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The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler

Lives, quietly and with dignity, put back together following a senseless family tragedy. The final paragraphs, filled with hope, made this an unforgettable book for me.

I love the "Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys, it is so descriptive you almost feel like you are in the Caribbean. It also makes you see Jane Eyre's Mr Rochester in a completely different light.

My favourite and most times read book is The Diary Of A Nobody, written in the late 1800's by George and Weedon Grossmith.So funny, but moving bits as well.

Pride & Prejudice - first read it over 50 years ago - still love it.

Being still a child at heart I love The Wind in The Willows, and can't wait to share it with my grandscildren

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, which I read as a little girl.

A Scots Quair, Lewis Grassic Gibbon's salute to Scotland - the hills, farmlands, granite towns, fishing harbours, cloth mills, crofts. Profoundly moving.

Life after life by Kate Atkinson. Interesting structure and well drawn characters. Combines history of 20th century with elements of a thriller.

As a child I was given the full set of Heidi books by J Spry, I loved the books so much that 50+ years later I still have them on my book shelf.
They inspired me to visit Austria on honeymoon!

I just love Rebecca by Daphne du Mairier I can read it over and over again and of course watch the film - the old original in black and white of course.

Vanity Fair, by Thackeray, so many threads running through a great story.

A thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Just read this book and it is the most moving story about life in Afghanistan. Not just about the war but the lives of people and especially the story of the two heroines and their resilience in both their personal lives and the dreadful outcome of the war. Some of the tragic events are still going on; I will keep this book as a reminder of how lucky I am in this country.

Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson . The author spent 6 months in solitude, apart from 2 dogs, living in a log cabin on the shores of Lake Baikal in Siberia, searching his soul, drinking copious amounts of vodka, fending off bears and fishing to keep alive. A lovely book, beautifully written, which improves on 2nd, 3rd and 4th reading.

To Kill a Mockingbird has it all, courage, humour, humanity, a strong message against inequality of various guises, a book to get lost in.

My favourite book is The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy. It's about children growing up in a sleepy village in Ireland and how their lives differ but they still remain friends. Beautiful.

My favourite book has to be Cheaper By THe Dozen about and written by the Galbraith family in the USA . I got it as a child and it is well worn now but I just loved it. It is about a family with 12 childen and there have been two films made about them but they are not a patch on the book. I was an only child so probably the thought of having all these permanent playmates would have been a wish for me. I remember seeing the first film as a child and at the end one of the little boys is sitting at the foot of the stairs saying " our daddy's dead " It still brings tears to my eyes and I can picture the whole scene .

I will never forget a book I had to read for O'level - John Steinbeck's, The Grapes of Wrath - such an amazing story.

Going Postal - Terry Pratchett - Pratchett at his best, oodle's of wit, humour and a wry look at life.

It has to be ''Rebecca.'' Beautifully written, brilliant characterisation and an amazing plot. I go back to it time and again, it always enchants me.

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes. The story of Rachel's slowly dawning horror that she's an addict is raw, funny & beautifully written.

The one I tend to return to most often is a complete collection of short stories by Saki. His early stories make me laugh and are so well-written, his later stories reflect how dreadful he is finding the war and appreciating quieter moments of natural beauty.

I read anything and everything, but only keep books that I know I will want to read again, which is rare. I get through about 5 or 6 books a week, so over the years have become very choosy.

Lately the book that has entered my mind most and just refuses to go away, is Maps for Lost Lovers, by Nadeem Aslam. I almost feel everyone should be forced to read it. It certainly made me think, and I have rarely read a more beautifully written book. Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog is another that stays in my mind.

My favourite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte its a timeless classic and I never get tired of reading it.

Watership Down by Richard Adams, I first read this when I was about 15 and loved it so much - even before the film came out that I saved my pocket money up for weeks so I could treat myself to the illustrated edition which I still have.

Never Let Me Go. An unusual science fiction book. Terrifying because it is not beyond the bounds of possibility.

'Remember Me', the last in Melvyn Bragg's Quartet, was for me amazing: poignant, impelling, disturbing, tear-jerking but also inspirational and will remain 'in me' forever more.