hello-smlChristine Lovatt

We recently had a letter from a reader querying one of our clues about her favourite book Rosy Is My Relative by Gerald Durrell.

Lynne Watts writes: “This book is my favourite and I have kept my tattered copy for 30 years, recently my daughter found me another in an old shop and they have pride of place in my bookcase. I recommend this book to your readers (if they are lucky enough to find a copy) It will give plenty of smiles and lots of laughs.”

Another reader, Patricia Rudorfer, tells us about reading Minerva Lane by Judith Glover. The setting was the Wolverhampton area of England in the 1800s. She came across an unfamiliar word – tranklements – which I have written about in Crossed Wires.

Reading is one of the most popular hobbies, whether it’s to while away time while travelling, or in a doctor’s waiting room, or as a form of escapism – to escape stress by inhabiting another world.

One of the side effects of this is that we increase our vocabulary, improve spelling and grammar, learn interesting facts and expose our minds to the thoughts of others.

Expanding the mind, learning about new concepts – there are so many reasons to pick up a book.

My sons Patrick and Dominic loved Roald Dahl’s stories and Kitty read all the Harry Potter series. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell was one of my childhood favourites, and in my teens and 20s, I devoured Leon Uris’s novels such as Exodus and Trinity.

James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific and The Drifters were next, followed by The Killing Anniversary by Ian St James and The Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett.

When I asked my husband James for his favourites, he came up with The Magus by John Fowles, The Power Of One by Bryce Courtenay and The Prince Of Tides by Pat Conroy.

I’d love to know what your favourite books were – or still are now. I’ve always thought that reading is the most fun you can have – if you’re not doing puzzles, of course.

Please post some comments on how you feel about reading .

Happy Puzzling!

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