may-june 2026 books

High Wages (Dorothy Whipple): Another Persephone book (first published in 1930). The novel begins in 1912 and tells the story of Jane Carter who gets a badly-paid job in a draper’s shop in Lancashire. She’s a determined, hard-working young woman whose ideas for improving the shop are rejected by her uncompromising employer and, eventually, thanks to the help from a friend (the wonderful Mrs Briggs), opens her own dress-shop. It’s a shop-girl-made-good story about the values of hard work and stubbornness; about class and discrimination; about the growing importance of fashion and the shifting nature of shopping; about the status of women; about WW1… and about love. It’s a fascinating story about social issues and changing times. I really enjoyed it.
Peace Talks (Andrew Motion): Another poetry book from my read-out-loud-to-myself early morning musings… This is a book of meditations on combat and the people caught up in it (particularly relevant in the light of Trump’s decision to launch air strikes on Iran in February… and which is currently ‘ongoing’). It’s a powerful, moving depiction about the futility of war and its consequences.
Salt Water (Andrew Motion): Yet another early morning read-out-loud-to-myself poetry book (sorry!). Actually, it’s only the first part of the book that contains the poetry (a mixture of musings evoked by recollections about family and friends – with the occasional historical figure thrown in) I was particularly drawn to ‘Fresh Water’ – an elegy written for a friend who drowned on the Marchioness. In the second section, Motion retraces (in a sailing boat with a broken engine) the voyage that John Keats made by sea from London to Naples in the autumn of 1820 (he died at the end of the journey) – including the perils of the Bay of Biscay. Another beautiful book.
Another World: The Oxford Years (Melvyn Bragg): I’m a great lover of Bragg’s writing and was particularly drawn to this memoir (published in 2026) because it focussed on his ‘Oxford Years’. Yes, I absolutely appreciate that his and my lives are/have been very, very different (he’s intellectually brilliant, for a start!), but we do share certain aspects of life: both from working-class backgrounds; both the first of our respective generations to go to university; and both studying at Oxford (ok, the School of Architecture is a far cry from Wadham College… and he was starting his Oxford studies 9 years before me, but…). I really rather loved this memoir – a reminder of that sense of ‘finding oneself’; taking the next steps into adulthood; making new friends; being besotted by all the beautiful, imposing buildings; making naïve errors and misjudgements; revelling in the new challenges…). The book is full of insights on class and culture, but also thoughtful, open and generous in celebrating his contemporaries’ talents (while forgiving their foibles!)… together with poignant reflections about his family, his love life and, of course, Oxford.
Despised And Rejected (Rose Allatini): A quite remarkable, brave novel, first published in 1918, which tells the story of war, conscientious objectors… and being gay (ie. almost 50 years before homosexuality was partially decriminalized in England and Wales). Indeed, in September 1918, the publisher was on trial accused of being ‘likely to prejudice the recruiting of persons to serve in His Majesty’s Forces, and their training and discipline’… and was convicted, fined, and the remaining 230 copies of the original run seized. The two main characters are Dennis (a hugely-talented composer - with a dominant father and socially ambitious mother – and who doesn’t fit in with his smugly conventional family)(…and he’s a conscientious objector and is love with a young mining engineer named Alan) and Antoinette (who comes to terms with her own sexuality, realizing her attractions lie with women rather than men, whilst also experiencing unrequited feelings for Dennis – for whom, throughout the war, she acts as a loyal and supportive friend). As you might imagine, it’s complicated(!)… but a powerful story and beautifully-written that I really enjoyed.