Win £700 worth of the best books of 2015!

Madame Bovary -
Emma Bovary chases a dream of excitement and passion - an escape from her boring life - which ultimately leads to adultery, penury, misery and destruction.
A complex character who you want to like more than you do. Detached but gripping writing. Almost poetic but couldn't put it down.

My favourite book is The Collective Works Of Edgar Allan Poe,
A great book of gothic mysteries with twists and turns that make the hairs on the back of your neck rise! Also makes me think deeply about the subjects within the pages.
A brilliantly crafted collection from a brilliant literary craftsman!
An absolute master of the macabre!!!
Absolutely adore it.

Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco, a Da Vinci Code for literary grownups.

Cider With Rosie is my favourite. Read it first in my last year at school - a million years ago ! I've returned to it again and again over the years. To achieve the perfect conditions for reading the book you need a cold Sunday afternoon, a pile of hot buttered toast and a log fire burning. Bliss

It has to be Jane Eyre. Since I first read it aged about 11, I have been captivated by this orphan, her trials and moral dilemmas. Oh and the romance – need I say more?

The Lord of the Rings - I first read this in the school library 58 years ago and I still come back to it time and again. Each time I read it I find something that strikes me as new (or possibly I had forgotten?). So much better than the film.

The Magic Faraway Tree saved me as a child: providing my friends, safety and escape. It taught me that you can find freedom in a good book.

My favourite is 'The French Gardener', by Santa Montefiore. A real tear-jerker.

My favourite book has to be by Barbara Kingsolver, hard to choose between The Lacuna and The Poisonwood Bible. I loved The Lacuna because it is so interesting and told so much about Mexico and some of the people like Diego Rivera and Frieda Kahlo.

The Cider House Rules by John Irving: great story, poignantly drawn characters and so funny. The film didn't do it justice

The Prince of Mist, A gripping chilling tale in parts its a fabulous read and one you cant put down til you finish

I love reading and in the four years I've been retired I've read 168 books so far. I like novels, biography and history. I love Andrew Marr, I was moved by Greg Dyke Inside story. My most recent favourite novel is Ben Elton Time and Time again.

My favourite book has to be Tom Sharpe's "Blot on the landscape" Laughed all the way through it.

Believe it or not my son gave me the book Band of Brothers for my birthday because he used to watch the tv series over and over and I couldnt understand why. It took me a while to get into the book but once I started I just couldnt put it down. A very deep and poignant reminder of the horrific times and the good times out servicemen endurred

My favourite? Probably Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson - fantastic characters, absorbing plot and simply packed full of ideas

My favourite book is The People in the Photo by Helene Gestern. The story is about the main character finding an old photograph of her Mother and 2 males at a tennis tournament and she sets out to try and find who these 2 men were. The book is written in the form of letters and emails and it is just a lovely heart warming read.

Hi, it has to be Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley, besides being a continuation of Gone with the wind, this is a read with everything. Danger, romance and unsuspecting end. It is the only book I can come back to again and again and still find something new.

I love murder/mysteries and for me, any book by Ian Rankin covering the Rebus series. The police station is in Edinburgh and I can so identify with that city and his description of places and events. Also Ian Rankin was born and brought up in Fife, as was I but in a different part.

I love The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It is a beautiful story of loneliness, friendship, love and loss and is simple yet sublime.

HEIDI by Johanna Spry
"The story tells of such kindness, courage, sadness and overcoming huge problems. Whilst reading it I challenge anyone not to feel emotional."

I have so many favourite books, depending on my mood. If I had to choose one it would be John Grisham's The Firm - a really gripping plot that I didn't want to end. Highly recommended.

My favourite book is The Magus by John Fowles. I come back to it time and again and each time I find I'm reading a different book. It somehow provides a key that locks into my state of mind however I am feeling, and at the same time it spirits me away from this world into another. All one could ask for in a book!

I recently read 'The Life I Left Behind'.
It was one of the most gripping books Ive read for years and I didn't put it down from start to finish, I was left in anticipation until the very end. Brillaint read ????

Any Maeve Binchy book is sure to be one of my favourites as I love the way she intertwines characters making you laugh one minute and cry the next. Minding Frankie has to be my favourite, a story of joy, heartbreak and hope. Noel learns that a one-night stand with Stella has resulted in a pregnancy but the mother has a terminal illness and wants Noel to raise the child. Noel agrees and with the help of friends, family and neighbours he becomes Frankie's father along the way struggling with alcoholism and a bit of a bombshell at the end. The story intertwines with characters from other Maeve Binchy books as the limelight switches from one character to another. A great read!

Masters Of Rome Series, Colleen McCullough which immersed me in the sights, sounds, culture & characters of Ancient Rome.