My life in books

Books have always been more than just stories to me. They've been companions, teachers, sources of comfort and inspiration. Looking back, it's amazing how certain books have arrived at exactly the right moment and left a lasting mark on who I am.

My favourite book as a child was...

Anything by Roald Dahl. I loved the eccentric characters, the magic, the made-up words (who could forget snozzcumber?), and the way children always seemed to outsmart difficult adults. Quentin Blake's scruffy illustrations brought the stories to life and made them feel even more magical. I was lucky enough to meet Roald Dahl and get a photo with him at a book signing event at the Waterglad Centre in Ealing Broadway aged 12. I keep the photo inside The BFG to remind me to always think magially.

The character from a book that I most relate to is...

Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables. Her sassiness, fierce independence and spirited nature spoke to me from the very first page. I admired her imagination, her determination to stay true to herself, and her ability to find beauty almost everywhere. I loved her so much that I even chose Anne (with an "E", of course!) as my confirmation name.

The book that helped me through a difficult time was...

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, alongside The Choice by Edith Eger.

Both Frankl and Eger survived Auschwitz, and their stories are extraordinary. Rather than allowing unimaginable suffering to define them, they transformed their experiences into profound lessons about resilience, purpose and freedom. Their ability to find hope in the darkest circumstances, and then dedicate their lives to helping others, has had a lasting impact on me.

My favourite book ever is...

I am guarenteed a good read if I have an Elif Shafek book but If I had to choose just one, it would be 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World .

The novel tells the story of Tequila Leila, a sex worker who is brutally murdered and left in a rubbish bin in Istanbul. The title refers to the idea that the brain continues to function for a few minutes after death, and during those final moments Leila's memories unfold through the tastes and smells that shaped her life. It's heartbreaking, beautifully written and full of compassion. Like so much of Elif Shafak's work, it challenges assumptions while celebrating humanity in all its complexity.

A line from a book that has stayed with me is...

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." — Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

This is a quote I return to again and again. It's a powerful reminder that while we can't always control what happens to us, we can choose how we respond.

A book that made me cry was...

An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan.

I first read this while backpacking around Thailand, and it completely captivated me. It's one of the few books that has made me laugh out loud one moment and cry the next. Despite telling the story of Keenan's years as a hostage in Beirut, it's full of warmth, wit and humanity. It's probably the book I've gifted most often to friends because it captures the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity.

My all-time favourite character is...

Randle McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

He's funny, rebellious and unapologetically himself, but what I love most is how he encourages the other patients to rediscover their confidence, dignity and sense of freedom. He reminds us how important it is to question authority when it's unjust, to stand up for what's right, and to bring hope and laughter even in the darkest places. He's flawed, but that's what makes him such a memorable and human character..