MY SIX BEST BOOKS

JANE, 64, is the author of My Husband’sWife and I Looked Away. Her new novel I Made A Mistake (Penguin, £7.99) is out now.

TIT FOR TAT

Frank Romer

(Out of print)

I recently discovered that my great grandfather, the osteopath to the Royal Family, was also a novelist. This is his story about racehorse gangs and has a dry humour.

MISS GARNET’S ANGEL

Salley Vickers

(HarperCollins, £8.99)

Retired teacher Julia Garnet is seeking the meaning of life inVenice. Interlinked is the story of Tobias, an ancient traveller. Its messages about life will stay with me forever.

OLIVE, AGAIN

Elizabeth Strout

(Viking, £8.99)

I love this opinionated yet vulnerable heroine.This is a collection of short stories. Olive has now buried two husbands and ends up in intensive care. But women like her must go on – for the reader’s sake.

THE AMATEUR MARRIAGE

Anne Tyler

(Vintage, £8.99)

Michael and Pauline fall in love and marry in haste as the second World War looms. They then slowly unravel. Reading it towards the end of my first marriage allowed me to cry and also have hope.

MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY

Winifred Watson

(Persephone Books, £12)

Feelgood lit for troubled times. Miss Pettigrew is down to her last buck until her employment agency mistakenly sends her to the home of a singer who changes her life.

DAILY STRENGTHS FOR DAILY NEEDS

Mary W Tileston

(Out of print)

My mother left me this collection of sayings when she died.Although first published in 1904, it’s still relevant. I read it every night and give copies to friends going through tough times.