What did you read as a child?

   "I've always loved books and read avidly as a child as well as loving my daily 'bedtime' story.  I was really lucky that long after I was old enough to read for myself, my parents continued reading to me.  That shared story time was precious to me.  Normally, I would listen to stories in the bath while demanding 'just one more chapter' until I was shriveled up like a prune! 

   Over the years, my parents and I worked our way through pretty much the entire repertoire of Enid Blyton books from The Wishing chair, via The Famous Five, to Malory Towers.  We then started to raid my mum and uncle's old collection of childhood books, which had been lovingly stored away by my grandparents.  These consisted of old copies of the Just William stories with classic 1960's artwork on the covers and that secondhand bookshop smell that I love!

   The type of books that I read for myself were quite different from those I shared with my parents at bedtime.  After the usual authors (Roald Dahl, Dick King-Smith, E.B. White) I latched on to the Redwall series of books and later anything  could find written by Alan Garner.  Plenty of regular caravanning holidays as a child presented the perfect opportunity to indulge my reading habit, and I would often be found still lounging around in my sleeping bag at 10 or 11 o'clock in the morning refusing to get dressed until I had finished reading my book.  I must have driven my family mad!  The long, slow car journeys while towing to the campsites also provided the chance to listen to my audio book collection."

Do you have any stand out reading memories?

   "My favourite thing when I was little, was staying at my Grandparents house overnight because I knew it meant that Pop would be tasked with the bedtime story.  There was no competition, his version of Winnie the Pooh was just the best.  He did all the voices and I would make him read it over and over again until really there was no need to have the book open in front of him because we both knew all the stories off by heart.

  A further stand out reading memory comes from one of my teachers at school.  I was lucky enough to have teachers who enjoyed reading as much as I did and always made time for a daily class story.  In year 5, my teacher introduced the class to the brilliant Elidor by Alan Garner.  He read it to the class every day until he did the unthinkable, he got to the most exciting part of the book, gently closed it and told us all that if we wanted to know what happened next, we would have to find out for ourselves!  Well that was it, I was hooked and went straight to the school library to borrow the copy of it before anyone else in the class could get it.  So started my several year long love affair with Alan Garner books and fantasy novels."

What do you enjoy reading now?

   "Children's books are far more fun than adult fiction so are still my go to reading fodder.  Having my own small person to read to, my current favourites are picture books such as the 'Bob' series by Simon Bartrum, the 'Traction Man' books by Mini Grey and an absolute favourite is 'The Book With No Pictures' by B.J. Novak.  I am also a sucker for some of the gorgeous children's non-fiction books out at the moment (particularly anything with flaps).  Obviously I buy all these books for my small person, honest...!"

What are your 'Desert Island' books?

   "Wow, this is hard, its like asking me to choose my favourite child (thank goodness I only have one child to choose from!)

   My favourite children's book has to be 'Winnie the Pooh' because of the wonderful memories of my granddad reading it to me when I was little and doing all the voices.

    My favourite adult's book at the moment is a historical mystery.  I read my way through this while on a family holiday last year.  It was a great poolside read."