(Editted to work with MS Explorer)

Just when you thought memes had died away...

I was tagged to come up with 25 books that had 'made an impact on me in whatever way' and that it shouldn't involve too much thinking.  I deliberately opted not to have too much theology and mostly picked fiction.  Not planning on tagging anyone, but feel free to make your own list!  I didn't find it easy to get to 25 'significant' items.

So here goes...

1. Beauty and the Beast (Ladybird) the first book I remember reading over and over and over

2. The Railway Children ( E Nesbitt) adventure, morality and even a bit of mild theology!

3. Ballet Shoes (Noel Streatfield) especially Pauline who wanted to be an engineer! Even if as a child I never imagined I'd end up as one

4. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) – I remember wondering what "the ch-olera" (as I mis-pronounced it was) and loving the story.

5. Heidi (Johanna Spyri) – doesn't everyone read this?!

6. Last Term at Mallory Towers (Enid Blyton) well there has to be something by her doesn't there... I collected and read the whole series. Always more Sally than Daryll and never understood why a girl had a boy's name (all the Darrells I'd met were male and thugs-in-training!)

7. Tom Brown's Schooldays (Thomas Hughes) I loved this classic, and re-reading years later was amazed how rich the Christian overtones were.

8. Winter Holiday (Arthur Ransome) and indeed all the Swallows and Amazons series; this was the first one I read.

9. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) my all time favourite book! First read at age 11, regularly revisited.

10. Eagle of the Ninth (Rosemary Sutcliffe) I cannot recall any of the story, but I do recall loving the whole series of historical novels

11. Anne of Green Gables (L M Nongomery) which was serialised on the BBC and I later read the books. I think I probably envied her confidence and mischief.

12. Jude the Obscure (Thomas Hardy) having been made to read Far from the Madding Crowd for 'O' level English and told to read more Hardy by our English teacher, this was my favourite. Some say it explains a lot!!

13. God's Smuggler (Brother Andrew) which led to a long commitment to supporting Open Doors and sending money to smuggle Bibles. My one bit of deliberate law breaking ... even if it was USSR law.

14. The Bible (!) Began reading regularly when I was 13; significantly, when I was about 20 I read it front to back in about a term... bad move... but I still read it almost daily. My absolute favourite book is the Letter of James, my call to ministry comes from 2 Timothy, my key ministry passages from Matthew, my favourite gospel is Luke and OT is Psalms. It always surprises me – something about being a living word I guess! (Is that really 66 entries?)

15. Light a Penny Candle (Maeve Binchy) the first novel by this writer; I've read almost everything she's written but this was probably my favourite.

16. Picnic in Eden (Sally Spenser) an amazing exploration of friendship. A 'dark' story, very dark, but I loved it.

17. Today's Christian Women (Ann Warren) showed me there was life beyond Sunday School or tea –making (I was young a long time ago!)

18. Step by Wicked Step (Anne Fine) and others by her. Read at a time when some friend's marriages were failing and re-juggling; it seemed funny and informative in equal measure. She tackles many issues creatively for children/youths.

19. Skallagrig (William Horwood) a bit of mystery-cum-thriller exploring issues around learning disability.

20. The Wonder Worker (Susan Howatch) whether it was this one or not, I'm not sure, but it was one of the trilogy, I then read the Starbridge series. Fantastic!

21. Transforming Mission (David Bosch) seminal work on mission; massive impact on my thinking.

22. Giraffes Can't Dance (Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees) a lovely book with a great message.

23. The Book Thief (Marcus Zusak) a great story narrated by Death!

24. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) a fascinating twist on a lesser known Biblical tale from a different perspective

25. The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (Michael Morpurgo) a fabulous children's book set in WWII on the Channel Islands.