october-september 2026 books...

Midsummer Night In The Workhouse (Diana Athill): I’ve read a number of Athill’s celebrated memoirs and have really enjoyed them (she was ridiculously posh, but seemed to have a wonderfully decent attitude to life). So, this book of short stories (written mostly in the late 1950s and first published by Persephone Books in 2011) is the first of her fiction I’ve read. They’re essentially all told from a woman's point of view - exploring female sexual desire, independence, regret, and introspection with refreshing honesty – and are set in England, France, and Italy. Her prose, just like her memoirs, is unsentimental, sharp, perceptive, and darkly funny… and containing several pieces which draw subtly on Athill's own life experiences. I very much enjoyed them (they provided some of my ‘holiday reading’ while we were away in Tenby).
A Refiner’s Fire (Donna Leon): I picked up this in a charity bookshop while on holiday. It’s another Commissario Brunetti Mystery set in Venice. This one involves two teenage gangs clashing violently in one of the city’s squares… and the son of a local hero is implicated. But, when Guido Brunetti is asked to vet this man, he discovers he might not be such a hero after all. As ever with Leon’s books, this one was very readable (and another perfect holiday read) and I consumed it in 2 days.
I Curse The River Of Time (Per Patterson): Another charity shop purchase while on holiday in Tenby (the second Norwegian novel I’ve read in the past couple of months!). The book is set in Autumn 1989 (English translation first published in 2010). Arvid Jansen is in the throes of a divorce; at the same time, his mother is diagnosed with cancer. Arvid is struggling to find a new footing in his life… everything around him seems to be changing fast; he recalls beach holidays with his brothers; his early working life devoted to Communist ideals; his courtship… and, inevitably, his relationship with his tough, independent mother (a relationship of distance and unspoken pain)(and Arvid himself is a pretty awkward character). So, obviously, not a bundle of laughs!! But, I have to say (given Petterson’s revelation as a writer), I was a little disappointed. I found it had too many repetitive, fussy details (probably in line with Arvid’s character, but hey…) and that the varying timescales were often quite confusing. A book for re-cycling methinks.
Imogen Imagine (Steve Couch): This is the third book written by my good friend Steve (always a bit special when creative friends do such things!). It’s a novel about music, celebrity, love and treachery. The book’s title is the name of a song written by a young musician immortalising the breakup of a cherished relationship from his youth. That musician has now become a huge pop-idol but, sadly, thanks to world of social media and money-focussed management, the girl in the song becomes a target of hate and vitriol. She tries to take back control, but only succeeds in creating a vicious, frightening backlash… (I’ll leave it there… *no spoilers*). A powerful, thought-provoking novel. I really enjoyed it.
The Harold Nicolson Diaries 1907-1963 (ed. Nigel Nicolson): I first read (and very much enjoyed) this book (published in 2004) in 2011 and have recently been reminded of his fascinating life while reading ‘The Assassin’s Cloak’ (which contains numerous extracts from his diaries). Nicholson (1886-1968) was a fascinating man and lived an extraordinary life – which spanned the two World Wars, the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s and Churchill’s time as prime minister. He was a diplomat, an MP, writer, broadcaster and a gardener… and, although there were lots of things I found difficult to reconcile with regarding his life (eg. his upper-class background; his friends in all the ‘high’ places; his essentially Conservative politics - although he did end up joining the Labour Party), he struck me as a very decent man. Hugely intelligent; articulate; gracious; and a very supportive friend (with friendships right across the political divide). He and his wife Vita Sackville-West seemed to have had a very loving, special marriage… and I loved their various beautiful, tender letter exchanges. I was SO pleased to come back to this book and enjoyed it enormously (again).