Books

Outside work I am a sporadic reader. I am also a one-time only reader - I can’t bear to re-read novels. On my bedside table at the moment is Saints of New York by RJ Ellory - so far so good. I recently read, and very much enjoyed, the Kate Atkinson series of books featuring Jackson Brodie, which starts with Case Histories. Unusually, I gave up on a book last week - The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver. Why does that feel like my failure? I also read a lot of children’s books (often time and again!) and am currently reading a couple of Willard Price novels that I enjoyed as a boy, to see if they are suitable for my seven-year-old son.

Music

I will happily listen to most types of music but haven’t bought any for quite some time. I enjoy music currently in the charts, music from my youth, music from before my birth, classical music and traditional music. I really don’t understand why anyone likes The Rolling Stones or Oasis.

TV

Now that Spooks has had its final series, there is nothing I regularly watch on television - though Ski Sunday is becoming a family favourite. I like watching tennis and golf when big tournaments are on. I expect athletics and gymnastics at the Olympics will feature in my viewing schedule too.

Film

If I am to spend time in front of the television it is most likely I will be watching a film. I tend to favour action films or thrillers, but a couple of others took my attention recently. I subscribe to LOVEFiLM and, after everyone else had seen it, The King’s Speech arrived in the post and very much lived up to the hype. The other was the less hyped but almost as good: Hereafter, directed by Clint Eastwood.