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Picking 5 books that are significant to them our guests give us a fascinating insight into their lives through the volumes on their bookshelves.

Poet and novelist John Burnside was born in Dunfermline and now lives in Fife.

As a youngster his family moved several times eventually settling in Corby in Northamptonshire.

After studying at Cambridge College of Arts and Technology John worked in the computer industry before returning to Scotland. He now teaches at the University of St Andrews.

John's been awarded a number of awards and prizes for his work. He's produced several books of poetry, novels and a collection of short stories. His memoir A Lie About My Father was published in 2006, and a sequel, Waking Up in Toytown in 2010. His latest novel, A Summer of Drowning was published in 2011.

In conversation with Stuart Cosgrove, John explains the impact moving from Scotland to Corby in Northamptonshire had on him as a youngster and how he found refuge in books, sometimes taking as many as ten volumes from the library at a time.

John picks the following titles as being particularly important to him.

1: Favourite childhood book: Lewis Carroll - Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

2: Life changing book: Friedrich Engels - The Condition of the Working Class in England.

3: Non-fiction: David Gilbert - Love and Struggle.

4: Favourite short story: D.W. Wilson - Once You Break A Knuckle.

5: Current bedside books: Thomas Glavinic's - Camera Killer
and Daniel Kehlmann - Measuring the Land. Show less