WHATBOOK..? JENNY ECLAIR

Writer and comedian

. . . are you reading now?

SINCE being diagnosed with dry eye syndrome 15 months ago, I have switched a lot of my leisure reading to audio books, so, at the moment, I’ve got a Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling) whodunnit on the go: Lethal White, the latest of the Cormoran Strike series.

The old man and I listen to it at bedtime, but I have to catch up again in the morning because there’s something about being read to at night that sends me instantly to sleep.

I’m also enjoying listening to Louise Candlish’s Our House — I have no idea what’s going to happen next and it has such a clever premise.

I’ve just finished Jonathan Coe’s novel Middle England — it says so much about who we are as a nation right now and shines a light on Brexit in such a simple and effective way.

. . . would you take to a desert island?

DAVID HOCKNEY’S massive tome A Bigger Book, a sumo-sized collection of his work, featuring colour plates from 1953 to 2016.

It’s huge, comes with its own stand, costs a couple of grand and, with any luck, would arrive in a box big enough to turn into an escape boat.

Failing that, I’d just have to sit back and look at the pictures, wishing I had that man’s talent and powers of reinvention.

. . . first gave you the reading bug?

THE Swish Of The Curtain by Pamela Brown, when I was eight. She was an incredibly precocious writer who started this series, featuring The Blue Door Theatre Company, when she was just 13.

It revolved around a group of kids who wrote, directed and acted their own theatrical productions.

It changed my life, especially as the youngest character, Maddy, was small and plump with plaits, just like me. She went on to be a film star . . . and I didn’t, but I will always love those books for giving me hope.

. . . left you cold?

ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy. Couldn’t get through it.

I struggled with all the long Russian surnames and the languid pace, which is a real shame, as I love the story, really enjoyed the film adaptation starring Keira Knightley (right) and adored a ballet version I saw at the Coliseum.

I think I might have another bash at it, only on audiobook. I aim to do the same with the whole of Dickens, which, let’s face it, should see me out!

LiSTening in by Jenny eclair is out now (Sphere £8.99). Jenny’s new podcast Older And Wider is available on iTunes and SoundCloud.