An English literature professor, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst shares all that he has gained from 20 years of teaching iconic works such as 'Wuthering Heights', 'Dracula', and modern day classics like 'Normal People' and 'The Handmaid's Tale'.

In this tremendously engaging memoir and guide, he celebrates the wonder of books and explains how we can get the most from our reading experience.

The literary critic I A Richards said, in 1942: 'We are all of us learning to read all the time'.

This is a good place to start and the author takes us companionably through the works he has selected, showing us what we might have overlooked and encouraging us to look more deeply and thoughtfully at the text. He does not overwhelm us with information or blind us with his own intellect and insight. Instead he seeks to better equip us to read more meaningfully.

He takes us through Wordsworth's 'Daffodils' and Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'. He unpicks suspense, romance and ghost stories. And he even highlights how text works with illustrations and how it doesn't. And there's so much more. 

It's a brilliant book which is a page turner in its own right, but it's something to return to time and again for the author's tips, guidance and enthusiasm. I'm determined to revisit familiar novels and to dive into new books, with his thoughts and comments alongside.

There's one key takeaway from this book for me, though. If we are to get more out of books, says the author, we may all need to slow down.