A very long time ago I read The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit, quickly followed by The Phoenix and the Carpet and the Psammead books. What I loved about them was that magic co-existed in our every day world. That an ordinary object or building could be magical and that anyone could experience it if they were lucky enough. It made me look for the unexpected and wonderful in my every day life and to look at the world differently.

I’ve never forgotten that sense of wonder and magic that came from reading this very early Edwardian urban fantasy and over the years I have found that the desire to find magic in the every day world hasn’t gone. My favourite types of reading are alternate histories and realities where magical beings co-exist with ordinary people. Some of my favourite authors are Alan Garner, Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman, Benedict Jacka, Cassandra Clare, Leigh Bardugo, Samantha Shannon, Deborah Harkness, and Jim Butcher who create such powerful and convincing alternate worlds. That translates to television and film too with stories like ‘Lucky Man’.

My tastes in reading do go wider than this. I love historical fiction and biography, sci-fi and also some contemporary literature. But I think I will always come back to urban fantasy as my favourite genre.

Why did I call this blog Books after Midnight? It’s my favourite time to read and almost my only time. It’s my time. I am a busy part time working mother but last thing at night is my quiet time. After all the chores are done, my family is looked after and my little boy is asleep I can open my Kindle and slip away into a new adventure.