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

The Couples - a review

The Couples by Forrest Dunbar reviewed by a member of staff

A clever piece of characterisation, if somewhat stereotypical. We are introduced to three sets of neighbours, two distinguished by their religion: Catholic and Jewish and the third main couple, Clifford and Christine.

We follow their lives through suburbia, Christine a psychiatrist, who has recovered from illness to recommence her home counselling, is neighbour, friend and counsellor to the other two women in the novel, Lydia a menopausal woman who is married to a stingy, unappreciative Jewish husband. Sarah, who is living with her devout Catholic boyfriend. For obvious reasons she feels neglected and unloved. Clifford and Christine, however have a successful loving relationship. They try their best to support and generate goodwill between the three sets of neighbours putting up with their nuances.

The farce unfurls and we are faced with some very comedic situations, relationships become tense and strained, with a smattering of infidelity. With an overall undertone of goodwill, I laughed out loud on several occasions!

A competent first attempt at comedy by someone so young. Three cheers for Forrest!

6 Book Challenge - The Couples

My name is Forrest Dunbar and I am currently studying English Literature on the Bedford Campus. Reading and writing has always been a main passion of mine, I could not visualise what a world would be like without fiction… Well I could, it would be unimaginatively boring and dull like the TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

In September, 2013, my siblings went back to school and suddenly (for a change), I had the house to myself. This was a blessing as it finally gave me a chance to write something. Firstly, I write in an unconventional way. I write about whatever enters my mind at that current time, if what I am writing seems interesting I pursue it but if I get bored quickly and I have no motivation to continue, I scrap the story and start again. When I started The Couples everything seemed to fall into place; the characters developed their own personalities, making the writing aspect for me enjoyable. When I got so far into the book that is when I stop and plan what lies ahead for the characters.

Nothing greatly inspired me for the characters; they just formed in my head. I have always been fascinated by relationships and extreme stereotypes; I particularly had great fun caricaturing the ridiculousness of extreme stereotypes, it makes good comedy.

I have future novels in mind that have inspired me from certain situations and events but there will be more to say once they materialise.