By Rebecca Lane
The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Stephen Fry. With his hilarious accents for all the different aliens I enjoyed it far more than if I’d read it. I’m glad I finally know why the number 42 is so important.
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
Beautifully written, this story centres around memory, reflections on the past, and the regret that comes with age. The first part recounts the narrator’s school days and idealistic expectations of life leads and then jumps ahead forty years when he is an unexceptional middle-aged divorcee, still learning about the past.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The first book I read on my Kindle — one I’d struggle to lift in print at over 1,000 pages! This book has everything — love, adventure, rags to riches — but it’s the story of betrayal and revenge spanning a lifetime that I found so fascinating.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
As haunting as its reputation promises, I loved this eerie story of a second wife trying to deal with the suffocating presence of her predecessor and the mystery that unfolds.
When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
I thoroughly enjoyed this funny yet touching story of family life and the impact external events have on these vital relationships. It also includes a talking rabbit, which sounds odd, but it definitely works.
Rebecca Lane is a Commissioning Editor in Reference & Dictionaries at Oxford University Press.
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