Our mission statement

“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.”

Matilda, Roald Dahl

I’ve always been a reader: one of my earliest memories is of my own mum bringing home a copy of The Gingerbread Man from our local library and expressing surprise when I finished it in record time (an ability that was to stand me in good stead through an English undergraduate degree). Throughout my child, teenage and adult years I’ve never lost the excitement that comes from wandering into a bookshop or library, browsing the shelves and choosing (or more accurately, restricting myself to) a couple of new books. Of more recent years, the package at the door signalling the arrival of new reads purchased online has yielded equal joy.

One of three bookcases in our study

It’s with a sense of excitement that I’m waiting for my own baby to arrive so I can introduce him or her to a pastime that has brought me so many hours of happiness. I look forward to rediscovering old favourites and getting to know baby’s preferences. With just over two weeks to go until the birth, I’ve bought the first book of many: Discovery Zoo, a cloth book from Marks and Spencer with lots of textures and colours, designed to hold the attention of newborns.

But, I’m not going to make any judgements until my reading partner is here: this is a joint enterprise, so we’ll be returning in the next two or three weeks.