Books that changed my life: Aled Jones

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I’d never read anything like it in my life when I opened it for the first time as a child. It introduced me to a world that just blew my mind. The whole idea of the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter’s tea party—my God. As a kid I just wanted to be at that party. I also remember reading it and being almost scared because it’s quite unusual. It opened up a part of my brain that had never been opened before… Up to that point I’d read books such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol—equally brilliant of course, but this was different. There’s a madness to it.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J K Rowling

This book had a similar impression on me, but as an adult. I remember my friends and I saying to each other, “You’re only doing one chapter tonight”, and no one was allowed to go ahead. It’s one of those books that you don’t want to end. It introduced me to a world that was so magical.

The fact that everyone was talking about it meant you felt that it wouldn’t be as good as the hype, but it was just incredible. Even now, I’ve got [the whole series] upstairs and the kids are reading them—they’re absolutely brilliant they’re absolutely brilliant. Not to talk about all the games, house quizzes and movies that followed.

Killing Floor by Lee Child

I really love the thriller genre, and in particular the Jack Reacher series, for the simple reason that these books take me somewhere that isn’t my life—where I’m not stressed about work or anything else. These are the books that I go on holiday with. They are what they are, and that is pure escapism—I’ve read every single one.

He’s currently touring his new album In Harmony. Visit aledandrussell.com for tickets.