MY SIX BEST BOOKS
SARA STEWART, 51, has appeared on TV in Doctor Foster, Fresh Meat and Holby City. Film credits include The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Fear Of Water. She is starring in Collective Rage: A Play In Five Betties at the Southwark Playhouse, London, until February 17. SULA
by Lavinia Derwent
Out of print I was a fervent reader as a child and the Sula books touched me the most. Set on the Scottish island of Sula they’re about a boy called Magnus who doesn’t fit in. He connects with animals and I wanted animals to be drawn to me. It also talked to my artistic side, trying to comprehend society around me. THE PROPHET
by Kahlil Gibran
Arcturus Books, £14.99 My aunt gave me this in the early 1970s. I went through a religious phase at about eight. It’s a kind of a hippy bible. Gibran was a Lebanese poet, philosopher and artist. It has been a source of wisdom for me and quotes were read out at my wedding. THE TIME OF MY LIFE
by Joyce Grenfell
Out of print I read these wartime diaries in my early 20s and Grenfell was funny, energised and creative, the opposite of my mother who had struggled with alcoholism and depression. It was a spur to start filling up my life and I realised that humour is the highest form of communication. MIDDLESEX
by Jeffrey Eugenides
Fourth Estate, £9.99 Someone gave me this and it sat on a shelf for years because I live in Middlesex and couldn’t think of anything I wanted to read about less. But it’s actually a gloriously colourful, funny, touching story about a hermaphrodite and an interesting insight into what gender is. DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM
by David Sedaris
Abacus, £9.99 I cannot listen to him or read his books without crying with laughter. In this he writes about his family in a loving, hilarious way. He’s a tonic, my go-to voice if I want cheering up. THE SONG OF ACHILLES
by Madeline Miller
Bloomsbury, £8.99 This was sent to me anonymously. It’s about the homosexual relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. Having really connected with the Greek islands, to read about the history and mythology, written so poetically, moved me to tears.