In this instalment of the Guardian's "Book of my life" series, Scottish author Jenni Fagan reflects on the reading and writers that have shaped her life and career. She credits Maya Angelou with teaching her that she "owed herself hope" through difficult times, praising the dignity and light of Angelou's work, which inspired her to build a life that mattered to her. The piece matters chiefly as an insight into Fagan's literary influences and a preview of her forthcoming work.

Fagan reveals she is writing a modern adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, due to be published next year, having connected deeply with Shelley after initially finding the novel too claustrophobic. She recalls loving fairytales and The Hobbit as a child, falling in love with language by reading the dictionary, and being shocked by A Clockwork Orange at the age of 15 while living in a children's home. Other choices include Kafka's The Metamorphosis as a favourite to reread, novels by Alaa Al Aswany and Naguib Mahfouz discovered while travelling in Egypt, Gisèle Pelicot's memoir A Hymn to Life as her current read, and poetry by Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Bishop and Nina Cassian as comfort reading. She names Enid Blyton as an author she could never read again.