My life in books Charlotte Riley

Actor Charlotte Riley shares the reads that have shaped her

MY FAVOURITE BOOK AS A CHILD WAS…

The Night Before Christmas. I remember how fast my heart would beat when Mum read it to me on Christmas Eve, and how convinced I was in the morning that I’d seen sugar plum fairies and heard sleigh bells that night. I read the same book to my children; it smells amazing in the way that old books do.

MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER FROM A BOOK IS…

Allan Karlsson, the 100-year-old man in Jonas Jonasson’s books. His attitude to life tickles me and I feel like I could learn a thing or two from him… if only he was real!

THE LAST BOOK THAT MADE ME LAUGH WAS…

I’m reading Help Me! by Marianne Power at the moment, in which she writes about her experience of trying a different self-help book every month for a year. She’s hilarious and painfully honest about her experiences.

THE LAST BOOK THAT MADE ME CRY WAS…

Nobody Told Me by Hollie Mcnish. Her prose and poetry cut straight to the agony and ecstasy of motherhood in a beautiful way. I read two of her poems at a naming ceremony, and women cried with recognition. Also, Gypsy Boy by Mikey Walsh is a heartbreaking story of a Romany Gypsy boy dealing with being gay in his community.

THE BOOK THAT GOT ME THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME WAS…

Anything by David Sedaris. I’d go as far as saying that if you don’t find his books painfully hilarious, then I’m not sure we can be friends. I actually cry a bit when they’re over. I got upset when I realised I’d read all his books and I had to wait for him to write another. When You Are Engulfed In Flames is brilliant.

THE ONE BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ IS…

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. It demystifies creativity and shows how we can find ways to express ourselves – whether it’s doodling or writing – and the pleasure that comes with them. It got me making things again. I love to craft wee clay sculptures of people, each one different depending on my mood.