Unattended Moments

Chronicles of Prydain - Lloyd Alexander

Combining Welsh mythology with coming-of-age fantasy quest, this was a favourite series from childhood. I still appreciate the insight of the narrative, and its engagingly fallible heroes.

A Little Princess / The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgeson Burnett

Two favourite childhood stories. In The Secret Garden, a neglected orphan creates a world of her own in a forgotten garden, through which she transforms her own life and the lives of those around her. In A Little Princess, Sarah Crewe transforms her world through her gift of storytelling and imagination. My father chose this for me, which is another thing that makes it particularly special.

The Dark is Rising Sequence - Susan Cooper

A magical and mysterious cycle of stories steeped in Welsh legend, this is another longtime favourite I first read when I was about 10, and still regularly re-read.

The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis

An early childhood favourite, I remember having these read to me, and soon reading them again for myself.

Eeyore: Winnie-the-Pooh - A.A. Milne

An old favourite, one of the most memorable of the Winnie-the-Pooh characters, and always lovable in his gloominess.

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

One of my Mum's favourites, she introduced it to me at the age of about 9, and I read it over and over. I also loved the sequals.

His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

A fantasy trilogy which I read as an adult on the recommendation of a friend, and which can be enjoyed on many levels - a grippingly-told, vivid, and thought-provoking story.

Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling

Another series I first encountered as an adult. Addictive is the only word for these, once I start them I cannot put them down. Since the first was published I have waited on tenterhooks for each volume to be released.

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