TV Producer, senior writer and journalist shares her book loves.
What was your favourite childhood book and why?
My early years were chaotic and traumatic. I loved James in the book James & the Giant Peach. The book made me sad as a little person, but in the way of identifying and healing. As a grown up reading what Roald Dahl wrote I don’t recall all the weirdness of the book, just emotions that somehow made life OK.
What genre of books do you like to read?
I’m fascinated with crime, detective work and death. The pain of how justice might rise in our mad world intrigues me. Deon Meyer’s Trackers is brilliant with dirty but handsome Lemmer at the helm. I’ve read all Deon Meyers books when finally translated from Afrikaans to English – my favourite is his female Gauloise-smoking detective agency boss.
Which books do you think shouldn’t have been made into movies and why?
Patricia Cornwell’s books should have been made into a movie or even better an on-going TV series. I’ve read every book she has ever written, from the ’90s to today – and as a trained actress I read each book like a script. I would love to play Dr Kay Scarpetta – an educated mortician who gives the dead a voice. The action of helicopters and on-site body analysis is enough to close the deal for any actress.
What was the last book that you read? Tell us about it.
I’ve just finished reading Peter James’s Dead Enough series. Detective Roy Grace is a man of incredible depth created with words. The flip side is to read any book with zero character development. Roy Grace is rough and rude, yet charming. He got me on his side! Peter James has the deep stuff on tap.
Where do you like to read best?
I read best in my king size bed – with the heater on and a bowl of chocolate peanuts on standby. My optometrist gave me a tip the other day: that bed-reading means having your glasses half-cocked and angled slightly above your ears.
What do you use as a bookmark?
My Mum died when I was 3 month pregnant – and as an only child my Mum lived for the moment her professional daughter would ever have a baby. It was very sad. I inherited my Mom’s life of clothes & kitchen-ware, & have discovered loads of her home-made Book-Marks in her library of Books. Mum was a member of the ‘Hens Book Club’ from when I was little. Very special to have Mom’s personalised book-marks as I read my favourite books.
What are you reading now or what do you plan on tackling next?
I’m back on my Jo Nesbo books, a crime novelist from Sweden. And I might try a Mitch Albom novel as a break from crime stories!
