Harry Potter tops Gordon Brown's summer reading list

Gordon Brown today revealed one of his plans for his first few weeks as Prime Minister - to join millions of other Harry Potter fans and get stuck into the last instalment of the boy wizard's adventures.

Although Mr Brown's June 27 arrival in 10 Downing Street comes less than three weeks ahead of the July 21 publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , the Chancellor indicated that he would not allow his busy schedule as PM to delay getting to grips with the book.

Mr Brown, a personal friend of Harry Potter author JK Rowling, named the book as one of a list he hopes to get through over the summer, when Westminster commentators are predicting 100 days of frantic political activity.

Although his sons John, 3, and Fraser, whose first birthday comes a day after the book's publication, are still too young to enjoy the Potter stories, Mr Brown said he hoped they would show an interest in them when they get older.

Also on his reading list for the summer was a critical assessment of the US Government's approach to policy-making by former vice president Al Gore, entitled The Assault on Reason.

But, belying his reputation for obsessive interest in politics, his other summer choices were novels: The Widow and her Hero by Australian writer Thomas Keneally - whose Schindler's Ark was filmed as Schindler's List - and Sebastian Faulks's Engleby.

Last summer, he read Robert Harris's historical novel set in ancient Rome, Imperium, as well as Scottish novelist William McIlvanney's Weekend.

Speaking from the Hay-on-Wye book festival, where he is promoting his own book about his personal heroes, Courage, Mr Brown told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This summer, I think (I will read) Thomas Keneally, who's just brought out a new book which is about war and heroes.

"I will probably want to dip into JK Rowling, hoping that is something my sons will want to read later.

"At the same time, I think Sebastian Faulks's new book - because I have read all his other ones - will be quite interesting.

"And I suspect I will have a look at Al Gore's book."

Mr Brown added: "I think reading, in the literal sense, broadens the mind. It opens up to you ideas and themes and vistas that you otherwise would never really grasp.

"For my whole life, the idea of reading books and getting the chance to read books and the time to read books is something which is both empowering and really exciting.

"Summer is the best time to read books."

Copyright Press Association 2007.

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