Shirley Manson's Reading List

"My dad encouraged my two sisters and me to read. He would lay books out in our dining room and we would choose one. I chose The Wind In The Willows and have great memories of being four years old in my little single bed with my parents reading me to sleep. Toad and Mole inspired an adventurous spirit in me. I still have my illustrated copy at home."

"When I was old enough to read on my own, this collection of children’s poems by the Winnie-the-Pooh author was my favourite, and inspired my lifelong love of poetry. As a child, my party piece was reciting ‘The King’s Breakfast’ about a king who wants butter for his bread. I always liked performing. Mum was an amateur singer but wasn’t pushy; it was Dad who would bring out the portable cassette player to record us."

"I was a difficult teenager and turned to books as an escape. I saw my alienation and angst reflected in the story of rebellious Holden Caulfield and I would mimic him by calling everyone ‘phoney’. It made such an impression on me that in Garbage’s video for ‘Why Do You Love Me’ I’m reading my dad’s old copy. He never got it back."

"I found this essay incredibly comforting. The word feminist has been so obfuscated but it has a beautiful meaning. I’m far too flawed and confused to be a leader like Adichie. She makes difficult topics engaging so I’m happy to follow her and recommend her work to my friends’ daughters."

"My parents never had the sex talk with me so when my best friend thrust this book into my hands with a glint of mischief in her eye, it was a revelation. When I was younger, I didn’t even know the female orgasm existed, so it changed my life. It made me aware how hidden information about female pleasure was."

"This is a sci-fi book by Scottish writer Iain Banks. It’s about a 17-year-old boy who does some very evil things. It’s violent, dark and twisted: a depraved and subversive treasure that appealed to me in my late teens. I later became friends with Iain and his belief in me gave me confidence. When I got the gig in Garbage, there was no one happier for me than him."