WHATBOOK..?

... are you reading now?

THE brilliant Lucky by Ed Jackson, which is part autobiography and part self-improvement.

It details the story of his journey from professional rugby player to quadriplegic, following an accident in April 2017 in which he broke his neck.

He used the blog he kept during his time in hospital to write this part of the book, so it’s really vivid, with minute, gripping detail about his accident and the immediate aftermath.

But the book also addresses how the physical changes he’s experienced have led to a complete mental shift, with his goals and priorities totally transformed.

Now he’s dedicated to helping others improve their mental health through his charity Millimetres To Mountains, which he runs with his wife, working to make the outdoors more accessible. It’s inspirational and I really recommend it.

... would you take to a desert island?

POSITIVE affirmations are really important to me (my new book grew from a series of affirmations I posted on Instagram during lockdown and the amazing response to them), so I would take The Comfort Book by Matt Haig.

It would help to remind me to keep a positive mindset, provide the framework and tools to do that, and hopefully would ultimately contribute to my long-term survival! It would also remind me of what I’m surviving for and what is truly important.

In the introduction, Matt describes the life lessons in the book as ‘some of my life rafts, the things that have kept me afloat’, so that sounds like a good choice for a desert island castaway.

... first gave you the reading bug?

I ABSOLUTELY loved Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It’s an epic novel, nearly 1,000 pages, but it’s written beautifully and carves out an entire world with great characters you can’t help but connect to. It really turned me on to reading.

It has something for everyone: crime, romance, friendship, hardship, culture (the majority of the story is set in India), addiction, moral dilemma, adventure... It’s absolutely brilliant.

It really takes the crown of fiction writing for me and I almost feel nostalgic thinking about it.

... left you cold?

I KNOW it’s a classic and many people love it, but for me, I found Bleak House by Charles Dickens a struggle. I love reading but I often have limited time for it, so when I do sit down to read a book, it really has to be one which grabs my attention straightaway.