My Favourite Book Is... by Poppy Peacock

Poppy Peacock from Poppy Peacock Pens

Not just a firm favourite for its exquisite storytelling, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox is one of my milestone books that have played a very important part in my reading canon, but ultimately influencing my own writing too. 

The first of my milestone reads – like many others I suspect - was To Kill a Mockingbird  by Harper Lee which I studied at O'level; it didn't just widen my cultural horizons, it was my literary awakening to appreciate the power of literature and delights of rounded characters and a compelling story. But that awakening was short lived. While I still marvelled at the occasional gem, over the next twenty years a busy life often led to lighter reads – still very entertaining and offering great escapism – but with far less literary impact; merely providing a balance to the heavier documentation my career demanded.   

In 2007 - after 3 years of severe illness which led to a much impaired cognitive ability - I joined a new book group in the hope participation would help my rehabilitation: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox was our second choice. Although O'Farrell's fourth novel, it was the first of hers I’d read and I was completely blown away - just like with To Kill a Mockingbird - both culturally and literarily. 

Esme's tragic story resonated from my nursing days when the so called Care in the Community campaign rolled out and people who had spent a lifetime in Institutions were being discharged; the general​ ​aim – certainly not care driven – a more cost-effective way of helping people with mental health problems and physical disabilities.​ ​Sadly - slight understatement but I'm trying not to lapse into the incandescent rant tales like that of Esme spur on - the harsh reality was often far from ideal. 

My Favourite Book is... by Rebecca Pugh, Jo Hurst & Bernadette Maycock

Rebecca Pugh, author of Return to Bluebell Hill and blogger at Becca's Books 

First of all, I’d like to say a massive thank you to the fabulous Sharon for inviting me onto her lovely blog today, to chat about my favourite book. This is such a brilliant feature and I’m delighted to be joining in!

I came across one of my favourite books for the first time back in college. I was studying English Literature and we were handed a list of the titles we’d be needing during the course. Most were available in the college library, but back then, when studying, I liked having my own copies of the book available. So, I grabbed my list, hopped onto Amazon and grabbed the books I needed, ready to begin.

I can’t remember the full list of titles now, but I do know that alongside Brick Lane by Monica Ali (which was also brilliant by the way), there was a book called The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I’d never heard of it until then, never even been aware of its existence, and in my ridiculous young-way, I wasn’t too impressed by the cover either. Where were those pretty hearts and pastel colours that I usually went for? Well, there weren’t any. But, seeing as I had to read it for class, I didn’t really have a choice in the matter so I began. 

The Kite Runner was the very first book to move me. To make me cry, to make me think about life and to make me realise how precious life is. Until then, a book had never had such a profound effect on me, and I remember sitting there, once I’d finished, wondering what the bloody hell had just happened. My mind was well and truly blown, I remember that much. It was heart-breaking, devastating, and it has remained with me ever since. 

My Favourite Book is... by Sue Moorcroft, Vacheli & Kelly Spillane

Sue Moorcroft, author of The Wedding Proposal 

My favourite book is 'A Town Like Alice' by the late, great Nevil Shute. I first read my late father's copy when I was nine - my very first foray into adult literature. I fell in love with Nevil Shute's writing and between Dad and I we collected the entire set. I have them on my shelf today. 

A Town Like Alice is a sweeping love story that moves Jean and Joe across continents, through war, through personal suffering, to a place where they can build a life together. It gripped my imagination and began my love affair with romantic fiction. It's amongst Nevil Shute's most famous works, and deservedly so. It also reminds me of Dad and long interesting chats about the books we loved.

Vacheli from Books & Strips 

Well 1Q84 is one of my favourite books but I think I'll talk about one of my local (Indian) favourites, The Immortals Of Meluha. 

I'm not sure If anyone has heard of The Immortals Of Meluha but it is a book written by the Indian author Amish Tripathi about a god, Lord Shiva.

The book is based on the mythology surrounding the god but it also toys with the idea that gods didn't start off as gods but as ordinary men and women who were so great that they were brought up to a god like status by the generations after them. It appealed to me a lot because while I was always a religious person, I had been raised in a very strict household. This playful approach to these gods was so refreshing that I fell in love immediately. 

My Favourite Book Is... by Samantha Tonge & Hayley

Samantha Tonge, author of Game of Scones and My Big Fat Christmas Wedding

It is very difficult to choose an all-time favourite book, but one stands out for me:  The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I am in awe of the exquisite teenage voice he creates. With two teenagers myself, I feel he got it spot on. The book moved me enormously -  made me sad, contemplative yet even laugh, and I think that is the reason for the story’s success; the message that there can be humour in adversity and that laughter can also spring from the darkest times and get you through. What’s more the characterisation was excellent – vivid and original. I adored the romance between the two main characters, Hazel and Augustus, and even though very sad, found the ending unexpectedly uplifting.  The Fault In Our Stars doesn’t belong to a genre I usually read, which makes it even more of a treasure.

