One of us: Forrest Dunbar

What do you read if you work in a library?  We ask one of our own, Forrest Dunbar, who also studied at UOB....

My name is Forrest Dunbar and I first came to the University of Bedfordshire (Bedford Campus) as a student in 2013. My degree course in first year was English Studies, then I switched to the English Literature course in my second year.

After graduating in July 2016, there was no question whether or not to do a Masters degree in English Literature, I was determined to do it and funnily enough my masters was my most enjoyable year for learning. My MA year was immensely pleasant and the lectures were engaging.

I have worked for the university since September 2016 and I sometimes have to remind myself that I was a student before and not just a member of staff. It was in May 2019, that I joined the Reader Services Team on the Luton Campus, for once spreading myself around and dipping my toes onto another campus that wasn’t on Bedford grounds. Now that I have become so familiar with the Luton Campus Library and have adapted so comfortably with the excellent team, I now have to remind myself that I did have a life on the Bedford Campus before 2019.

I read a completely different range of books, for example the month of June, I read The Bridges of Madison County (published in 1992) in one sitting because I couldn’t bear pausing the novella between chapters. Then I re-read The Warden (published in 1855), followed by Mr Loverman (published in 2013). When I finish reading a book, I always have ‘go-to-books’, I will re-read The Railway Series or The Wind in the Willows, Duncton Woods, Billy Bunter, Love Is Where It Falls, The Pickwick Papers, The Twits, the list goes on and on and on…

I never plan in advance to read a particular genre, I normally find books sporadically, instead of just remaining with a token genre and if I really enjoy a book, I will study the author and read through the profile and make a note of their other books. During my A-Levels, I read The Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker and loved it so much that I became hooked onto First World War Literature! Not just the novels but also the poetry.

Thank you, Forrest!

If you are interested in perusing some of these titles then do browse the Library Catalogue and find a Summer Read for you.

We found some electronic copies to start off with: click the pic to find the ebook.

The Warden by Anthony Trollope

Returning to an old favourite is a great way to de-stress and give your mind a time-out, and even if you don't have a physical book to hand these e-books are perfect to download and read wherever you are.

The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens