HARRIET WADHAM: Reviewing Dr Shuker's Casebook

When there’s something strange in the neighbourhood, who’re you gonna call? Dr Shuker’s casebook!

At the W.W. 2008, Karl P.N. Shuker made an appearance in the lecture hall; also he allowed people to buy his book, Dr Shuker’s Casebook: In pursuit of marvels and mysteries, and if they wanted he could sign it for them. Of course Mum saw a chance to make me exclaim “Mum! I told you that you should have let me come!” Then again, I got a book signed by Neil Arnold this year, so that was just as brilliant!

I’d say that my favourite section in the whole book is the chapter called ‘Such wonderful things are cats with wings’, probably because I have three lovely cats at home (I’m giving my favourite one, Max, a cuddle while I’m writing this), and because they are the cutest animals on Earth to me. So obviously cats with wings are extra cute. I wish that Max could grow wings, and I’d let him fly around my room! Now that would be cute. Anyway, it’s interesting to know how their wings are formed because sometimes they can have actual bones inside, but sometimes the ‘wings’ can be simple flaps of skin just hanging down loosely by their sides, and will shrink back into their bodies in a short while.

One part, which weirdly I didn’t like to look at when I was a bit younger, was a picture of this weird cabbage-headed alien thing with cucumber-like eyes. I can’t really remember what it’s called. Anyway, I had thought it was a real picture until I actually read the caption underneath it. The picture was a painting or a drawing. So that was rather embarrassing. But I don’t care now. I guess it’s just one of those embarrassing things that aren’t really embarrassing any more.

So it’s thanks to Jon Downes that I’m writing this because if he hadn’t hosted the Weird Weekend, Mum would never have met Dr Shuker, and if she had never met him, I would never have read the book. And if I had never read the book I wouldn’t have written this. Also, if Jon hadn’t hosted the weekend, I wouldn’t have had so much fun this year. See? Logic!