- Angela’s Ashes by Frank ocCourt (Fourth Estate, $24.99) Always the first in any alphabetical list of chosen books, this weepy Irish memoir is a must if you like true-life stories involving a lot of rain, neglect, drunkenness, death, humour and escape.
- Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (Picador, $27.95) Girls who ate too much, drank too much and couldn’t get boyfriends rejoiced when this book arrived. Suddenly, it was okay to be getting it all hopelessly wrong. In fact, it was funny!
- Chocolat by Joanne Harris (Corgi, $26.99) How could a book about my favourite food group not make it into my timeless top 10? This story of good vs evil, and milk chocolate vs dark, set in the quintessential French village, has been touted as near perfection.
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graeme (Penguin, $25) It is nearly 100 years since this book was published. The Wind In The Willows is one of the first books I can remember, and I still see people who I think look like Ratty or oole, especially if they are messing about in boats.
- The Denniston Rose by Jenny Pattrick (Black Swan, $26.99) This tale of a little girl living in a 19th century West Coast coal-mining town was sent to me by my publisher years ago. I thought it would be a huge success and I’m glad I was right!
- The Edmonds Cookery Book (Goodman Fielder New Zealand Limited, $15 to $25) Books don’t come more classic than the Edmonds cookbook! First published in 1955, my own 1992 version is well-spattered with food from constant use.
- The Firm by John Grisham (Arrow, $24.99) John Grisham’s first novel, in which a fresh-faced, newly graduated, newlywed lawyer gets his dream job only to find out that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans (Sphere, $29.99) oy memory of this book is now clouded by the film as it stars Robert Redford and I think he’s gorgeous. But without Nicholas Evans’ fabulous book, he’d still just be the Sundance Kid.
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Picador, $27.95) A murdered girl watches her family from heaven as they carry on their lives. A huge hit in 2002, this is now being made into a film directed by Peter Jackson.
- The Shipping News by Annie Proulx (Fourth Estate, $17.99) Was it really 1992 when this book came out? I resisted it for a while because it is set in such a cold and unforgiving place. But what a story. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s never too late for a book this good.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%
Native ad body.
Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%
Native ad body.
Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%
Native ad body.
Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%
