What Writers Read

As soon as I saw this I knew I was going to love it and I was right, a collection of essays from some of my favourite writers, talking about some of my favourite books.

Not only this all the profits go to the National Literary Trust who work toward ending literacy inequality, so if you want a good read that also help a good cause this is the book for you.

This year for me is a year of short stories, poetry, and essays so the format of this book is perfect, 35 short essays from writers on their favourite books, with the last essay by Fatima Bhutto being the one I agree with wholeheartedly! Who can choose just one book as a favourite, all the others would just get so jealous and each book I’ve read has helped develop me into who I am now equally.

Though saying this there are some excellent choices by the various authors especially when their reasoning is taken into account; Catch-22 from William Boyd, Caleb Azumah Nelson with NW, Kit de Waal choosing The Thing About December.

These insights into an authors life through their favourite books and how that developed their own personality and practice speaks to the strength of books as agents of change and development, especially when the book gives a voice that has never been heard before and explains that niggle that has just been sitting at the back of your head.

This was going to be a book I read one chapter a night but once I started I just had to finish.