My fictional world

I love talking about and recommending books, so couldn't resist linking up with Jocelyn's "my fictional world" Q&A (original post here)

Here are my answers:
What were your favourite reads from your childhood?
My favourite childhood reads were Enid Blyton (St Clares, Malory Towers, the Adventure series, Faraway Tree), and Roald Dahl. I also secretly enjoyed the novels-with-a-moral which had been my mum's Sunday School prizes!

There are always those books that defined your teen reads and stay with you – what were yours?
Has to be Judy Blume and the giggling over "Forever", and the Sweet Valley High books. I also read a lot of Catherine Cookson in my early teens, which I was far too young for, and left me slightly emotionally scarred! Anne of Green Gables is a perennial favourite, which I've just finished re-reading.

Who are your favourite authors currently?
So difficult to say - I'm always excited about a new book from Jasper Fforde, for his literary genius; Carlos Ruiz Zafon; and Donna Tartt (this excitement doesn't come round very often). I would have to say Haruki Murakami is pretty consistently top of the list, especially The Wild Sheep Chase. Oh, and I've just discovered John Green (The Fault in Their Stars).

Which 3 genres do you gravitate towards most often?
I don't really think in terms of genres. I love Chinese/Japanese novels, as they give an insight into a totally unfamiliar cultural context. Historical fiction, particularly the Tudor period, is always a winner. And...erm...modern fiction. Does that have a name? I'm thinking of books like the Time Travellers Wife, anything by Khaled Hosseini...often containing a romantic element but far more complex than that.

Can you choose your top titles from each of those genres?
The Wild Sheep Chase (Murakami), the Kitchen God's Wife (Amy Tan) and Wild Swans; I have a shame-faced love for Philippa Gregory, but would probably recommend Wolf Hall above these; and The Mountains Echoed (Hosseini), the Goldfinch (Donna Tartt), and The Shadow of the Wind. I feel like I've cheated by choosing incredibly broad genres!

And your least favourite genres?
I just can't get excited about fantasy and sci-fi. Terry Pratchett leaves me cold.

Of the many, many fictional and fantastical worlds, where would you most like to visit?
I think the Philip Pullman world of Northern Lights.

Everyone loves a villain, right?! Who would make your favourites list?
I'm drawing a bit of a blank on this one. But I'm sure as soon as I publish I will think of someone! I do prefer to like the characters I'm reading about, which is probably a bit simplistic.

Share the books that have had you sobbing?
Time Travellers Wife. Out loud, on a bus. No matter how many times I read it. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith. A Town Like Alice (Neville Shute) is very moving too. 

And let’s end on a high! Which books leave a smile on your face, and maybe elicit a few laughs?!
Anything by Jasper Fforde. The man's a genius at combining literary allusions and references with an entirely imaginative world - The Eyre Affair is the one to start with. Scarlett Thomas and The End of Mr Y.