I’m going to stick my neck out from the start and say that to me, Wildwood is one of the finest pieces of English prose I’ve ever read. Roger Deakin, who died in 2006 at the age of 63, was a nature writer, documentary maker, and environmental activist, whose work helped set the tone both […]
Read more "Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin – Chosen by Ritch Grove"I read Steppenwolf between finishing A-levels and starting work. I had done well enough at school. To quote a friend of my Mum, “The world is your oyster.” Which is all very well, unless you don’t like oysters. I knew I didn’t want to go to uni – “I’m not paying nine grand a year […]
Read more "Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse – Chosen by Nathan Cooper"As other people writing for this blog have pointed out, it’s extremely difficult deciding what your favourite novel is. The best book I’ve ever read is The Great Gatsby. The books I’ve read the most (by a country mile) are the Harry Potter novels. The book that meant the most to me as a teenager […]
Read more "Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut – Chosen by Phillip Nessfield"In the interests of full disclosure, I offered to write this whilst I was half-cut and rampaging my way through Twitter on a Friday night. I love books, so I couldn’t resist. The books on the shelf can be your noisy friend, silent protector or even a self-help manual that has become a touchstone throughout […]
Read more "The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell – Chosen by Siân Barton"I was probably too young to read Notes on a Scandal when I first came across it. The novel came my way as many do: a film was being released and the promotional trailers and posters kept catching my eye at the cinema or on the way to school. I heard the film being reviewed, […]
Read more "Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller – Chosen by Barnaby Walter"Out of a lifetime of reading – or at least my lifetime so far – how is it possible to choose just one book that stands out from all the others? One novel that remains tethered to particularly poignant memories or pulls me back to a specific time or place? Eight novels – a sort […]
Read more "The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – chosen by Jude Hayland"In addition to all of the obvious joys and experiences that travelling to different countries will bring you, one of my favourite parts is turning up to a hostel, hotel, or even a campsite and checking what books people have left behind. Too heavy and cumbersome for an ongoing journey, they are placed on a […]
Read more "One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez – chosen by Sam Gayton"
That One Book 