Posts Tagged ‘The Good Books’
The Good Books, Mhairi Collie: ‘I have been an Outlander fan for a long time’
Mhairi Collie on being inspired by Alexander McCall Smith, not making it through A Little Life by Hanya, Yanagihara and her love of the Outlander series. The first book I remember reading: I think it would have to be an Enid Blyton – probably the Famous Five. I still remember all the different characters…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Alan Tylor: ‘Muriel Spark epitomised what a writer should and can be if you stick to your principles’
Alan Taylor on being inspired by Muriel Spark, the novel he most recommends and knowing if he’ll stick to a book after the first page. The first book I remember reading: I learned to read with a series of books in which the two main characters were called Janet and John. These just happened…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Jenni Fagan: ‘I found Alice Walker at a really pivotal moment in my reading life’
Author and poet Jenni Fagan on finding her love of reading as a child, being inspired by Alice Walker and the book she always recommends. The first book I remember reading: I was reading from a really early age, I remember being in class when I was five years old and being so annoyed…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Angie Spoto: ‘I re-read The Hobbit and fell in love with it all over again’
Angie Spoto on the book she recommends to everyone, reading the books of her childhood to her son, and her favourite place to read. The first book I remember reading: Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of Rings – I read them so fast when I was a kid. I couldn’t get enough of…
Read MoreThe Good Books, J.D. Oswald: ‘Realising you can stop reading something you don’t enjoy and pick up something else is liberating’
J.D. Oswald on his memories of reading as a child, how he doesn’t enjoy Dickens and becoming addicted to audiobooks. The first book I remember reading: I devoured books from the moment I was first able to read them myself, having been read to by my parents from a very early age. I have…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Catherine Hokin: ‘I come from a working class background which prized education, our house was full of books’
Catherine Hokin on the books of her childhood, her best books of the year so far, and reading in rainy Glasgow. The first book I remember reading: I’ve loved stories since as long as I can remember – I come from a working class background which prized education and our house was full of…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Damian Barr: ‘James Baldwin’s voice is as urgent now as it ever was’
Damian Barr on reading for the Big Scottish Book Club, his love of Jackie Kay’s latest poetry and being inspired by James Baldwin. The first book I remember reading: The answer to this shifts – like so many memories. Beyond Peter and Jane…it would be a memory of being read to. At primary school,…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Ali Millar: ‘I’ve tried and tried to get into Jane Austen, but I just can’t’
Ali Millar on her best books of the year, why she can’t get into Jane Austen and being inspired by Rachel Cusk. The first book I remember reading: I learnt to read very young, so I don’t remember reading specific books until I was about five. But I do remember my mother reading Jane…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Margaret McDonald: ‘Jackie Kay is my absolute idol’
Margaret McDonald on her love of The Hunger Games, her favourite books of the year so far, and falling in love with Jackie Kay. The first book I remember reading: Probably not the first books I ever read in my life, but it has to be Mates Dates by Cathy Hopkins. That entire series had me in…
Read MoreThe Good Books, Lydia Travers: ‘Agatha Christie and anyone from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an inspiration’
Lydia Travers on her love of historical novels, her favourite books of the year so far, and being inspired by Agatha Christie. The first book I remember reading: It would have been an Enid Blyton. She was hugely popular then. I can’t remember which was the first of hers I read, but I do…
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