The question
Which book do you still mean to read, and why has it stayed on your list?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
The Great Gatsby.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 5 July 2025 source ↗
To Kill a Mockingbird.
None. I love reading, and I read a good book and a bad book at the same time.
Nineteen Eighty-Four. I always meant to read it before 1984, and once 1984 had passed I didn’t see the point.
I’ve never read Proust.
At university, I worked at a hotel in housekeeping. We saw so many weird things in people’s rooms. Guests would leave sex and party stuff behind!
Passionate, loving, driven.
Cancel culture: getting stuck on the discourse rather than looking at the system.
Apart from stuff on social media, an ex-partner telling me I’m unlovable.
Gender-affirming surgery. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not widely available on the NHS and a lot of it you have to pay for yourself.
Before transitioning, I had a severe eating disorder. The doctor said, “Your body’s shutting down and if you don’t improve your mental and physical wellbeing, you’ll die.” Shortly after that, I started transitioning medically and my eating disorder resolved.
Marcus Brigstocke, Monica Dolan, Gregory Porter, Kerry Godliman, Charlie Higson, Romola Garai
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