Kimberley Freeman was born in London and grew up in Brisbane. Her best-selling novels have been translated into 12 languages and include Lighthouse Bay, Ember Island and most recently Evergreen Falls, published by Hachette Australia, about the mystery of a long-ago love affair in a Blue Mountains hotel.
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GONE WITH THE WIND
Margaret Mitchell
The spirit of Scarlet O'Hara is very strong. It's a richly detailed portrait of a troubling time in 19th-century history, and it puts a woman's experience at the heart of something that was seen largely to be men's business, that is war and politics. It doesn't hurt that the frocks were also awesome.
THE ADVENTURES OF PIPPI LONGSTOCKING
Astrid Lindgren
My grade 5 teacher, Mrs Barnes, read this to us. The wonderful thing about Pippi was that she was so radically different from every other child and certainly from any other girl I'd read about. I loved that she was independent and strong enough to lift a horse above her head, but most of all I loved that she didn't care what people thought of her. My daughter is named after the author.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
J.R.R. Tolkien
I was introduced to this book in grade 10 by my best friend, Mandy. I was one of the nerdiest kids at school, always being picked on, and spent most lunch hours in the library. When Mandy and I and some other friends started reading Tolkien we developed a distinct identity as the fantasy library nerds, which made us close and safe (the tough kids were never in the library). My partner recently read the Lord of the Rings aloud to me. Now that I'm an adult and have studied early medieval literature I have even more appreciation for the deep mythic resonances of the story and the beautifully chosen language.
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
L.M. Montgomery
There are two kinds of people in the world, those who have read and those who have not read Anne of Green Gables. When I meet a "kindred spirit" (to quote Anne), it's always a lovely occasion. Last year my 11-year-old son read these books for the first time and joined a special club.
THE DANCING STAR
Gladys Malvern
When I was eight I read this account of the life of Anna Pavlova, written for children. I was deeply impressed by the sections where Anne, 14 years old at ballet school, practised until her toes bled. This caught my imagination: the idea that you could love something so much that you would suffer for it. It has informed the way I've approached everything I'm passionate about, including my writing.
