Book lover: Ben Crowder

Ben Crowder. Photo / Supplied

Ben Crowder is the director of children's theatre show The Secret of Dongting Lake.

The book I love most is ... Cloudstreet by Tim Winton. I read it when I was living in Australia and it came as a surprise as I had never read any Winton. It was the first time I had connected with Australia as a culture and a country through a book.

The book I'm reading right now is ... A bedside pile - The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami and Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel. It's always the way when I'm working on a show. I can't quite dive into to anything but find the thought of reading a huge comfort ... then fall asleep.

The book I'd like to read next is ... Yates Garden Guide as I'm desperate to sort out the garden after a wet and miserable winter spent working like a dog.

The book that changed me is ... There Are No Secrets by Peter Brook, an endless inspiration and reassurance when working in theatre.

The book I wish I'd never read is ... It's a toss up between Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Both books I was persuaded to read by others and both I found utterly depressing and over-hyped. On reflection, Twilight would win as it was my company on a long-haul flight from London. It was appallingly written and I was desperate to be done with it.

* The Secret Of Dongting Lake is about a dragon, a princess, a hero and an army of gangster rats. It will run riot these school holidays at the Auckland Town Hall from October 4 to October 9. Bookings through The Edge, 0800 BUY TICKETS or buytickets.co.nz, Recommended for ages 6 to 10.