I’ve discovered that books are an open ticket for a platform in the direction of ‘you, this world and beyond’. This ticket transports me away from this world with its disorienting noise, its demands, expectations and the things of which I’ve grown weary. I journey through new faces, voices and places that may be less familiar as well as those that carry an echo of things once known. Books are friends that both comfort and challenge, and they are beacons to guide me home, carrying more joy and knowledge than I packed when I left.

Reading record

This is a list of 375 fiction and non-fiction books I’ve read since 2018 when my records began, and a few memorable ones before that.

My favourite reads have a 5-star rating. 4.5-star ratings come highly recommended and 4-star ratings should not be discounted. 2 – 3.5-star ratings don’t mean that the book didn’t serve a purpose at the time of reading, it’s just not a book I’d necessarily make a universal recommendation for. 0 – 1.5-star ratings are books I’d probably suggest avoiding entirely. 

My experience of book recommendations over the years, both giving and receiving, is that the words, characters, stories, and places that speak to one soul are not always an experience that’s shared, even when there’s certainty it will be. When a book does land with two people in the same way, there’s nothing else quite like it. If you decide to act on any of my recommendations then I’d love to know your experiences. Use the filter below to navigate quickly to specific categories or scroll through.

Reading collections

A collection of 6 books, laid in a 3x2 grid, covers facing upwards
Becoming

Reading in 2022

Most memorable reads Fiction The School for Good Mothers – Jessamine Chan Read in 2022 Some favourite words: ‘She thought she would’ve become a different

Plain background with small multicoloured paper triangles scattered
Equity

Decolonising the curriculum: a reading list

A collection of key reading. Updated as new learning takes place. Last updated: November 2022 Defining decolonisation Why I Say ‘Decolonisation is Impossible’   Adebisi.

Long Division book cover
Becoming

Reading in 2021

These are 9 of the 61 books I read in 2021 whose magic will remain with me. Musa Okwonga’s memoir, One of Them, will leave you

A white double door on a white wall opening wide into a bare room with pale wooden floorboards
Research engagement

Research engagement: a reading list

A collection of key reading. Updated as new learning takes place. Last updated: November 2022 Critical engagement with research The Open Door: How to be

A laptop on a table with notepad, two pens and headphones
CPD

Online teacher CPD: a reading list

A collection of key reading. Updated as new learning takes place. Last updated: April 2022 Online teacher CPD Online teacher CPD: principles from research and

Brick all with an 'Accessible entry' sign attached to it. Some old peeling pastel graffiti paint or artwork cover the old bricks.
Equity

Accessibility: a reading list

A collection of articles, technologies and guides to creating accessible content online and beyond. View and explore

Becoming

Reading in 2020

Ever since the days of Biff, Chip and Kipper, I have loved escaping in the endless number of worlds offered by books. There was a

Crowd in a dark room with raised hands in the air towards a band on stage playing below sign saying community
Online learning

Online communities: a reading list

A collection of articles, research, blogs and videos exploring effective practice in the creation of online communities within the education sector and beyond. View and

Becoming

2018: A year of reading

2018 saw the completion of my library at home and a commitment to more reading. Being an English teacher had lead to far less reading