I love books, in fact I love words both writing them and indeed reading them. As a youngster I would spend my pocket money on ‘books’ not sweets or toys but good ole fashioned books. Every Saturday I would be taken to ‘Warren’s’ toy and book shop, for those of you who have resided you may remember it.

Those ‘Enid Blyton’ books not only still hold a special place in my heart but also in our loft where they have since resided. I always peek at them when getting something else from the loft and in fact they are still in the same box that used to live in the bedroom of my childhood home.

As the years have passed, I have to say I am still a lover of books, it is my favourite self-care pastime, I can literally be absorbed for hours in the words of others losing myself into a world of either make believe if it is fiction or at times the worlds of those who biographies I am engrossed in.

A few weeks ago whilst waiting for a friend in Bristol I wandered into Waterstones, the first thing that hit me was the smell of the books themselves, you don’t get that with audio or electronic books and it is this that to me draws me in further, in fact on this occasion bought back the childhood memories of visiting the local shop in Monmouth. I literally lose time wandering around a book shop so on spying a load of books I wanted to peek at I decided that following the time spent with my friend I would return.

I got to telling my friend about my visit to the bookshop and my love of the actual book, it was then we came up with the genius idea of taking photos of all the books I want to read then adding them to my Christmas Wish List. These photos, I made a list of my top ten, has now winged its way to my family so this year they aren’t stuck on what to get me. I have to say I am excited for Christmas Day when I get to see them all stacked up, my only dilemma will be ‘which one first?’

I very rarely get stuck on a book, if I start it I have to finish although last year I was presented with a challenge when a book I had requested arrived but the print in it was so small it proved to be a difficult read, the content was good it was just the size of the book print along with the paper quality that made it struggle. I have however just finished it, nine months on, never one to let it beat me, I will stop a book midway through if I am not enjoying it, however I was enjoying this one just not the challenge of the text!

Today, I am now looking forward to starting one of the other three books that have been on hold, I will probably choose the fiction one written by the excellent Ruth Jones as I know it will be easy fiction to read and based on her others will get read within possibly even a week!

So, what is your favourite style of book? Electronic, audio or like me good ole paper edition? If you haven’t picked up a paper one in a while, give it try, my only other future dilemma will be I guess is where to store all those new books that are winging their way to me for Christmas.