Bookworm no.1: Helen H
What book are you currently reading? I’m between books at the moment. Just finished ‘Pretending To Dance’ by Diane Chamberlain and about to start ‘The Girl on the Train’ by Paula Hawkins.
What was your favourite book as a child? To be honest, I really didn’t read as a child. Although reading was still a big part of my childhood. My dad would read his books to me……probably not very child friendly at the time but I loved it. Terry Pratchett books, ‘War of the Worlds’, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ all stand out in my mind.
What are the last three books that you read? ‘The Ice Twins’ by SK Tremayne……First thriller style book I’ve read in a long while and I really enjoyed it. ‘The Lie’ by CL Taylor……A world of secrets and lies but not too heavy. ‘Pretending to Dance’ by Diane Chamberlain……I read another of her books and loved it but was slightly disappointed by this one.
Why read? Reading is an escape, an armchair adventure, reaching into worlds you would never normally be part of.
What stops you reading? Children……I like to read in silence. Maybe I’m just nosy, but background noise just gets in the way. So I generally read during the week when I have the house to myself.
What book are you looking forward to reading again? I read ‘The Shack’ by WM Paul Young about 6 or 7 years ago and it stunned me….In a great way. So that’s my next book. 7 years on, I want to see if I get something different from it.
How do you choose a book? I think mood has a lot to do with how I pick a book. Whether I’m looking for something uplifting or maybe something a bit darker. I do check over authors I’ve read before just to see if they have new stuff I might like too.
E-book or paperback? Always the pages in the hands. Too much of our world is electronic. I want to feel it, be itching to turn the page. Also makes things easier when passing on a good book to someone else.
What three things do you look for in a good book? I want a book to take me away from the here and now, like stepping out of this world and into another. I also quite like it when a book challenges thoughts I have, maybe making me look at things from a new perspective. Mostly I like a book that grips me straight away. A good book can be, should be, read in a day or two.
What do you do with a book when you’ve finished it? I did go through a phase of keeping everything I read but then ran out of space. So unless it has something really special about it, I like to try and pass them on to other people.
Bookworm no.2: Helen R
What book are you currently reading? ‘The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared’ by Jonas Jonasson
What was your favourite book as a child? You can’t make me choose just one! The Heidi trilogy…the Nancy Drew mysteries…anything by Enid Blyton (except the Famous Five stories interestingly)…’Ballet Shoes’…I loved reading. I lived to read. I would lie on the floor by the door at night and read by the light of the landing light.
What are the last three books that you read? ‘The Casual Vacancy’ by JK Rowling; ‘The Lie’ by CL Taylor; ‘The Silent Sister’ by Diane Chamberlain.
Why read? There’s a depth of experience to it that you can’t get from TV or film – that’s why the book is always better than the film. Reading releases the imagination and is the best escape out there.
What stops you reading? It’s funny, it does go in phases. Somehow other stuff gets in the way and then I forget how good reading is for me…until the voice in my head is screaming at me to pick up a book again and get lost in it.
What book are you looking forward to reading again? ‘The Shack’ by WM Paul Young. We both loved it and are both intending to read it again this week.
How do you choose a book? I sometimes read reviews in magazines and see books that look good but never get round to actually buying them. I love to stand in a bookshop and browse. Sometimes a familiar author stands out but it’s usually the cover and the blurb that draw me in.
E-book or paperback? A proper book. Every time. Call me old-fashioned, but reading a book will always be about the weight of a book in my hands and the feel of the pages as I turn them.
What three things do you look for in a good book? Depth of character; an easy reading style; a compelling story line.
What do you do with a book when you’ve finished it? I used to keep them but now I decide who to give a book I’ve just finished to. I think about who would enjoy reading it. If I can’t think of anyone, I give it to a charity shop. If it was a really bad read, I throw it away so no one else makes the mistake of reading it!
