I’m not a book worm. But I do enjoy books. And I especially enjoy books that really GRAB me. Sometimes they’re fiction. Sometimes non-fiction. And for some time I’ve wanted my own little reference of these wonderful books that have touched me – and this morning The Book Thief prompted me to start this, my virtual library…

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Historical-fiction. This book has been both compelling to read and haunting. I haven’t necessarily wanted to read it in the evening for the images and thoughts it will leave me with. Set in Nazi Germany I was struck this morning that there are still painfully too many lessons for humanity to learn from the second World War – and yet there are many more wars, more violence being carried out every day since and those lessons still need learning. And more besides. I find a good story compelling and knowing that although strictly fiction this book was weaving in incidents that, almost certainly in some form or another, will have happened time and time again brought a realness to it that just, well, got me. I’m also struck by the fact that this book appeared in my own library (we call our sitting room The Library – partly because originally there was another sitting room (now the workshop) but for me having a library seems like an essential. A warm and cosy and comfortable place to absorb books). Anyways, The Book Thief was on a shelf in my library and yet neither myself not my partner know exactly how it got there. Clearly one of us put it there but who and when we simply don’t know. A touching book. Which contains several other books within it. And one which has brought this virtual library into existence. Books do change the world.