think the character I'd most like to be is Marigold, from Jane Gardam's book, Bilgewater. She has everything - an eccentric childhood, a staunch ally, intelligence but weaknesses, an unfortunate romantic experience - and a good one. By the end of the novel you've witnessed her very believable growth into a young woman.
Where is the best place to read a book?
Wherever you are - hammocks are good, bed is great but probably the best place in summer, is in the bath. I may have become addicted to reading in the bathroom during the years I spent at boarding school, reading after lights out in the shower block!
What were you like at school?
I was good at English and humanities subjects and bad at Maths and Science. But I must say my most vivid memories of school are the books I read in the shower block - Lord of The Rings (caught and grounded!), James Mitchener, The Forsythe Saga (chosen for its thickness) and others, all read in great gulps.
What are your hobbies?
I keep a blog on the net. I also knit and I spin. I keep a handwritten journal as well. I also enjoy cooking.
Do you have any pets or kids?
I have a son who is sixteen and a daughter, fifteen, and we live with my second husband and, every alternate week, with his youngest daughter who is 12. It’s a good thing that I like cooking as that's a number of people to feed! I have another step-daughter who is 15 but she lives with her mum these days. As for pets, we have two dogs - a terrier and a labrador - and tankfuls of tropical fish. My youngest step daughter has plans for a rabbit. I've been trying to talk her into calling it Roast.
What is your most treasured possession?
My most irreplaceable possession would be whatever story I'm currently working on - therefore it would have to be my laptop. Not that the laptop itself is ‘treasurable’, only what it contains.
What book would you take to a deserted island?
101 Recipes for Fish! After that (and I'm assuming I'm allowed an unlimited supply of pens and paper?) I'd take the Bible, a) because I've never read it and b) because I think you could get some great novel ideas from it.
Your words of wisdom to students completing the Premier's Reading Challenge?
I'd advise any readers to venture beyond their usual reading scope. Surprise yourself! Also, don't read for quantity but read for enjoyment - it's better to read fewer books but remember more, than read more but remember hardly any of them.
Have you read this?
Jack's Little Party