It is completely different to Harry Potter, except for the British-ness of course, and the presence of gossiping neighbours (reminiscent of the Dursleys). The story follows multiple characters living in the small English town of Pagford (a fictitious place), and the ramifications of the unexpected death of local council member, Barry Fairbrother.

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.

I don’t usually read memoirs – my preference is definitely fiction, and when I do read non-fiction it’s usually in the self-help area, such as Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic or Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly. However when I saw all the great reviews start to emerge about My Life On The Road, I knew that this was a book I had to add to my list.

At the moment The Graveyard Book is the best Neil Gaiman novel I have read (I’ve only started on Neverwhere so will see if this changes!). In his usual style the book is a children’s book and yet it is not – it is simply a wonderful, well-told fantasy adventure about a boy who grows up in a graveyard.

Poetry is often polarising. People either love it, or they think they don’t ‘get’ it, so they don’t go near it. I used to be the latter. But then I studied a beginners poetry unit as part of my writing course last year, and it took only one poem to change that.