Books I've grown up with

For many years I had your classic evil stepmother but she did leave me with two useful insights, amongst all the emotional damage. One of which was saying that over time your favourite Austen will change, and that's okay. I think that's very profound. Also, I still have her copy of Northanger Abbey. My favourite Austen has changed. At that time, when I was a teenager, it was Sense and Sensibility. Now I'd have to say it's Emma. I'm hoping to mature into Persuasion. When I was a kid Watership Down was a story about rabbits. And I loved rabbits. I also loved history and mythology so I appreciated those things about the story too. Every time I read it I'm blown away by the density of the world and the phenomenology of the thing. I've got very distinct memories of reading Vanity Fair. I was fourteen, we were camping in Cornwall. We played Goldeneye tournaments in the rec room, my sister got hayfever for the first time, I picked up a cheap copy from a shop and was so engrossed I sunburnt…