Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: children’s author and editor Sue Copsey (who is also the novelist Olivia Hayfield).
The book I wish I’d written
Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall series, in particular The Mirror and the Light. My obsession with Henry VIII began when I was taken to see Anne of the Thousand Days. I would’ve been 11, and I was aghast that a man would order the beheading of his wife, a woman he’d loved with such passion. I was convinced he’d have a change of heart right up until the axe fell. A sad moment of truth for a girl who believed in fairytale endings.
I brooded on the injustice for years, and read everything I could on the appalling, intriguing Henry. But it wasn’t until I read Hilary’s version of the Tudor king that I met him in the flesh. I felt as if I was in the room with him (terrifying!). She brought Henry, with all his contradictions, to life, and her Thomas Cromwell is probably the most brilliantly nuanced character I’ve ever read. That’s what I wish I could do.
Everyone should read
The Moomins series, by Tove Jansson. Yes, they are children’s books, but they are such a unique mix of wisdom, humour, madness and magic, they deserve to be read by all. Moominpapa is one of the most underrated philosophers in literature (and he’s the first to admit it). Plus, the illustrations are perfect. And there’s something about the translation (Tove Jansson was a Finn who wrote in Swedish) – it’s not quite right, but somehow that make the books even more appealing. Sounds odd, but if you read you will understand.
The book I want to be buried with
Folklore, Myths and Legends of Great Britain. This is a huge, hardback Reader’s Digest book my parents gave me when I was a girl, when it became clear my imagination was veering out of control. It certainly kept me quiet, for hour upon hour. The first half is devoted to myths and legends, with sections on the likes of fairies, King Arthur, witchcraft and ancient festivals, and it’s beautifully illustrated with photos and artwork. (How many of those hours did I spend poring over those 1920s photos of the Cottingley Fairies?) The second half is divided into counties, with a map of each and a key so you can find, for example, your nearest haunted house, or stone circle, or hanging tree or witch hotspot. They don’t make books like that anymore.
The first book I remember reading by myself
Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton. The one I remember most vividly is Five on a Treasure Island. Don’t judge me – I know what we think of Enid’s writing now, but at the time I didn’t mind that Anne was transforming the ruined castle into home sweet home while the boys said she’d make a great wife one day. What mattered was they were off having adventures with not a parent in sight, and the Kirrin Island adventures were the best ones. Treasure, baddies, mysterious lights, a hidden well, shipwrecks – that first Famous Five book had it all and I was completely captivated. I still look for secret passages when I visit old places. As a surprise, my husband once booked us a room in an ancient smugglers’ inn with a secret passage. When we explored it, the tunnel came out in the bar. He called it a win-win.
The book I pretend I’ve read
the bone people by Keri Hulme. When I say I “pretend” I’ve read it, I don’t mean I tell people I have, I just expect them to assume I have (subtle difference). And … this is embarrassing, but the bone people was a Did Not Finish for me. In my defence it was about 30 years ago, when I still lived in the UK, so I didn’t have that NZ connection. I read until it got upsetting and then bailed. I should probably try again, but somehow it always gets pushed down pile – I can only take the occasional “powerful” read. You can revoke my NZ citizenship now.
It’s a crime against language to
I could say it was the abuse of apostrophes (or apostrophe’s), but I know for a fact that many teachers have no clue what to do with them, so how can their students? Education, innit. The use of “retorted” as a dialogue tag is a pet peeve. But really, if you’re writing a book then that takes guts, and no new author should be accused of language crimes; they should be gently encouraged to learn the rules (like, just use “said”). Some of the best books I’ve worked on as an editor have started life as grammatical hot messes. But I’m cool with those because that’s when I feel most useful!
