The singer, author and former Spice Girl shares favourite books from different times in her life. Her latest book for young readers – "Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire", the second in the "Rosie Frost" series – is out now.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
This left such a lasting impression on me as a child, and looking back I think it's because there are so many layers to it – there's the adventure and escapism, or finding yourself in characters such as Lucy and Edmund, and then finding the god in all of us. I kept climbing into the backs of wardrobes because of C.S. Lewis.
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde, 1890
I was just starting out when I got a free copy of "The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde" by writing to a book club at the back of The Sunday Times; I've still got the book. I think the darkness of it really left an impression. Being seen as good and popular when actually there's a picture of your rotting soul in an attic, all your treachery and deceit. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Any Human Heart
William Boyd, 2002
I read this in my early 30s, and it made me cry. William Boyd is the master of writing a life, and Logan Mountstuart is an unforgettable character. Every life has its chapters – it has its despair and its greatness – and I think he shows that so honestly.
The Other Boleyn Girl
Philippa Gregory, 2001
I've picked authors who have been game-changers in my life, and this was an entry point into historical fiction. It led me to a love of the Tudors, which "Rosie Frost" leans into at a very accessible level. Philippa Gregory is a force to be reckoned with.
Hamnet
Maggie O’Farrell, 2020
This is a reader's book – it's brave and painful and page-turning. The way she describes the bubonic plague, going from the tiny detail of the flea to the crippling grief of loss – she's a genius. I sobbed till my heart was wrung out.
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