Reading Is My Greatest Luxury.

The Importance And Influence Of Books On Me Has Been Cumulative: The Result Of Hearing And Reading Lots Of Stories About Interesting People And Places.

Every Year I Teach Dozens Of Students At The University Of Birmingham. Most Of The Students On The Gender And Sexuality Courses Are Women. I Guess This Is Because The Boys Don't Think That Gender Applies To Them: That It's A Subject For Girls.

I Thought It Was Something Peculiar To Me. I Thought I Was Abnormal.

I Can't Pick Out One Single Book That Had Such A Profound Personal Impact.

When I Was A Child And Teenager I Read Whenever I Had The Opportunity, But Since Then I've Found It Hard To Read As Much As I'd Like, Children, Work, And Pets All Providing Powerful Incentives To Escape Into A Book And A Practical Reason Why I Rarely Do So.