We really love

Two of our favourite authors talk to Fanny Blake about their best-loved reads, their new novels and how they spend Christmas

than men and debunks many myths such as women being innately gentle and men violent. Although it’s an intellectual novel, it reads like a thriller.

What book would you like to be given? every Liane Moriarty novel that she’s planning to write for the rest of her life! My favourite is What Alice Forgot. it’s about a couple who’ve been married for over a decade. things have gone wrong but Alice gets a blow to the head and forgets everything, and thinks she’s back at the stage when they first met.

What book would you like to give?

The Cazalet Chronicles by elizabeth Jane Howard. the stories are so involving. i had to eke them out because i was so afraid of them ending.

How will you be spending Christmas? i disapprove of Christmas because it’s a waste of time, particularly for women. i see my mother terrified by turkeys and the number of people she has to cater for. So i’ve staged a revolution. i won’t go to anyone’s house for Christmas. instead i go for a forest walk with tony and our friends, Posh Kate and Posh Malcolm. we have sandwiches but not turkey. Sometimes they bring mince pies, and there’s wine for those who want it, and crackers.

Tell us about your latest novel…

The Break is about a woman in midlife who’s been happily coupled up for two decades. After much soul-searching, her husband decides he needs six months off from his marriage to make him feel better. i read about people taking sabbaticals from their marriages. i was intrigued and horrified by this. i’m not tempted and i’d be sad if tony was. it makes me nervy and rattled. i like steadiness. >>