The book that haunts me
A Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain. Books about World War One are always heartrending, but this memoir, published in 1933, is from a woman’s point of view so it has stayed with me. In 1915 Vera Brittain abandoned her studies at Oxford (and as a woman she battled long and hard to get there) to work as a voluntary nurse in London, Malta and France. The contrast between her happy childhood, her lovely relationship with her brother and her sweet romance with his best friend, and the horrors of the war (her brother, her fiancé and many in her social circle were killed) makes it all the more moving. Her experiences shaped her future as a feminist and (unsurprisingly) a pacificist; she campaigned against nationalism, colonialism, and nuclear arms. The memoir is a beautifully written and deeply moving account of that time, and I think of it often as I watch so many being robbed of their youth in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The book that made me laugh
David Mitchell’s Unruly: A History of the Kings and Queens of England. If you’ve seen David Mitchell on the panel show Would I Lie to You? you’ll know that he’s apt to go off on hilarious rants that may or may not be connected to the subject at hand. This romp through English history reflects this, often going wildly off topic in a thoroughly endearing way. And in among the fun and the history lessons, there are moments of philosophical genius: “Some say that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. I find that an awkward principle because, in my view, allowing good men to do nothing is the purpose of civilization.”
The book character I identify with most
Snufkin, from the Moomins. Snufkin is nomadic character who spends half the year in Moominvalley then heads south when the weather turns cold. He dislikes authority, especially people who stop you wandering freely, like the Park Keeper with his signs and fences. Perhaps his greatest moment was planting Hattifatteners in the park, which put the fear of god into the keeper. (Hattifatteners are small, ghost-like creatures that grow from seed and charge up during thunderstorms – I told you it was mad.) As a roamer of the countryside, an avoider of the cold, and someone suspicious of officials, Snufkin is my hero.
The plot change I would make
I would change Pollyanna’s “Glad game” to the “Sad game”. Or just kill her off. Could a character be more annoying?
The book I wish would be adapted for film or TV
One of mine (you knew I’d say that). Well of course I’m going to say one of my own. Maybe Notorious, with Timothée Chalamet as my Richard III character, Rowan Bosworth. Kristin Scott-Thomas would make a great job of the terrifying Lady Madeline Beauregard (Lady Margaret Beaufort), and Gemma Arterton would be perfect as Emma Snow (Elizabeth of York).
Most overrated book
Not strictly overrated, but I’m so over best-selling books “written” by a celebrities. I’ve edited a few, and I know they make money and that, in theory, means publishers can invest in unknown authors, but it’s gone too far, and when I see my author buddies having great books rejected and the shop windows full of nonsense biographies and children’s books by TV personalities and – ye gods – influencers, well yes, it does make me a little hot under the collar.
Most underrated book
I loved Mandy Hager’s Heloise. It’s so much more than a historical novel – the relationship between Heloise and Abelard is beautifully drawn, and it’s meticulously researched – this book is a masterclass in how to write historical fiction. I was waiting for it to take Europe by storm but that doesn’t seem to have happened. WHY NOT?
Encounter with an author
Michael Bond, author of the Paddington books. In my 20s I was a press officer at London Zoo, and Michael Bond came in to open our new gift shop (featuring Paddington, of course). Michael was exactly as you’d expect – benevolent and twinkly-eyed, like your perfect grandpa. I showed him around afterwards and I will never forget it, walking around talking animals and children’s books. He gave me the greatest piece of advice about character. I asked how he came up with his plots for Paddington, to which he replied he just dropped the little bear into a situation and the story wrote itself. We kept in touch – I still have a letter from Michael asking if the Zoo had any spare guinea pigs. We gave him some, and he later wrote that he loved having them sitting by his feet when he was writing.
What are you reading right now?
She Wolves by Helen Castor. This non-fiction looks at the lives of some incredible women in history, the likes of Elizabeth 1st, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Matilda, who was almost England’s first queen regnant. At a time when princesses and queens were mostly pawns in the political games of kings and emperors, the impact these women had on history was remarkable. I love how women in history are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Sue Copsey’s books for children can be found on BookHub, as can her Olivia Hayfield novels.