The “Countdown” lexicographer picks her favourites. She’ll be talking about her new book, “The Roots We Share: 100 Words That Bring Us Together”, at Wimbledon BookFest on 25 October.
Oxford English Dictionary
Le Grand Meaulnes
Henri Alain-Fournier, 1913
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This was the first book to stop me in my tracks – I was about 14 and completely receptive to a story set in the twilight world between childhood and adolescence. It is wistful, melancholy, achingly romantic and full of longing. I found it so magical that I’m almost scared of picking it up again in case the spell is broken.
In the Shadow of Man
Jane Goodall, 1971
This book changes your view on what it is to be human. Of all the creatures on the planet, the chimpanzee is the one that most closely resembles us, and Goodall has dedicated her life to understanding this beautiful animal. This is a book that continues to teach us that, as humans, we are no more entitled to our glorious planet than the chimps Goodall so lovingly protects.
Thursday’s Child
Noel Streatfeild, 1970
As a child, I cherished this book, which is about a foundling who escapes her orphanage and finds work as a legger on a canal. I loved its spirit of adventure, and for years afterwards I wanted to live on the canal. For some reason the young me was drawn to stories involving orphans: I think I liked the romance of making one’s way in the world with no one to guide you, except perhaps the occasional mouse.
Writing on the Wall
Madeleine Pelling, 2024
I’ve recently enjoyed this fascinating account of how ordinary citizens have carved and scribbled their thoughts across the surfaces of our cities for centuries. Graffiti is probably the most democratic form of writing we’ve ever had.
Titles in print are available from The Week Bookshop
-
The Olympic timekeepers keeping the Games on trackUnder the Radar Swiss watchmaking giant Omega has been at the finish line of every Olympic Games for nearly 100 years
-
Will increasing tensions with Iran boil over into war?Today’s Big Question President Donald Trump has recently been threatening the country
-
Corruption: The spy sheikh and the presidentFeature Trump is at the center of another scandal
-
6 exquisite homes with vast acreageFeature Featuring an off-the-grid contemporary home in New Mexico and lakefront farmhouse in Massachusetts
-
Film reviews: ‘Wuthering Heights,’ ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,’ and ‘Sirat’Feature An inconvenient love torments a would-be couple, a gonzo time traveler seeks to save humanity from AI, and a father’s desperate search goes deeply sideways
-
A thrilling foodie city in northern JapanThe Week Recommends The food scene here is ‘unspoilt’ and ‘fun’
-
Tourangelle-style pork with prunes recipeThe Week Recommends This traditional, rustic dish is a French classic
-
Samurai: a ‘blockbuster’ display of Japan’s legendary warriorsThe Week Recommends British Museum show offers a ‘scintillating journey’ through ‘a world of gore, power and artistic beauty’
-
BMW iX3: a ‘revolution’ for the German car brandThe Week Recommends The electric SUV promises a ‘great balance between ride comfort and driving fun’
-
Arcadia: Tom Stoppard’s ‘masterpiece’ makes a ‘triumphant’ returnThe Week Recommends Carrie Cracknell’s revival at the Old Vic ‘grips like a thriller’
-
My Father’s Shadow: a ‘magically nimble’ love letter to LagosThe Week Recommends Akinola Davies Jr’s touching and ‘tender’ tale of two brothers in 1990s Nigeria
