I hate being scared. The genre of horror has never appealed to me, not in books and certainly not in movies; so I had always dismissed Stephen King as an author I could never enjoy, despite his successful and prolific career. That was until a friend recommended The Dark Tower series.

These twelve books are great Christmas gift ideas for any reader in your life! Don’t forget one for yourself too ;)

There’s a reason Brown’s books are bestsellers – they’re just so darn entertaining. But while I was entertained, I couldn’t help but have my writer’s hat on while reading. There’s so much to learn, especially about pacing, structure, and the way information is given to the reader.

On my return from Europe a few weeks back, I was faced with one of life’s frequent and most difficult questions – what to read next? I had several contenders on my shelf ready to go, but instead I chose to nurse my post-holiday blues and selected Bill Bryson’s Notes From A Small Island.