My Favourite Books Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co-author of the This Book Will series (系列) of lifestyle books. Here she picks her top reads. Matilda Roald Dahl I once wrote a paper on the influence of fairy tales on Roald Dahl's writing and it gave me a new appreciation for his strange and delight f ul words. Matilda's battles with her cruel parents and the bossy headmistre s s , Miss Trunchbull , are e qual l y fumy and frightening , but they're also aspirational. After Dark Haruki Murakami It’s about two sisters — Eri , a model who either won’t or can’t stop sleeping , and Mari, a young student. In trying to connect to her sister , Mari starts changing her life and discovers a world of diverse " night people " who are hiding secrets. Gone Girl Gillian F l ynn There was a bit of me that didn't want to love this when everyone else on the planet did , but the horror story is brilliant. There's tension and anxiety from the beginning as Nick and Amy bat t le for your trust. It's a real whodunit and the frustration when you realise wha t 's going on is horribly enjoyable . The Stand Stephen King This is an excellent fantasy novel from one of the best storytellers around. After a serious flu outbreak wipes out 99.4% of the world's population, a bat t le unfolds between good and evil among those le f t. Randall Flagg is one of the scariest characters ever.