Books play a enormous part in my life, so many books I've read are associated with memories of the time in my life when I read, or bought, them. Here are some of my favourites:


The Body in the Library (Agatha Christie, 1942)

I remember listening to the audiobook of this in the car, when I was reasonably young, and being transfixed. I have since read widely from Agatha Christie's books and, although And Then There Were None is my favourite, I still love The Body in the Library.

Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell, Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia. (Janet Wallach, 1996)

I bought this book last summer after attending an exhibition on Gertrude Bell at Kirkleatham Museum with my grandparents, whom I was staying with. Gertrude Bell's childhood home was in nearby Redcar, in the north-east of England, where my family live, hence the museum exhibition.

The Gene: An Intimate History (Siddhartha Mukherjee, 2016)

It was recently my birthday, and I treated myself to lunch in Waterstones followed by about an half-hour period of wandering around the books dreamily, trying to persuade myself not to buy all of them. In the end, I chose this book. It was a good choice.

The Ice Beneath Her (Camilla Grebe, 2016)

I read this book, which I was lucky enough to win in a Goodreads giveaway, in Glasgow where I spent the weekend with my parents celebrating my dad's birthday. I can still remember sitting in bed in my hotel room, reading that twist.

Pretend You Don't See Her (Mary Higgins Clark, 1997)

This was the first Mary Higgins Clark book I read, and I remember being at my grandparents and having finished the books I had brought with me, so I chose a book from their bookshelves. It was Pretend You Don't See Her, and I was immediately hooked. I've since read several books by Mary Higgins Clark, but this has remained my favourite.

The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911)

I have always been an avid reader, but I think The Secret Garden is the book from my childhood which really captured my imagination, and showed me the secret worlds which reading allows you to explore.

Ulysses (James Joyce, 1922)

After my last A-Level exam, I walked the short distance from my sixth-form college to our town centre to meet my mum for lunch, and called at the library on the way to borrow Ulysses. I then read it over the summer before I started university, which included during a cruise around the Mediterranean.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (Maggie O'Farrell, 2006)

I read this, my first book by Maggie O'Farrell, on the aeroplane to Budapest. I loved Budapest, and if I ever return I will be sure to take another excellent book.

The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins, 1860)

I attended a summer school at Pembroke College, Oxford, during the summer after my first year of sixth-form college, during which we were all given vouchers for Blackwell's (the book shop). I was told to take as long as I wanted, but when I left my group were about to leave, thinking I must have left without them because I had been so long. I chose three Oxford World Classics, because they were on a three for two offer: Paradise Lost, The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays, and The Woman in White. I don't remember exactly why I chose the latter, but it is now one of my favourite novels.


Which books are mostly strongly associated with memories for you?