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I think we studied one or two of Heaney's poems at school, but I definitely wasn't ready for them. How likely is it that a town-raised 12-year-old girl will really appreciate a poem by a rural poet about his father and grandfather working the land? I now find myself wishing that I'd been introduced to them when I was in my late teens or early twenties, because I think I'd have understood and appreciated them more then - and who knows, perhaps I'd even have become a poetry fan.

My husband loves to read (and occasionally write) poetry, but it's not a genre that I've ever quite understood. I always feel as if I'm missing something, as if maybe I'm just not clever enough for it. Once in a while, though, I'll come across a poem that I do like. I'm still never quite sure I'm "getting" it, just that I know what I like (I'm much the same with paintings and photography - other areas in which my husband analyses and talks and I listen and nod, but feel not much the wiser). This book, though...

Heaney was nothing short of brilliant - in his work, but also in his character. We attended a celebration of his life which was hosted by a local theatre the day after he died; it was sold-out, despite the short notice, and the love for Heaney and grief at his death was evident in the room. But again, I still felt that I was somewhere on the edges, not quite appreciating it the way others did. And now, having read this, I'm beginning to feel like maybe I've started to understand.

Heaney had hoped to put together a single-volume, personal collection of his poetry; these are, inevitably, probably not exactly the poems he'd have chosen, but they were chosen by the people who were closest to him and loved him most, and that comes through clearly.

I know reading poetry is not like reading a thriller (see? I'm not a complete philistine) and so I thought, "I'll just read one or two poems every couple of days". And then I started reading this, and, well, within a few hours, I'd read the whole thing - bits of it more than once.

My favourites:
Digging
Follower
Mid-term Break
Scaffolding
The Tollund Man
Punishment
Whatever You Say Say Nothing
The Ministry of Fear
Elegy
The Skunk
1.I.87
The Rain Stick
The Conway Stewart

Yes, that's me, the non-lover of poetry, the person who doesn't get it, who loved and was moved by every poem on that list.