My Life in Books

My Life in Books

1.   Have you always loved books? Were you encouraged to read from an early age?

As far back to my childhood as I can remember, books have always been a major part of my daily life. To begin with my mother would read me bedtime stories that captured my imagination and seeped into my dreams; Enid Blyton’s The Magical Faraway Tree is one that we would read together many times, even now I still remember the characters and stories. By about twelve years old, I was reading anything and everything. I don’t think I have stopped since. When I had a difficult time at school, I turned to books and they became my therapy, my escapism and my friends. And as Ernest Hemingway one said, “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”

2.     Which was the first 'grown-up' book you remember reading? How did it affect you?

When I was a young teenager, I started reading fantasy books, in a pre-Twilight era when Young Adult fiction wasn’t lead by vampires (kind of hard to remember now!) I don’t remember a particular title, but it doesn’t matter. Once I started reading a book by an author I liked, for example, Nora Roberts, I would read everything that author had ever written.

3.      Choose five favourite books and tell us how they have impacted on you.

1)    Persuasion by Jane Austen

Back when I was younger, I had a difficult few years at school. I remember seeing the ITV adaption of this magnificent novel and I felt so connected to the main character, Anne Elliot, that I read the novel the next day and it has been my favourite novel ever since.

2)    Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

      This is a book that I could read without having written words in front of me, I know it so well. The language, mixture of gothic themes and the romantic characters make this an amazing book. 

3)    In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Not something I would ever have picked up myself, this was a compulsory read for my English A-Level, and it has stayed with me ever since. Amazingly written with an interesting backstory, it is the book that made me want to read more non-fiction, especially of the True Crime category.

4)    The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Something from Tolkien had to be on this list. Any adventures taken in Middle Earth are the best kind.

5)    The Spook’s Apprentice by Joseph Delane

      Yet another book that takes me back to my childhood. This is the first in an amazing series, which resembles Harry Potter, but with added gore and more mystery.

4.     Choose five favourite authors and your favourite book by each.

1)    Derek Landy is nothing short of a writing genius in my eyes. I beg of you to read the first book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series, if not all of them; whatever your age, you will enjoy it. Deliciously funny.

2)    George RR Martin, Game of Thrones. You’ve probably read it, and if you haven’t, you’ll certainly have heard about it. Set in a world that can only be compared to Tolkien’s Middle Earth, GoT is the start of an incredible series.

3)    Kelley Armstrong, Bitten. An author whose work I love so much that I almost hate to tell people about how incredible her novels are because I want to keep them all to myself. But Bitten is an amazing read, one of my all time favourites.

4)    Cate Tiernan, Seeker. The tenth book in the brilliant Wicca series; this is my personal favourite from all fifteen. I started reading this series many years ago and it still sticks with me.

5)    Trudi Canavan, The Magicians Apprentice. She now has many trilogies but this is the first book I read and have gone on to read all of her work.

5. Do you read more fiction or non-fiction?

I generally read more fiction; I feel when reading it is less formal that non-fiction. For a long time, I believed non-fiction was just trying to teach me something, like a dreaded textbook from a classroom. However, since reading In Cold Blood, as I mentioned earlier, this viewpoint was changed. Non-fiction can be just as enjoyable as fiction. I now read true crime books, but mainly biographies. It is always fun to learn about someone’s life without ever meeting him or her.

6.     Where do you find out about the books you want to read?

Through various ways; the internet, reading other reviews, newspaper or magazine recommendations, word of mouth or just hearing mention a title on the bus or train is often enough to intrigue me. Of course, looking around a bookshop or library is a nice pastime for me.

7.     What was the last book you read, what are you currently reading, and what's next?

I have just finished 13 by Kelley Armstrong, an amazing book. I am currently reading The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and next on my reading list is the Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. 

Please feel free to complete this yourself and let me know. I'd love to hear about other people's favourite books! :)