Books seem to materialise in my life like heat-seeking missiles. Friends drop them off, titles catch my eye in a second-hand shop, or even in a hotel library on the far side of the world.

Have you ever come across a book which provided the perfect answer to a knotty problem, conveyed a meaningful message, or assuaged an ineffable longing? Have you sometimes picked up a random title at a car boot sale, charity shop, or been given a book for Christmas that spoke to the depths of your soul?

Compelling titles and covers attract our attention but it seems to me that what seals the deal is something indefinable. I believe it is an imperceptible inner knowing that brings book and reader together. Whether our hands are hovering over a bookshop table, skittering along library bookshelves, or scrolling through Audible titles, it is the book’s vibrational field connecting with our own vibrational frequency,

That same magnetic field holds true for films, plays and TV programmes. PR and advertising create awareness, as in catching sight of a poster, hearing an interview snippet on the radio, or seeing a cast member chatting on a talk show, but if its inherent vibration doesn’t gel, we are unlikely to buy a ticket, press download, or tune in to the channel. Yet if it is a match – kerching – we are sold, ready to sit back and enjoy magical surprises.