I’m often asked what books I like to read and what I find inspirational – they aren’t always the same. I thought I’d compile a list of my favourite ones and a bit about some of them. This is by no means exhaustive and will be added to as I remember or visitors to my website email me and say “what about this book?”

Not all the books I like are what I’d call an easy read, that is, they take maybe a bit of effort to get into but are more than worth it in the end. It might be due to language, the way the plot unfolds or just the genre. The main list then is for enthusiastic readers of all ages looking for another great read. The book or authors with asterisks by their name are those I consider more appropriate for introducing reluctant readers to the joys of books.

Most of these books can and are enjoyed by adults too – I don’t believe in setting age limits around reading, not unless the content is explicit or deals with themes that are highly inappropriate for a specific age group. Often, the choice in reading material is about the reader’s own context and level of maturity. So what is suitable for one twelve year old might be highly unsuitable for another. I don’t think I have anything problematic on my list at all (and I have read some books that would fall into that category). Rather I think reading choices should be governed by ability and comprehension – emotional and psychological as well.

Please remember that this list is totally subjective, but I am also basing it on my years, not just as a reader and writer but as a teacher/lecturer as well. Also, I read at least two books a week, so if I told you about every book I’d ever read or could remember to recommend, then I would still be typing three years from now!

Don’t hesitate to share with me your favourites!

Oh, and my apologies for categorising the books into genres. Many of the books cannot be simplified into one category and I have done that purely for convenience, but I do not want it to limit potential pleasure or understanding! So even if you think you don’t like fantasy or crime, move out of your comfort zone and explore a world beyond the boundaries you set… I dare you!

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OK. Here is a list of authors in all different genres (apart from those above) whose work I love and seek out – everything they write:

Fantasy:
Sara Douglass
*Jennifer Fallon
Anne McCaffrey (fantasy and science-fiction)
Richard Harland
*Emily Rodda
Russell Hoban (particular favourite, The Mouse and his Child)
Piers Anthony
David Gemmell

Science Fiction:
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Larry Niven and Steven Barnes (for reluctant readers, try Dream Park – it’s based on a role-playing computer game and has a murder investigation).
*Simon Higgins (breath-taking futuristic adventure)
Kim Stanley Robinson
Isaac Assimov
Piers Anthony

Realism:
*Michael Hyde (gutsy, warm stories)
Phillip Gwynne (fabulous, serious stuff)
Marcus Zusak

Horror/Gothic:
Kim Wilkins (all her work is great - gothic horror but better!)
Bram Stoker, Dracula and Lair of the White Worm (go and read the original vampire book and see what all the fuss was about - I dare you!!)
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (She wrote this when she was 18 - one of the best books ever written in terms of its longevity and impact on western culture). Also believed to be the first sci-fi book ever written.

Crime:
Kathy Reichs (very forensic based – if you like CSI, you’ll like this)
James Patterson (adventure and violent crime)
Minette Walters (literary crime – wonderful stuff!)
*Richard Harland (writes sci-fi crime as well as fantasy)

Myths and Legends:
Ovid, Metamorphoses. Roman and Greek myth collide in this wonderful collection of fables. Something I return to again and again.
Homer, The Illiad and Odyssey
Longus, The Argonautica
Gregory Maguire, Wicked, Mirror, Mirror and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Some of the most beautifully crafted, imaginative and amazing books I've read in a long time. Quite literary. For adults or sophisticated readers who love the story of the Wizard of Oz, Snow White and Cinderella. You’ve never read them like this before!

I also read a lot of popular history (history that isn’t dry and stuffy, but full of fascinating facts and scenarios). My favourites at the moment are:

The Year 1000 by Danny Danziger and can’t remember…

1215 The Year of the Magna Carta by Danny Danziger and John Gillingham.

1700: Scenes from London Life by Maureen Waller.

Anything by Tim Severin (an adventurer who recreated Ulysses’ voyage, Sinbad’s journeys, Marco Polo etc. Great books for reluctant readers. Some are out of print now but can be bought through Amazon or Sage Old Books.

Anything to do with the British Royal Family (in the past), especially books written by Alison Weir.

I also love popular science books especially by Stephen Jay Gould. Very readable and fun.

I also read a great deal of what would be considered “literature”. I love J.M. Coetzee’s work, Margaret Atwood, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf and Shirley Hazzard. I also find that I return to Patrick White periodically. I also enjoy the work of Nick Earls and Helen Fielding – so my taste is eclectic. I also love poetry, especially the work of the Romantics, Keats, Wordsworth and Coleridge. I also like John Donne and Andrew Marvell, Sylvia Plath and Bruce Dawe.

