With today marking World Book Day, we thought that we’d have a little ask around the office to see what the Core team consider to be their favourite reads…

Kay Cadman – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“I love this book for two reasons.  Firstly it’s a very moving, well written story with great characters, and secondly I got A+ for my O-Level and it was the only exam I enjoyed!”

Richard Clews – Bronson by Charles Bronson

“This is a gritty, real insight into a maniac’s mind.  I love the artwork and illustrations that he does throughout the book; they’re not very polished but are really meaningful and very real. I read this on my honeymoon in the Maldives.  After all the lovey-dovey stuff it was good to get into something dark and ‘underworldy’!”

Charlotte Crossley – The Three Robbers by Tomi Ungerer

“This was my favourite book as a child, the most dark, dismal, random kids’ book ever!  My mother was totally horrified that I kept asking for her to read it over and over again and she still winds me up about it to this day!”

Karoline Adamson – A Quiet Belief in Angels by RJ Ellroy

“The only UK author to have written an American novel that is good, and he lives in Birmingham!  My childhood favourite is a close call between Roald Dahl’s The Twits and The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde.”

Dan Hill – The Rum Diary by Hunter S Thompson

“As Thompson’s only work of fiction, this is a brilliant, vivid and fast-paced novel that whirls around a group of drunken journalists based at an English-language paper in Puerto Rico.  Written in 1959 but not published for another 39 years, this is a cracking story that loses nothing over time – you can almost smell the rum!”

Niki Marsden – Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul

“Without a shadow of a doubt this was my favourite book as a child.  I was always fascinated with the colours in the book and just loved how her house went from being all black and boring to being a rainbow of colours and I wanted a house just like that when I grew up…although I’ve still not found one!”

Sharon Hopkins – Set Me Free by Walter Moore MBE

“I’ve been researching my family history over the last few years and found this book by my grandfather’s half-sister’s husband!  The book outlines his life after serving in both World Wars and how he gave up his business in Birmingham to help the homeless and house those people had nothing or nowhere to go by purchasing properties with his own money.  Truly inspiring and incredibly moving.”

Lewanna Reid – The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

“It has all the ingredients of a great book! Set during the war, it mixes historic facts with a real insight as to what it was like living in Russia during the war.  All of this, combined with a true love affair made it impossible to set down.”

Kim Stephens – Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

“This is a bit of a children’s classic that has stood the test of time with the making of the recent film. I really loved the portrayal of Mr Fox and his fellow animal friends outwitting the greedy farmers.  It is really funny and engaging, and has just the right level of gruesomeness for a kid!”