Book lover: Hana Schofield

Hana Schofield. Photo / Supplied

Hana Schofield is the co-author of the best-selling memoir, Goodbye Sarajevo (Bloomsbury, $35).

The book I love most is ... George Orwell's 1984. It was written in 1948 yet much of it remains relevant today (a police-controlled state, the idea of thought crime, Big Brother watching us, etc).

The book I'm reading right now is ... Hinterland, by Caroline Brothers. It's excellent.

The book I'd like to read next is ... The Good Book, by AC Grayling. We met him in Sydney recently. He's very funny.

My favourite bookshop is ... I like small, cosy, independent bookshops, especially the ones which sell coffee.

The book that changed me is ... Illusions, by Richard Bach, particularly the following line: "Here's a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you're still alive, it isn't." I read it when I was 17 and found it very empowering (although it has nothing to do with James Bond, it left me convinced that I could get a job as a Bond girl. I'm still working on it).

The book I wish I'd never read is ... An Insider's Guide to Weightlifting. I was at a backpackers in Bolivia a few years ago and it was the only book they had in English. If you're after something to numb your brain, this is the book for it.