Colette’s Reading Habits in The Lady

Feb 2017 

Colette was featured in this week’s The Lady, talking
about her reading habits. Here’s what she said...

Tell us about what you are reading right now…

I don’t read many crime novels but stayed up late last night to finish Broken Harbour by Tana French. Writers are supposed to read widely and well beyond their own genre, and I chose Broken Harbour because it’s a critically acclaimed, prize-winning debut. Despite being well over five-hundred pages long, French manages to keep the pace fast and the tension high. I will certainly look out for more by this author.  

I balance my love of fiction with a good dose of non-fiction, and have just started reading The Price of Prosperity by Todd G Buchholz. With the western world in flux right now, it comforts me to try to comprehend the underlying factors. I’m only three chapters in but so far it’s very enlightening.

Do you have a favourite reading spot?

I can read anywhere but my favourite spot would have to be my comfy, cosy bed.

Kindle or heaving bookshelves?

I have both, but love the feel of a book in my hand. Also, you can tell a lot about a person by perusing their bookshelves.

What is on your reading list for these dark winter evenings?

Nutshell by Ian McEwan is my book group choice, and below that on my ‘To Be Read’ pile are The Sellout by Paul Beatty and Hot Milk by Deborah Levy.

Which books or authors have influenced you most?

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is probably my favourite book and I enjoy anything by Ian McEwan and Anne Tyler.