Elaine Treharne presents her Desert Island Texts:
Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffler, The Gruffalo.
A wonderful children’s book that my daughter knew by heart when she was two. So convincing was she that we thought she could actually read.
John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America.
A hugely entertaining book filled with humour and pathos that I read while on a road trip in the south-west USA. It was my introduction to Steinbeck (and his poodle).
Giuseppe di Lampedusa, The Leopard.
This has to be one of the most evocative, extraordinary books ever written. I read it after being to Palermo and was glad not to recognise any of modern-day Sicily in it.
Thomas Hardy, A Pair of Blue Eyes.
Any Hardy would be in my list of top books, but this one remains a favourite.
Anonymous, The Vercelli Book.
This tenth-century book of sermons and poems is a must-read! Among its other vibrant texts warning of the need to be penitent in anticipation of Doomsday, The Dream of the Rood stands out as a poetic masterpiece that is second to none.
Katie Wales, A Dictionary of Stylistics.
Sounds dull, but isn’t! Should be bedtime-reading for every English Language and Literature lover.
Louisa May Alcott, Little Women.
Didn’t every female reader want to be Jo until she turned down Laurie’s proposal of marriage? Sigh.
