september 2026 books...

The Music Shop (Rachel Joyce): This is our next Blokes’ book… about an old music shop – jam-packed with records of every genre (classical, jazz, punk…) as long as it’s vinyl. The owner has a magical gift of finding the music his customers need. One day a German woman asks him to teach her about music… and so the story develops. The woman is not what she seems and the shop-owner is reminded of the old wounds of his past. I’ve read a number of Joyce’s books and this one, again, contains a blend of quirky characters, the appreciation of everyday life and the resilience of the human spirit. Joyce is a great story-teller and I very much enjoyed this novel (which I consumed in 2 days) - it’s tender, funny and uplifting (although I did find the ending perhaps a little too predictably ‘unreal’).
The All-Nite Café (Philip Gross): Another of my early-morning-read-out-loud books of poetry. I think this is the third of Gross’s books I’ve read (he apparently lives in Bristol). There’s a strangeness to his poems (the ghost of a railway station and a negative uncle, punk mermaids and a deadbeat circus…) which I’ve concluded, perhaps unfairly, aren’t quite my cup-of tea.
Olive Again (Elizabeth Strout): I just LOVE Strout’s writing. This one (first published in 2019) is a follow-up to her ‘Olive Kitteridge’ novel (published in 2008 and which I read last year). Like many of her books, this tells stories of ordinary people in Maine, New England – here, focussing once again on a retired schoolteacher, Olive Kitteridge (now in her late-70s/early 80s): indomitable, unpredictable and uncompromising character (“Olive Kitteridge had never in anyone’s memory felt inclined to be affable, or even polite…”!). It is two years since Olive’s husband, Henry, died, and grief has not mellowed her: she is still brusque, unforgiving, formidable. But beneath it all there’s compassion, empathy and vulnerability, as Olive starts to feel aware of her own mortality. The book comprises 13 tales which explore Strout’s preoccupations with grief, loneliness and familial torments. Much of the book is about life’s regrets – especially those concerning Olive’s family. Once again, a beautiful, powerful novel – which I absolutely loved. Can’t wait for her next book to come out in paperback…
The Cinder Path (Andrew Motion): I’ve enjoyed a number of Motion’s books of poetry and memoirs over recent years. This collection (first published in 2009) includes works as diverse as the last surviving veteran of the tranches and parallel lives glimpsed in paintings… but, for me, the highlight was the final set of autobiographical poems about the life and times of his father. Honest, poignant and moving.
Cat Among The Pigeons (Agatha Christie): One of the very few Agatha Christie books on our bookshelves (and there are dozens of them!) that I hadn’t previously read. First published in 1959, this one is set in one of England’s most exclusive girls’ schools and involves jewels, secret agents and, of course, murder. Was the culprit one of the staff or, maybe, even a pupil? Hercule Poirot enters the fray (after being consulted by one of the pupils) pretty late in the day, waves his magic wand and the case is solved!! Not one of Christie’s most impressive mysteries, but clever and entertaining nevertheless.