february 2026 books…

WH Auden, selected poems (John Fuller): I’m not very familiar with Auden’s poetry (understatement), but have been reading this book’s poems out loud to myself during my recent early morning reflections. I frequently don’t feel clever enough to appreciate the form/structure of poetry in general and/or sometimes the intellect to understand what a poet is trying to say (I’d find a scribbled ‘context note’ very useful on occasions!!), but I really enjoyed Auden’s way with words and will certainly seek out more of his poetry in due course.
Let Us Go Then, You and I (TS Eliot): Another attempt to familiarise myself with the work of renown poets! Another book that I read out loud to myself as the day was slowly emerging. My comments (above) about Auden’s writing could equally well be applied to these works from Eliot – although, I have to say, I suspect I’ll never really become one of his greatest fans!
TonyInterruptor (Nicola Barker): The novel (published in 2026) begins with a heckler disrupting a music gig… thanks to social media, the public interruption goes viral… this single event reverberates through the online world (trial by social media for artistic fraudulence?) and, as the book’s dustjacket puts it, “poses fundamental questions about authenticity, the internet, love and truth”. I think it’s a very funny, clever, satirical book about art and authenticity in today’s somewhat pretentious world. I enjoyed the quirky relationships of the characters (and the way they collide) and the wealth of ideas the author conjures up… but, did I enjoy it? Well, not entirely… and, once again(!), I was left thinking that my intellect (and/or lack of familiarity with how many people experience and use social media?) wasn’t quite up to appreciating it fully. My loss, no doubt.
Called By The Hills (Anuradha Roy): This is our next Storysmith bookgroup choice (theme: non-fiction). Initially, I confused the writer with another Indian writer (Arundhati!) – but soon realised that Anuradha was an acclaimed author in her own right… and also a gifted artist, potter and passionate gardener. The book tells the story of how, more than 25 years ago, she and her husband stumbled upon a derelict, tiny cottage/hut in the hill station of Ranikhet (in northern India, west of Nepal). As a result, they decided it was where they wanted to live – leaving the freneticism of Delhi behind – and so began their story of building a home and a garden on the edge of the Himalayan wilds. It all sounds rather idyllic – and indeed it is. But also full of challenges such as times of severe rains, landslips, falling trees, insects, snakes, leopards, surrounding poverty, isolation and lack of basic services. However, in these times of depressing politics, politicians and celebrities, I found this gentle, humane and beautiful book (which has several reproductions – sadly small in size – of her beautiful watercolour paintings) about her home, her surroundings, her dogs and the local characters that embellish her life rather wonderful. I absolutely loved it.
I Remember (Joe Brainard): Strangely, in recent weeks, I’ve found myself recalling brief moments from my life (and have vaguely wondered if I should start compiling a list?)… and then came across Brainard’s book (he was writer and artist who died from AIDS in 1994, aged 52), which is packed with “I remember” thoughts (more than 1,500 of them!)… so, I obviously had to buy a copy! In the event, although there were several laugh-out-loud moments, I found the book pretty mundane – full of somewhat unremarkable observations such as “I remember when I was very young thinking that shaving looked pretty dangerous”… “I remember feeling sorry for kids at church, or school, who had ugly mothers”… “I remember trying to visualise what my insides looked like”. It felt as if he’d forced himself to sit down and produce these stream-of-consciousness thoughts in one sitting while consuming several bottles of wine! The book’s cover describes it as “a literary and artistic cult classic”… but I’m afraid it left me somewhat unimpressed.