WHAT BOOK would TV presenter Dermot O’Leary take to a desert island?
- Dermot O’Leary is currently reading Into The Raging Sea by Rachel Slade
- He’d take to a desert island: The Charlie Parker books by John Connolly
- Toto The Ninja Cat And The Mystery Jewel Thief by Dermot O’Leary is out now
. . . are you reading now?
Into The Raging Sea by Rachel Slade. It’s an incredible examination of the El Faro cargo ship disaster, with exclusive interviews with marine experts and family members of the men who were lost, and the words of the crew which were captured on the ship’s data recorder.
I love maritime history and stories of human survival and this is one of the best I’ve read in ages — Slade is a brilliant journalist.
It’s such a rich book — with elements of The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger — about a heart-breaking event ultimately caused by putting profit before lives.
Dermot O’Leary is currently reading Into The Raging Sea by Rachel Slade
. . . would you take to a desert island?
The Charlie Parker books by John Connolly. I’m a big fan of crime fiction and Connolly is one of the best writers in this genre.
Parker is this perfect tortured detective with a touch of the macabre. Think Philip Marlowe meets Stephen King. He channels his anger and grief into solving some really gritty cases and helping others. They’re unputdownable reads that draw you right into the action.
. . . first gave you the reading bug?
Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl. I loved reading as a child and remember the page-turning joy and the dialogue of Roald Dahl’s books — Fantastic Mr Fox was always my favourite.
So charming, funny and smart, a proper hero always outwitting farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean!
Apart from Dahl, I really loved Raymond Briggs — The Snowman and Father Christmas especially.
I liked the way Briggs never talked down to kids; Father Christmas was always a bit tired and belligerent, he wasn’t a genial old man.
. . . left you cold?
I’ve honestly never been left cold by a book. I know the kind of books I like and will listen to recommendations from booksellers and friends.
It was a bookseller who told me about Into The Raging Sea, which was a brilliant bit of salesmanship.
- Toto The Ninja Cat And The Mystery Jewel Thief by Dermot O’Leary (illustrated by Nick East) is out now (Hodder Children’s Books £9.99).