WHATBOOK..?

…are you reading now?

BEFORE We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, based on a true story about child-snatching in the southern states of America. A mother would be told her baby had died, then it would be illegally adopted for huge sums of money.

…would you take to a desert island?

WAR And Peace. I read it as a teenager, and remember it being spellbinding. The TV series has made me want to revisit it.

…first gave you the reading bug?

RUPERT The Bear. I was in hospital having my tonsils out. A nurse helped me to read it and it opened up a whole new world for me. I can still see the cover of that book — Rupert is in a boat made from a sea shell. I still love him.

…left you cold?

WOLF Hall by Hilary Mantel. All that referring to Thomas Cromwell as ‘he’! Why not use his name? I’m sure she is a brilliant writer and I thought the TV series was great, but I like proper introductions and descriptions.

The Woman In The Wood by Lesley Pearse is published by Penguin at £7.99.