Book lover: William Purefoy

William Purefoy. Photo / Supplied

Counter tenor William Purefoy sings the role of Arsamene in the NBR New Zealand Opera's production of Xerxes, opening in Auckland on Wednesday, March 2. nzopera.com

The book I love most is ... The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. This was the first book I ever read and I've read it many times now, including out loud to my wife and children. I'm always amazed at the way in which it's written on so many levels for everyone to enjoy, with fabulous phrases like "he fell into a bit of the forest that had been left out by mistake".

The book I'm reading right now is ... A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. Everyone told me how great The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was and so, just to be contrary, I've decided to start with another of his books. It's early days yet...

The book I'd like to read next is ... The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I want to have a bash at the Larsson trilogy to see what all the fuss is about.

The book that changed me is ... The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. My daughter was so enthusiastic about this book that I just had to read it and she was right. It's beautifully written. A book that can reduce a grown man to tears on an aeroplane having previously made him laugh out loud has got to have something going for it. I love it when a writer consistently conjures up turns of phrase that make me stop and think "wow".

The book I wish I'd never read is ... The Island Of The Day Before by Umberto Eco. This book just made me cross. It is such a lovely idea but is so unbelievably slow and laborious that I simply had to give up, despite having soldiered on for about three quarters of it. I understand that Umberto Eco once said that it was his personal aim to write a book that was unfinishable for the reader. Job done, in my opinion.