My Favourite Book is... by Sophie Hedley, Katie Marsh & Linda Hill

Sophie Hedley from Reviewed the Book

I haven’t been reading for more than a few years so I don’t have a childhood favourite or a book that turned me into a reader. But picking a favourite book was an easy choice for me and that book is The Judas Scar by Amanda Jennings. 

I’d loved lots of books before reading The Judas Scar of course but this is the one I’ve obsessed over the most and recommended the most. It was a step up from all the books I’d read before that were entertaining, compelling and well written. When you read lots of books, the stories don’t necessarily stay with you for that long but The Judas Scar has a story that I still regularly find myself thinking about now. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget it. 

The writing was brilliant and intelligent – Amanda has a great way of hooking you into a story until you’re at the stage you need to remember to take a breath. But what turned The Judas Scar into THAT book for me was how raw and personal the theme of the story was to Amanda and then realising just how much she had put into the book, where the inspiration had come from and how real the subject matter could be. 

It’s the only book that has moved me yet turned me into even more of an emotional mess when I read the Author’s Note afterwards.

My Favourite Book is... by Laura Ayling, Ana & Kate Moloney

Laura Ayling from Lozza's Book Corner

My Favourite Book Is.... wow what a question.

In all honestly I don't think I could pin point one.

One of my favourites from my child hood is a book called "Each Peach Pear Plum", every page has a rhyme on it and you have to find people such as Tom thumb, Cinderella & baby Bunting. My two young neices now love love this book so it's a special time when we read it together.

Adult wise... hmm, there's far too many from JoJo Moyes' Me Before You, any of Jill Mansell's and most recently My Sisters Secret by Tracy Buchanan.

But one I will read again and again is Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern - I love the uniqueness of it being written completely via email/letter and text!

Ana from This Chick Reads

For a book blogger and a person who reads +100 books a year, one would say I’ll have a problem in making up my mind when it comes to choosing my favourite book of all time. Despite the fact I’ve read many good books throughout the years, there’s one book that stands high on the pedestal. That book is ‘The Girl on the Cliff’ by Lucinda Riley.

Those of you who’ve had the chance to read any of Lucinda Riley’s books will now say ‘Ahhh, of course! I totally understand why she picked this book’, but for those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to read any of Lucinda’s works I shall try and briefly explain why I love it so much.

I bought it while on holidays in Greece, hoping for a light hearted family mystery, but what I got was a beautiful, mesmerizing, complex story entwining different generations and plots, a story that made me cry like a baby once I finished it. I don’t remember if I got up from the sofa at all, I read it cover to cover in one single sitting.

My Favourite book is... by Alison May, Laura Delve & Adele Blair

Alison May, author of Midsummer Dreams

This is an almost impossible choice. I could pick my top twenty fairly easily I think, and probably even squeeze that down to a top ten or five, but just one book? Really? On different days it could be anything by Terry Pratchett or Marian Keyes, or Margaret Attwood’s The Blind Assassin or The Handmaid’s Tale, or The House at Pooh Corner, because The House at Pooh Corner is awesome. 

Today though I’m going to go for Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. It’s one of the most beautifully atmospheric and emotional books I’ve ever read. Wonderfully romantic, and at the same time horribly sad. The first time you read it you spend the whole book wondering exactly what’s going on. The second time you read it, you know what’s happening and somehow that makes the emotional connection with the characters stronger. It’s an absolutely incredible book.

Laura Delve from Laura's Little Book Blog

It’s always so hard for me to talk about my favourite book without me mentioning one of the Harry Potter ones, so to save from repeating what myself and I’m sure many other Harry Potter fans might say, I’m going to talk about my favourite book so far this year.

My Favourite Book is... by Emma Crowley

When Sharon first mentioned  she was planning a feature called ‘My Favourite book’ to coincide with her four year blogiversary I thought how on earth can I pick one????  I have read so many brilliant books over the years and have around four or five favourite authors that I would definitely buy their books every year. But as for a favourite book how on earth could I choose just one?  So I cast my mind back to when I fell in love with reading and of course that was in my early childhood. My Dad used to take me to the library every Saturday to get new books and my love for reading just spiralled  from there. In the end I decided to pick two books from my childhood that have stuck with me to this day.I even have my original copies nestled on my bookshelves.

