'Life without fairy tales wouldn't be worth it'

Another life changer for me was The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood; beyond the feminist slant of the book, the dystopian future that she imagines resonates very deeply with my fears, making it a thrilling and horrifying read.

What are you currently reading?
I am reading Terry Pratchett's Nation at the moment. It's not really a 'grown up' book - I think it was probably written for teenagers - but (in true Terry Pratchett style) it manages to be hilarious and yet important at the same time. He somehow manages to take on questions like creation and the meaning of life in an ostensibly hilarious story about a boy, a girl and a parrot who (at first) appear to be the only survivors of a cataclysmic tidal wave. It's brilliant!
What are the books that shaped your outlook and changed your life?
J.M. Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians blew my mind; I loved its setting of everywhere and nowhere, because it made me feel so free as a reader. It opened up my eyes to how society works (without ever feeling like a lesson in politics!) and summed up, so perfectly, just how difficult it is for individuals to stand up for what they feel is right when what they believe to be right is something they have been taught to fear.
Another life changer for me was The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood; beyond the feminist slant of the book, the dystopian future that she imagines resonates very deeply with my fears, making it a thrilling and horrifying read. Some writers just seem to get to the heart of what it means to be human and they write about it in such a satisfying and perfect way that it makes you feel like the world falls into place around you as you read their books; Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment are like that - to me, they are magical books!
What books would you pass onto your kids to read and treasure?
The Happy Prince and The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde are two stories that I think every person should have a chance to read because they are about being kind and learning what it means to feel love. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a definite treasure too - the story is so important for little girls because it's about imagination, hope, friendship, compassion and believing in yourself.
Books that you never tire of reading and re-reading?
My first love is the theatre so I spend most of my happy time reading plays and there are a few classics that I would gladly read over and over again. They are Shakespeare's Hamlet (of course!), Julius Caesar and everything written by Tom Stoppard.
A book you believe every person must pick up at least once?
When I was a child, reading fairy tales and fables didn't mean much to me - they were exciting stories and I loved the characters but I didn't think much about them. Re-reading them as an adult, especially things like Aesop's Fables and Hans Christian Anderson's stories like The Emperor's New Clothes, you realise how fundamental they are and that in all the hubbub of life, we sometimes lose sight of these important simple truths. Life without fairy tales just wouldn't be worth it to me so, I suppose, they are at the top of my 'Must Read' list.