Five of my favourite books for World Book Night

As it is World Book Night I thought that I would share some of my favourite books with you. It is not my top five as such as I find it too hard to pin down even when I considered doing a top ten! So it's just five of my favourites...

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Predictable I know but I’ve loved Jane Austen since I studied her at A level English Literature and my best friend and I used to romanticise our lives as though they were Jane Austen novels. I think that she was the chick lit author of her time and in our time I can’t think of many things better than escaping into the language and traditions of her world. And if that weren’t reason enough then I give you one more. Mark Darcy. Many a chick lit hero is based on him for a reason, was there ever a hero so perfectly dark and brooding?

Bookends by Jane Green - Jane Green is probably my favourite contemporary women’s fiction author. I’ve religiously bought every one of her books since ‘Straight Talking’ and I don’t even mind that she went off and grew up and became all American as I am fascinated by that part of NewYork she lives in and writes about. And, after all, I’ve grown up with her.‘Bookends’ is one of my all times favourites probably because I really identified with the characters and they were doing something which is a long held dream of mine, opening a bookshop café. And this was at a time when coffee chains had barely hit our high streets!

P.S. I love you by Cecilia Ahern - I love the touch of fairytale in Cecilia Ahern’s novels and this, her debut, was different to anything I’d read before. I’m not ashamed to say I do love a good cry with a book and this certainly gave me that. As well as the story of Holly’s heartbreak and her journey to live a new life without Jerry it was also a mystery as to where these letters were coming from. I couldn’t put it down.

The Glamorous (Double) Life of Isabel Bookbinder by Holly McQueen - I loved this novel as I’m afraid Isabel reminded me so much of myself. I am all about the perfect outfit to write in. And notebook. And I often imagined being interviewed by Richard and Judy back in the day. I am a complete daydreamer and a dreadful procrastinator and I am also sure that I could never write a bonkbuster!

One Day by David Nicholls – I remember reading a quote by Tony Parsons in which he said that ‘every writer will wish they had written it’ and I think that just totally sums up how I feel about this book. A beautiful love story told in such a clever way giving us glimpses not only into the lives of Dex and Emma but also into British society of the last twenty years. God, I wish I had written it.

Have you read them? What are you reading this World Book Night?