The Books That Made You Fall in Love with Reading
From the first childhood books that opened up a world to the novels that we can’t get enough of, here is a selection of the titles that made Hackney Council workers fall in love with reading. What would yours be?
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
“I love reading and there are so many books that I could suggest, this one however is one of my favourite books and Maya Angelou is one of my favourite authors. If I can be a bit cheeky and include two other books they would be Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkinson… the common themes in all these books are identity, love, resilience and overcoming despite struggles, uprisings and challenges.”
Recommended by Dawn, Chief Executive
Tom Tit Moves House
Molly Brett
“My favourite.”
Recommended by Jonathan, Revenues: Finance and Corporate Resources
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle
“It has to be.”
Recommended by Stewart, Strategic Communications
What Katy Did Next
Susan Coolidge
“My favourite books as a child were generally the classics because they were always cheap and affordable with pocket money at my favourite discount bookstore in Ealing Broadway . The entire series was one of my faves, but especially What Katy Did Next which turns out to be a fascinating glimpse into what travelling around Europe during the Victorian era must have been like. I didn’t have much in common with Katy (she’s an American eldest sister to many siblings whilst I was an only child) but I always appreciated her trying to do the right thing, and learning and growing from her mistakes.”
Recommended by Rammie, Internal Communications
The Magic Finger
Roald Dahl
“It was the first book I read by myself when I learnt to read. I found it so funny, cheeky and mischievous and now my children love his books too.”
Recommended by Cleo, Employment, Skills and Adult Learning
Nervous Conditions
Tsitsi Dangarembga
“I chose this book because it resonates well with me, taking into account themes of race, colonialism and gender during the colonial period to present day Zimbabwe. The protagonist Tambu desires to attend school but due to poverty, she does not have enough money to pay for her school fees.
“When she excels on the exam, she is offered a scholarship to attend this well-known school. She is introduced to cultural changes but remains resistant to these changes and focuses on her studies as she remains cautious of her daily situations and nervous of the conditions that surround her.”
Recommended by: Melba, Building Maintenance and Estate Environment Team
The Village by the Sea
Anita Desai
“This was one of the first books I read as a kid that had a different perspective from people from a different country. It was one of the catalysts for my standpoint of kind curiosity when dealing with people with different experiences to me.”
Recommended by Emma, Tenant Management Organisation Services
The Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame
“My favourite, as a child, was The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame. I still love that book, but my favourite recommendation for very young children and their inattentive parents is Not Now, Bernard, by David McKee.”
Recommended by Sandra, Public Health
A Wizard of Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin
“I read this when I was young and probably didn’t understand it all, but loved the themes of balance of nature and magic, and the possibility of redemption. Le Guin is an astonishing world-builder, I just want to inhabit the universes she creates. I re-read this book – and the other books in the same world – regularly and always find something new in it the older I get.”
Recommended by: Emmie, Policy & Strategy
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Mark Haddon
“I don’t normally read fiction, but once I started, I just couldn’t put this book down. It’s a very sweet narrative told from the perspective of a 15-year-old boy, who is seen as an outsider and understands the world in a very different and peculiar way. Simply brilliant!”
Recommended by Andrea, Provided Services – ASC
Stig of the Dump
Clive King
“This was one of the first books that I read as a child that really engrossed me and I read it voraciously. The thing I remember most was that it described feelings of loneliness which I hadn’t really acknowledged or understood until then. It was however a book full of joy and humour and I fell in love with Stig and so wanted a friend just like him. I also remember that it was the first book I felt really sad to have finished.”
Recommended by Claire, Chief Executive’s Office
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez
“I was thirteen, stubborn, allergic to anything school wanted me to read. My best friend placed it in my hands and said, ‘Read this!’ Just like that, BOOM, my world cracked open. I had no idea writing like that existed. Márquez opened a door to another dimension where language shimmered and reality bent. To this day, I remember its scent, its texture, its quiet magic, the concise, precise moment of realisation that I’d found somewhere I belonged. I felt so lucky!”
“This book has always resonated with me for its exploration of memory, the cyclical nature of history and the collective struggle between remembering and forgetting. This book shows that imperialism and foreign exploitation can destroy a society from the inside out and this concept is timeless and of course feels just as relevant today.”
Recommended by Lucia, Chief Executive’s Office and Manuela, Housing Climate and Economy
First Man In
Ant Middleton
“Based on facts of a soldier within the SBS and his story of when he was trying to become a soldier to his rise to the special forces, details his life and career,sharing lessons on leadership and resilience learned through his experiences in the military, including passing special forces selection and serving in the SBS, Royal Marine, book covers highs and lows of his life, toughness and personal growth.”
