SHELF LIFE
The author of biographical historical novels, whose latest is about the UK’s fi rst domestic goddess, Annabel Abbs shares her five favourite books
Annabel Abbs
The Flowering of Flint: Selected Poems
by Peter Abbs
‘My love of reading and writing began with my father, a poet and professor of creative writing, who died a year ago. He taught me to craft every sentence with immense care, and his poems are like jewels – small but dazzling. I love interesting, unusual words and I enjoy the craft of putting a sentence together, which I learned from him. He died before seeing The Language of Food, but one of the last things he did for me was read Eliza Acton’s poe ms and share his thoughts. He wrote over twenty books (ten of which were collections of poetry) but The Flowering of Flint is my favourite –a constant reminder of the rich and complex emotions that can be communicated in a few, perfectly chosen words.’