My life in books

Broadcaster and author Clare Balding shares the reads that have been her escape and inspiration

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt was my recent holiday read, and I loved it. It tells the story of lonely widow Tova, whose teenage son vanished 30 years ago. She works at a small aquari

by Lucy Jane Wood (£20, HB, Pan Macmillan) Annie Wildwood works tirelessly to be the perfect witch. As well as running the Celestial Bakehouse, she goes above and beyond to please everyone around her,

I loved ghost stories as a child, which was not ideal because I was also a scaredy cat. I would read The Ghost of Thomas Kempe under the covers but then stay awake rigid with fear half the night. Late

Thanks for coming in today, Bea,” said Jason, the commissioning editor at Bluestone Press, where Bea was interviewing for yet another assistant job. “We’ll be in touch.” “Okay, great,” replied Bea, fo

One of my favourite books of the past few years is Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It’s had a big impact on my own writing – early next year I have a book coming out that’s written as