The book worm

Above: Reviewed books

Hertfordshire Heroes
It is obvious that Margaret Ward, the writer of this interesting book, is from Hertfordshire, as she writes about her local heroes with warmth and admiration. She has selected a diverse range of subjects from The Queen Mother who is remembered with great affection in Hertfordshire, Sir Geoffrey de Havilland who designed and built the mosquito planes in World War II as well as Henry Moore, one of our greatest modern sculptors and the playwright George Bernard Shaw.
There is also a very moving description of the wonderful caring nature of local people when Eric Morecambe, the comedian who lived in Harpenden died and more than 1,000 mourners gathered at his local church to pay their respects and flowers were sent from the local shops and restaurants the morning it was announced.

Hertfordshire heroes
By Margaret Ward
Published by Countryside Books
ISBN: 1 85306 928 0
Priced £7.99
Available from Life Books

There’s no Room for Jugglers in my Circus
Jason Cook, from Borehamwood, was every mother's nightmare, a bored teenager with no direction but a lust for money and excitement. His distaste for a life of hard work, which his parents had, and a sizeable drug habit led to his involvement with gangsters, violence,  and cocaine-filled days. Ultimately he realised the precarious and meaningless nature of this life and that his parents were happy and he was not.
During a spell in prison, Jason, who is dyslexic, began writing and since his release has admirably gone on to create a new and legitimate life for himself.
This book exposes the unglamorous world of someone whose life is dominated by drug addiction and the shady activities that fund such a habit.

There's no Room for Jugglers in my Circus
By Jason Cook
Published by Pen Press
ISBN:1 905203 67 5
Price £5.99
Available from Life Books

Hertfordshire Tales of Mystery and Murder
This is a fascinating collection of stories by Betty Puttick, who was a resident of St Albans and something of an expert on local mysteries.
It includes the Hertfordshire poisoner, Graham Young, who from a young age began experimenting on his family and friends to discover the effects of various poisons. This chilling tale was interrupted when he was sent to Broadmoor aged 14 for his activities. Nine years later he resumed his research with fatal consequences when he managed to convince the authorities he was reformed.
He was an interesting character especially as his ambition was to become famous for his misdeeds and secure a place in Madame Tussaud's Chamber of Horrors.
There are plenty of other equally intriguing tales in this book that will have you mesmerised.

Hertfordshire Tales of Mystery and Murder
By Betty Puttick
Published by Countryside Books
ISBN: 1 85306 704 0
Price £7.99
Available from Life Books

The Ghosts of Reginald Hine
This well researched book about Reginald Hine, a Hitchin lawyer and writer, is also full of interesting details about how Hertfordshire life was at the end of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century. Older residents of the Hitchin area will also recognise many of the names and places that are mentioned in this story.
Richard Whitmore, the well-known newsreader, has painstakingly pieced together the details of this somewhat charismatic but troubled man who wrote The Acclaimed History of Hitchin, followed by Confessions of an Uncommon Attorney, about the life of an Edwardian country solicitor, which became recommended reading for those interested in practicing the law.
Like many gifted people, Hine appears to have suffered from manic depression and unfortunately committed suicide in 1949.

The Ghosts of Reginald Hine
By Richard Whitmore
Published by Mattingley Press
ISBN: 978 0 9554662 0 5
Price £20
Available from Life Books