Good Reading reader KIRSTY WRIGHT dreamt of being a features writer for Dolly magazine but ended up being a freight train driver. She lives in the Central West of NSW on a small acreage with her husband and dog, four cats, a chook, a duck, two alpacas and sheep.

We caught up with Kirsty to find out what’s on her shelves.

What are you reading now, and why?

Sometimes I overwhelm myself with having too many books being read at once so have restricted myself to having three on the go at the same time – usually a hardcopy, a Kindle book and an audiobook. I’m currently reading What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan (hardcopy), The Long Night by Christian White (Kindle) and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V E Schwab (audio).

If you were to recommend three books to a friend, what would they be?

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris and Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden.

Which books have made you cry, or laugh out loud?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (both), Jessica by Bryce Courtenay (cry), Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (cry), The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (cry), The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (cry), The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (cry), Finding Cassie Crazy by Jaclyn Moriarty (lol), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne (cry), The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Emma Carey (both), As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh (cry), American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (cry), Anna’s Story by Bronwyn Donaghy (cry and be too terrified to try drugs for life!), Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (cry), To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (cry), Matilda by Roald Dahl (lol) and ‘Harry Potter’ by J K Rowling (both).

What were your favourite books as a child?

Charlotte’s Web by E B White, Enid Blyton’s books, Roald Dahl’s books (especially Matilda) and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Many series including ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’, R L Stine’s ‘Goosebumps’, ‘Harry Potter’, and the ‘Tomorrow’ series by John Marsden.

You have worked as a librarian. What inspired you to follow that career?

I’ve adored books from a young age, so it was a natural path. I applied for a librarian assistant job at my hometown library and was lucky enough to get the position. I loved being introduced to a variety of new authors as I shelved books away. This was also the time I discovered Good Reading magazine, way back in 2012! I enjoyed chatting about books with visitors and my fellow librarians.

You now work as a freight train driver. What inspired that career move?

I saw the job advertised and thought, why not! Female workers were never common in the railway. When I was a baby, my dad was a fettler on the railway. It would be great to have a conversation about it with him. Sadly, he passed in 2008, and I think of him every day.

I’ve been on the railway for 11 years, the best parts are seeing the stunning sunrises, sunsets and the variety of our shifts, we are somewhere different every day, working with different people, seeing different places. There’s also plenty of waiting time which I, of course, spend reading. The shift work is challenging as we are rostered on at all hours, around the clock.

Can you tell us about your home library?

My husband and I went on a trip to Canada and saw Lake Houses and other structures built with beautiful big windows and A-framed rooflines. That’s where an idea stirred. For over three years, my husband and I chipped away at building a library shed. The design was completely in my husband’s mind. He knew exactly what I wanted and what to build and we were able to bring his vision to life.

How do you order your books?

I have always organised by colour because I loved how it looked, but over recent years my collection of books has grown excessively, (last count a few years ago was 2500!) I now struggle to find books so have recently started to reorganise them alphabetically by author. The books I’ve read I position at the front of the shelf and ones I haven’t read are pushed back, that way I can visually see my TBR progress. And I also write in the back of each book the year I read it. I do like to re-read books throughout the years because I think at various ages you have a different perspective.

If you were hosting a dinner party, who are six authors (living or dead) you’d invite and why?

Roald Dahl – because what an imagination!

R L Stine – he inspired me to write my own stories when I was a child. I just thought his storytelling was so spectacular.

J K Rowling – her ability to think up the entire Harry Potter magical world still amazes me.

Bryce Courtenay – I cherished his books each year and would have loved to have had a chat to him.

John Marsden – I would love to hear his process of how he came up with his ‘Tomorrow’ series.

Kelly Rimmer – she is one of my favourite authors of today. I love her writing and have followed her writing journey. I am so happy for her and how much she has accomplished.