There you have it for now! Happy reading! K

Recommended for Enthusiastic Readers

Fantasy:

J.R.R. Tolkein: You know the books! I don’t need to say anything except if you’ve seen the films and not read the books, then you’re missing out. Read The Hobbit first so you get to understand Bilbo’s role in the Lord of the Rings. Then, read the Ring Trilogy. I’ve read it dozens of times and I do tend to skip over the Tom Bombadil bits, but for those of you who don’t know what the “Scouring of the Shire” means, then read away (it was the chapters Peter Jackson cut from the film and tells what has happened to the Shire in Frodo and co. absence… the battle for good isn’t over yet!).

One book to rule them all,
One book to find them,
One book to bring them all
And in the trilogy bind them!

*C.S. Lewis: The Narnia Chronicles, The Screwtape Letters, Voyage to Venus etc.

Easy to read, beautifully crafted – perennial favourites. Great for reluctant readers and enthusiastic ones too!

Lewis Carroll. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Timeless classics that most know about but few have read. Read about Alice’s adventures with a strange rabbit, shrinking and growing, a murderous queen and her hapless gardeners, and a whole cast of peculiar and amazing characters.

Phillip Pullman: The Dark Matter Trilogy.

One of the most evocative and exciting reads I’ve had since Tolkein. Couldn’t put it down. Believable, energetic characters, fascinating plot and great and unexpected twists. Moves between a world like ours and a series of others with amazing races and a politics that makes our global concerns seem petty.

Garth Nix: Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen.

These are terrific novels which have a divided world scenario. Whereas one half of the world is much like 1950s post-war Britain, the other is medieval and magical. What sets these books apart is the way they focus on death and the afterlife – not as something to be feared, but as another part of living and adventuring. Very strong and fantastic characterisations.

*Garth Nix: Keys to the Kingdom Mister Monday and Grim Tuesday..

One of the most original and compelling YA series I’ve read in a long time. Would suit readers 8 and up. Two of the books are out as I write with five more instalments due. I can’t wait!

*Melaina Faranda: The Circle Series.

Fabulous books (three so far) about a group of girls who discover that when they work together, they have magical powers. Steeped in spirituality, the books are beautifully written and really empower young girls. The settings and circumstances in each book are very real and sometimes raw. Faranda doesn’t steer away from dealing with disturbing issues, but no need to be worried, they are handled with sensitivity and delicacy so it doesn’t preclude any age group. Girl and boys alike can and will identify with the characters and the themes.

*J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter – all of them.

What can I say? Brilliant!

*David Eddings and Leigh Eddings: Anything written by this pair.

If you are a reluctant reader, try David Eddings’ early books (it was only later that David publicly admitted the role Leigh had in shaping his work, so his first thirteen or so only have him listed as the author), the Belgarion, I think they’re called? They’ll introduce to a character named Garion and a wonderful, wonderful wizard named Belgarath (a drunken seemingly incompetent sot) and his equally amazing daughter, Polgara.

*Lian Hearn: Across the Nightingale Floor and Grass for his Pillow.

Set in a fantastical feudal Japan-like country, these books are sheer magic. They follow twin narratives of a young boy and aristocratic girl. The boy has innate and incredible powers which slowly start to manifest. Desired by lords and by an assassin’s guild, he must learn where his loyalties lie and if the love he feels for the beautiful Kaido will survive. Terrific reads. Suit male or female readers of all ages. Hollywood has already, I believe, snaffled the movie rights.

*Alice Sebon: The Lovely Bones.

Pick it up in a bookshop and if the first paragraph doesn’t grab you, then nothing will. Not just a read but an experience! One of my favourite books.

Tad Williams: All of his books. Some are fantasy while his City of Golden Shadows Quartet are sci-fi.

A great writer with the uncanny ability to not only spin a wonderful yarn, but pull thousands of complicated threads together in an uncomplicated way. His early work is great for readers 12 and up, while his sci-fi series is a great way to introduce computer buffs to good writing. Not hard at all, but the books are huge tomes. Value indeed!

Robin Hobb: All works. Assassin’s series, Liveship Traders Series and The Tawny Man series.

Currently, she is my favourite fantasy writer. All the above works (nine in total) are set in the same world and follow the fortunes and misfortunes of a young assassin named Fitzchivalry, the bastard son of a Farseer King and, in the second Liveship series, the lives of the Rainwild people (over the course of the series, you learn they are intertwined). They vary between first person narration and third. They are vivid, unputdownable and have everything. Characters with a “beast magic” (ability to talk to animals) called the Wit and which is frowned upon and a permissible magic called the Skill. Once plunged into Robin Hobb’s world, you won’t want to leave!

*David Almond: All his books especially Skellig and Secret Heart.

These are incredible books. I found them so beautiful, so haunting and so exciting! Boys and girls and adults will adore them. Again, read the first page of Skellig and if you’re not hooked, I want to know why not!