My life in books nicola rayner

My love of stories came before my love of reading. I rarely slept as a baby, so my poor mum often soothed me at nights by reading to me. As a small child I listened to Storyteller tapes all night – au

What revealed the magic of books for me was The Wind in the Willows. When I was five, I contracted measles, which meant I had to spend my days in bed in a darkened room. My mother sat outside my bedro

The past 12 months have seen some fabulous releases. Prima ’s books editor Nina Pottell looks back at her favourites and the ones you may have missed…

Queen of historical fiction Philippa Gregory shares the reads she pulls off her shelves when she needs to begin again

Did you know that Thomas Müntzer, leader of the German Peasants’ War in 1525, used a rainbow flag to rally his followers? It’s an aptly exuberant image for the radical charisma of Müntzer, and for the

COUNTRY LIFE reviewers reveal the works that impressed and absorbed them in 2025