“I hate the thought of no printed books, magazines or newspapers and the way of life they evoke. Books on the bedside table …” wrote Janet Weir in The Listener (13 August 2016). How I agree with her! The pile of books on my bedside table has been one of the very few constants in my life – in every country I’ve lived in, in every house, in every bedroom. I came away from our last trip to KL with the pile you can see in the photo above from the excellent Kinokuniya bookshop in the Suria Mall at KLCC. I have already read the Kiran Desai and have just finished Max Perkins – Editor of Genius. This morning before my walk I began the Gabrielle Zevin and really enjoyed the first 18 pages. I know I could have got copies of all these books for my e-reader but somehow it’s not nearly as exciting as having the pile of actual books, which creates a delicious sense of anticipation.