Books are delightful as they are – don't fall in the trap of competitive reading

My happiest times in childhood were spent reading the books of E. Nesbit, C.S. Lewis and Joan Aiken, writes Sally O'Reilly. Preferring to read in hidden corners where nobody could find me, I immersed myself completely in these stories and believed utterly in their magic, even attempting to enter Narnia via the portal of my grandmother’s wardrobe.

As an adult, I still call myself a passionate reader, but sometimes feel as if I’ve lost my way compared to my childhood self. I buy vast quantities of books, talk about books, read as many as possible, sometimes even write them – but it’s not often I find that same pure immersion in an imagined world which has been such a lasting inspiration.