If you had a secret room behind a bookcase, which book would you choose to open it?

[broccolibush]

I am in the midst of a slightly bonkers DIY project where I am replacing the door to my study with a hidden door/bookcase type affair. I want to hinge a book on one of the shelves and attach it to a latch to open the door but want to use something that would make sense to use as a handle.

DH thinks that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets would be best whereas I was thinking more The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (even though it's not a wardrobe). A musical friend suggested a book about Handel, which I quite like as a pun.

We're not the most literary of people so I wondered if anyone might have something clever/witty/amusing they could suggest.

Secret Garden - I always loved the idea of the secret behind the door in the wall.

Virginia Woolf . A Room of One's Own

Invisible Women

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1857234766/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=

I think the Handel idea is excellent.

Or you could go for a hardback all about the Spanish Inquisition. Because nobody would be expecting it 😉.

In English, Chronicles of Narnia, first book.
In Spanish, El Misterio del León de Piedra.
(The mystery of the stone lion)

A Room with a View.

Wise Children by Angela Carter

We've recently just completed our secret door / bookshelf . The book we chose was The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy . I say we , my DH picked , but I couldn't really argue seeing as he built it

I'm reading a new magical/fantasy book at the moment which is really good 😊

It's called The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown.

War and Peace. Big enough to withstand being used as a handle and clearly a secret room is somewhere one retreats to for some peace

1973 Robin Reliant Owner's Manual

OP, such a good idea and question! This is what the internet was meant for! Did someone up thread say The Count of Monte Christo? Also love Secret Garden. Other ideas, more or less pretentious:
In the name of the rose Umberto Eco
Northanger Abbey Jane Austen
Jane Eyre!!!
something detectivey pretty sure there are locked room mysteries with hidden room can’t think of one now but any good Golden Age story would do
Any Nancy Drew book

Something by John Le Carré? Or Greenmantle. Or I'm sure I saw that a former head of MI6 or MI5 had written a novel.

I'm far too invested in this thread now.

I'd use one of these, but would struggle with making a decision:

The Midnight Library

The Book of Doors

Lilith, by George MacDonald, in which a mirror leads to a parallel universe.

Macdonald preceded and inspired both CS Lewis and Tolkien.

Opening Doors by Reggie Nelson

The Body in the Library or Room?

Some great suggestions, but I want to know the mechanics behind it - how is it going to work?

Also, for anyone suggested The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, have you seen the reading nook that they created on A Beautiful Mess?

I’ve got the Roundabouts book as well! It’s very interesting.

How ironic that I saw this post today - I've just begun reading a book today about a secret room hidden behind a panel which was behind a delapidated wardrobe (okay, not quite a bookcase) - it's called "The Dream Home" by T.M Logan - so right now, that is the book I'd choose to open a bookcase to a secret room.

So many great suggestions. How about The Phantom Tolbooth? I loved it as a child, may need to re-read it.

I would like The Secret Garden or maybe just choose your favourite book

Or Mr Penumbra's 24 hour Bookstore...

A room with a view - EM Forester

The Wizard of Oz.

Love Handel and Bluebeard suggestions.