Recommended by Joe, Housing Climate and Economy
Janet and John: Here We Go
Mabel O’Donnell
“I learned to read by the repetitive sentences in the Janet and John books, but moving forward a generation my children used to like me reading the Children of the Faraway Tree to them at bedtime, but I also bought them all of the classics to read when they were older, then they chose their own books – my daughter favouring Jacqueline Wilson. They still have the sets they were bought 35 years ago, the first set was the Benjamin Bunny series of books – my daughter loved them because of the illustrations. She may have not been able to read the words at the time, but she could tell the story by reading the pictures.”
Recommended by: Kim Hinge, Benefits and Homeless Prevention
Mort
Terry Pratchett
“This was the first of his books I read, aged 11. I was instantly captured by the characters and humour. Over several re-readings of this and his other books, I also found some really profound and insightful thoughts on the human condition. The ‘Boots’ Theory of
Socio-Economic Unfairness is a great example! This, and his other books, have definitely shaped my worldview, as well as my sense of humour!”
Recommended by Dan, Consultation and Engagement
Northern Lights
Philip Pullman
“I remember picking up the book for its cover, a small girl riding a huge polar bear accompanied by a tiny mouse. As an adult, I reread it and saw a second meaning, more political, I am still moved by that little feral girl and her sharp tongue whose deep friendships take her to the end of the world and beyond.”
“It trusts young readers with big ideas. Pullman explores theology, consciousness, mortality, and authority while maintaining a gripping adventure. What strikes me is how he embeds those ideas so organically that they never feel like a lecture, emerging through Lyra’s questions, her lived experiences with the Magisterium’s cruelty, and watching what happens when authority goes unquestioned.”
Recommended by Louise, Housing Climate and Economy and Nicholas, Libraries
Where the Red Fern Grows
Wilson Rawls
“This story about a boy and his two hunting dogs set in rural America was the first book I read that I couldn't put down and the first that connected to my emotions. I remember walking around my house reading the last few chapters while tears streamed down my face. It was adventurous, beautiful, and heartbreaking.”
Recommended by Abby, Policy & Strategy Delivery
The God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy
“Not the first book to give me that love of reading, but it profoundly shaped my reading journey. The beautiful prose and masterful storytelling, set against a culturally distinct backdrop in India, tackles challenging social and political themes, especially around race, religion and class, with such delicacy and care. It was even better on a second read!”
Recommended by Sam, Climate, Sustainability & Environmental Services
The Catcher in the Rye
JD Salinger
“I was 13 when I first read this classic novel about teenage alienation. Though I grew up in the suburbs and the novel’s anti-hero, 16-year Holden Caulfield, is drifting through seedy New York after being expelled from school, something about Salinger’s fast-moving prose, snarky humour, and Holden’s restless quest for something he can’t quite identify, spoke to me. My most re-read novel (it gets an outing every three or four years), it brilliantly articulated the complex and conflicting feelings of being an awkward teen, and opened the door for me to a world of American literature.”
Recommended by Jon – Community Library Service
Green Eggs and Ham
Dr Seuss
“I still love and read this book. The unusual character shapes, vivid facial expressions, vibrant colors and repetitive rhyming. Easy-to-follow script with easy words to read. Hauntingly hilarious humour. I joined the teacher loudly for ‘I do not like,’ which became a huge part of my childhood rhetoric.”
Recommended by Margaret, Housing
The Hobbit
JRR Tolkien
“Myth, magic, fantasy, and adventure aimed at a first time reader. It’s a long story, perfect to get stuck into, warm, cozy, and full of charming stories with a few lessons thrown in.”
Recommended by Harrison, Housing
Slaughterhouse-Five
Kurt Vonnegut
“I picked Slaughterhouse-Five because it shows, in such a human way, how absurd and heartbreaking war really is. It feels more relevant than ever right now, seeing how history seems to keep repeating itself.”
Recommended by Diana, Public Health
Fourth Wing
Rebecca Yarros
“I actually listened to this book (the Graphic Audio version) and it was phenomenal. The world building, the character development, the humour and all of the emotions are present in this series and I love it all! There’s romance but it doesn’t overpower the fantasy elements (dragons!), the politics or family dynamics. It really is an excellent series... so far!”
Recommended by Victoria, Environmental Services
An Immense World
Ed Yong
“An accessible but in-depth dive into the myriad of ways that animals experience the world differently from us, reminding us that there’s no perspective small enough to not be worth considering, and that we shouldn’t assume that others view the world, or beauty, as we do. This book pushed my sense of wonder to the limit and reminded me of all the amazing things that exist in the world.”
Recommended by Emily, Libraries