The first book is Matilda by Roald Dahl. Who didn’t love all his books but for me Matilda stood out from the rest.That cover image alone of that small little girl sat on a box surrounded by book just did it for me. I wanted to be Matilda judging by the cover .Of course when I got into the story and read of her parents  I didn’t think her life was as enviable. The story is just magical and the scenes where she is in the library soaking up all the books and reading well beyond her age are forever in my head. Miss.Honey is such a fabulous character who helps Matilda exercise and energise her mind. Maybe Miss.Honey was one of my inspirations to become a teacher. What also made the book so memorable and special was Matilda’s  magical powers that develop and enable her to get her revenge on her self absorbed parents.

The happy ending was just right too. I’m currently reading Roald Dahl to my class at the moment and I can see they are getting hooked by his phenomenal storytelling ability. Matilda is next on the list to be read and I hope I can in years to come the girls in my class will remember Matilda as fondly as I do.

My Favourite Book is... by Sarah Hardy, Helena Fairfax & Katey Lovell

Sarah Hardy from By the Letter Book Reviews

One of my favourite books is actually one that I read fairly recently. It is a book by a new author which is her debut and is called Out Of The Darkness: A tale of love, loss and life after death by Katy Hogan.

There are many reasons why it is one of my favourite books but probably the main one was that I cried at the end because I didn't want it to end, which surely has to be the sign of a great book. I loved everything about the book, the story, the characters and that it made me feel a whole array of emotions.

Death is something that has always been at the back of my mind even as a child and I have constantly worried about it over the years, not just for me but also my family and what happens when we die. Through the story line and the characters losses it helped calm my fears and brought me some comfort when thinking of the future.

The book is far from doom and gloom though and I cried tears of joy as well as sadness and it is one of those books that I will definitely read again in the very near future.

My Favourite Book is... from Joanne, Kim Nash & Louise Beech

Joanne from Portobello Book Blog

It’s always hard to pick a favourite book when you’re an avid reader but one that has made a big impression on me is Birdsong by Sabastian Faulks. It’s not a perfect book – I don’t particularly like the contemporary ending – but there is so much in it which spoke to me. I have since watched the TV adaptation which, much though I like Eddie Redmayne, I felt did not capture the passion between Stephen and Isobel. I saw a stage adaptation earlier this year which I thought was excellent. But it is the book which stays with me. I think I just read it at the right time. 

When I read it, I had been doing a lot of family history research including into relatives who had fought and died in WW1. As much of the book is set in northern France where I had holidayed and where I knew my ancestors had fought, I had a sense of familiarity with the settings. The way the horrors of the war were so vividly described made me feel I had a better understanding of what my ancestors and so many others had gone through. As the attraction between Stephen and Isobel grows in the first section of the book, Sebastian Faulks creates tension as the anticipation builds. When they eventually get together, it is beautifully and sensuously told. Stephen’s feelings throughout the book are movingly portrayed and I felt I could really understand the emotions he experienced.

There is a quote in the book which moved me a lot, so much that I noted down at the time. To me, it must sum up what so many of the men and women who fought in the war must have felt.

“When it is over, we will go quietly among the living and we will not tell them. We will talk and sleep and go about our business like human beings. We will seal what we have seen in the silence of our hearts and no words will reach us.”

A poetic and poignant novel, a modern classic which I love.

Kim Nash, Publicity Manager at Bookouture and reviewer at Kim the Bookworm

A book that changed my life and is therefore my favourite was A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson.  While reading it, around 5 years ago, I spent most of the book saying “OMG that’s me!”.  The main character really resonated with me.  She read an article about clutter and started to clear out her house, but then realised that it was her life she was unhappy with and not her house and she started to make some massive changes.   I too realised through reading this book, that at the time I was so similar to the main character and was desperately unhappy in a life where I did everything to please others and did nothing for me.

Today is my 4th Blogiversay so let's celebrate

When I set up this blog 4 years ago I honestly never expected it to grow to the extent that it has as thought I'd probably only get a few views each week, if I was lucky, from family or friends.  I certainly never expected the blog to have had almost 460,000 page views to date, receive some of the fabulous books I've received over the years nor get the chance to meet or interact with so many lovely authors, fellow bloggers and bookworms.

As I have done with previous years I will be running a series of giveaways, starting today until the end of the month, but I've also decided to do a guest feature where readers, bloggers and authors talk about their favourite book which came about as a result of today's giveaway package inspired by my favourite book Little Women.  

It's a book I first discovered as a teenager after receiving a copy for my birthday, and was the first classic book that I had ever read as like many other teenagers of my generation I loved nothing more than getting stuck into the likes of books from Jilly Cooper or Jackie Collins, so the idea of reading a book about life in the olden days didn't really appeal.  But how wrong was I as I soon found myself immersed into the lives of the March women especially Jo. It made me appreciate how far life had changed for women and the opportunities that we had compared to the days when Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women.