Rupert Ticehurst recommends

I could have chosen any of the seven books from the Shardlake series. This series follows the life of a barrister in Tudor London. Part history lesson, part escapism. Totally engaging.

Terrifyingly prescient and a gripping yarn. One of the few books that translated well into film.

A brilliant but underrated novel. Williams brings his main character, Stoner, to life so effectively that I feel he is a close but rather disappointing lifelong friend.

I am indebted to my colleague, Ed Powles, for this recommendation. Like John Williams, Chatwin draws you into a life story that is simple, uneventful but totally compelling.

The novel focuses on my favourite fictional character, Francie Nolan, an eleven year old girl struggling to survive the poverty of early twentieth century New York. I felt as though I was walking the streets of Brooklyn with Francie during her adolescence, enduring great hardships and sadness with her.

I acted in the play as a child (I was a street urchin with one line, “Scrooge is a miser”) and have had great affection for this novel ever since, reading it every year. FX’s 2019 adaptation adds an extraordinary dimension to the story.