The last book I read
I've just come back off holiday and read The Woods by Harlan Coben – a typical easy-to-read story, ideal for holidays. It keeps the mind engaged in the storyline without involving too much thinking! On holiday I generally like to switch off as much as possible and these sorts of books fit the criteria admirably. I am generally a fast reader and will get through an average book in four to five hours. Longer holidays often lead to heavy suitcases.

The last CD I bought
Mozart's Requiem with Emma Kirkby and the Academy of Ancient Music, a bit of a morbid choice but I get a lot of pleasure from classical music. Although I now have three versions of the Requiem, I heard this one on the radio and was struck by the clarity of the singing. There are some pieces of music which can hit the right buttons – this is one of them.

The last film I saw
Vantage Point. A new release which employs quite a clever concept of showing the same event from a number of different perspectives but ends up drawing the threads together to give a much clearer overall picture. The ending sadly seemed too contrived and spoilt an otherwise entertaining film.

The last TV show I watched
I don't get much time to watch television and the choice of programmes is often dictated by what my son has on! Having said that I do try to catch the news regularly and apart from that I seem to be subjected to numerous repeats of Friends – although enjoyable it is surprising how often I seem to be watching the same episode.

The last place I visited
Now that is easier to answer. I have just had a short break in the Lake District staying at the Center Parcs site near Penrith.
We have been to Center Parcs as a family for many years but this was the first time my wife and I have been there on our own.
It proved an excellent base for a number of walks around Ullswater – we went there on our honeymoon so there are a lot of reasons why it remains a special place for us.
In the evenings we had access to meals, other sports such as badminton and table tennis as well as the swimming pool.
Of course it also gave time to read books. What really made it special was the absence of internet/emails and a poor mobile phone.