A Man for All Reasons

'Reasons to Stay Alive' by Matt Haig (Canongate, 2016)

I first heard of Matt Haig as an author, then kept hearing praise for his mental health memoir 'Reasons to Stay Alive' online, before seeing the book listed on a Reading Well campaign leaflet that I picked up at the library. With so many passionate voices praising this book, I decided it was time to take a closer look.

Part memoir and part self-help, 'Reasons to Stay Alive' is the story of Matt Haig's life with depression and anxiety.  He describes his illness from a personal perspective, starting with a crippling breakdown he had in his mid-twenties, his ongoing recovery and what helps him keep his mind healthy in everyday life.  Above all, he aims to encourage people to understand mental health in the same way as physical health, and to reinforce that there are many, many reasons to stay alive.

Caught Napping?

'The Second Sleep' by Robert Harris (Hutchinson, 2019)

So, with the Coronavirus pandemic causing panic across the globe, what do I pick up from the TBR pile?  Something that provides comfort, relaxation and escapism perhaps?  No.  I pick Robert Harris' post-apocalyptic tale 'The Second Sleep'.  Obviously.

When Father Thomas Lacy dies unexpectedly, the young priest Christopher Fairfax is despatched to his remote parish to conduct the funeral.  Although Fairfax expects his work to be straightforward and his time in the insular Exmoor village to be brief, it's not long before he realises that Lacy was no ordinary parson and this will be no ordinary visit.  At first he ignores signs of Lacy's heresy - the library of forbidden books, the display case of ancient artifacts in plastic and metal - but it's not long before curiosity gets the better of him, and he finds himself exploring possibilities previously undreamt of.  Why is the area a hotspot for unearthing strange and mysterious historical objects?  Was Lacy's death really an accident?  And, above all, what is the secret of 'The Devil's Chair'?

How Dickens got his Words Back

'The Personal History of David Copperfield' (Dir. Armando Iannucci, 2019)

Watching Armando Iannucci's 'The Personal History of David Copperfield' has made me want to read the Charles Dickens' book.  And that's a compliment.  Honest.