M J Wilson

Browsing virtually on my hands and knees in an Oxfam bookshop on a cold February morning, bookshop staff seemingly deliberately walking over and around me, making me get up and get back down again as they passed, when there was a perfect alternative route behind the bookcase directly behind me, I managed to extricate from a tightly fitting Lego-like plastic tray construction a few vintage (meaning in this case 1960s) Ian Allan abc booklets on various types of transport. The best one was Scooters & light cars, 1961 edition, by M.J.Wilson. M.J. has done a great job as have the publishers with their black and white photos of Capri, D.K.R. and Harley-Davidson, yes Harley-Davidson, scooters. The scooters in black and white are draped with models of the time, nice girls in slacks and a bloke with a bowler hat. I can't imagine them smashing the living daylights out of each other in a Mods and Rockers battle on Brighton beach. Perhaps it was only 1961 - an interesting palindromic year if you turn the numbers upside doing as I recall us doing with such fun - when? - in 1961. Was there an eclipse of the sun that year? I seem to recall our teacher blinding half our class through misinformation about looking directly at the sun through a magnifying glass. I have fond memories of what I could see of 'light cars' which later became bubble cars. Brave and brash 16 year olds started buying them in the sixth form and a friend of mine often gave me a lift to school in his death trap Heinkel, Isetta or perhaps Messerschmitt. I am pretty sure it was a Heinkel. The door opened from the front (which it doesn't on a Messerschmitt) and not the side and in we clambered. It roared its way home from school in minutes flat - no traffic then. It sounded like a meat mincer on heat. We were cool kids even if we didn't know it. School uniforms and caps dented the image a bit. By that time girls were wearing hot pants and it was the driver who got the girls not me. Anyway, the 1961 edition of Scooters & light cars, a lovely little book, advertises the New Scootercar as 'longer, lower, lovelier'. Someone who looks a bit like my Mum but without the cigarette is leaning casually against it. I can't ever remember seeing a Scootercar. It did 80 miles to the gallon, cost a fiver to tax, could seat two adults and a child - how? - and even for the de luxe model cost only £365.… (mehr)

After graduating college, Jenny is excited to be starting her "real" life. She's found a new job, she's sharing an apartment with her best friend and life is looking pretty good. Then tragedy strikes hard and unexpected. She's having problems at work and overall life is pretty grim. When she feels she's hit rock bottom, a helping hand is offered by the last person she'd ever expect to lean on.

This was a very emotional story with extreme highs and tragic lows. As Jenny goes through this year she learns that change isn't all bad and if she can learn to accept people as they are, flaws and all, life can be pretty darn good.

An interesting read and one I would recommend. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)