Just finished a book for our next book club meeting (for that read business gossip /networking meeting!) called ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ set in Barcelona, which my husband also enjoyed.

Marion – if you don’t get on with history books you could try someone like Edward Rutherfurd who writes books that include historical facts intertwined with a story through the generations. E.g. London is the first of his that I read, which starts when London was a hut on the river and finishes around the 1960s or so and follows the stories of a number of generations of a number of families. It is fascinating, and readable as there is a story to it.

I loved Outliers, and continue to quote it to anyone that will listen! I’m currently reading (and implementing) The Power of Less by Lee Babauta.

Every time I see or hear about a good book that I want to read I add it to my wish list on Amazon, which is getting longer and longer. I can’t seem to educate my friends and family sufficiently to use it as often as I would like! My SIL always buys me clothes, not top of my list of great presents. I would much prefer books, but I imagine she thinks that would be a boring present. Isn’t it funny how we buy what we want rather than what other people really want?!

Books beside the bed right now include Jacky Newcomb “Angels to Watch Over Me”, Amanda Brookfield, “The Simple Rules of Love” and Esther & Jerry Hicks, “Money and the Law of Attraction.

On the bed are “Talent is Over-Rated” by Geoff Colvin and last week’s You magazine from the Mail on Saturday.

In the box beside the bed (you’ve gathered my bedroom is the crime scene) are Tim Harford’s “The Logic of Life” and Conor O’Clery’s “The Billionaire who Wasn’t – How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune”.

Besides this current reading, I love biographies and certain crime books, both fiction and non-fiction. I don’t much like your Henning Mankell but enjoy a good Martina Cole. Ann Rule’s books fascinate me but I’ve had to give up reading true crime as I don’t like focussing on the bad stuff that real people do to each other.

I’ll happily read chick lit – though only if the writing is up to scratch – and completely admire Maeve Binchy for writing books that engross you two paragraphs into the first chapter.

The majority of my reading is, I realise, non-fiction in the spirit of learning something new but do you know what? Writing about books has reminded me that I should (I mean, I want to) read rather more fiction just for the sheer fun of immersing myself in some imaginary person’s life, more often.

Thanks for letting me share just a tiny portion of what I love to read. On with the show.

Marion x