The Absolutist by John Boyne Seated opposite me in the railway carriage, the elderly lady in the fox-fur shawl was recalling some of the murders she had committed over the years. Howl by Howard Jacobson This is what will happen.

A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr When the train stopped I stumbled out, nudging and kicking the kitbag before me. My Story by Peter Cosgrove On the afternoon of 28 July 1947, Warrant Officer Class 2 John Cosgrove was sitting on a tank turret in the middle of the Puckapunyal firing range in … Continue reading My Reading – June 2026

Three Reasons for Revenge by Dervla McTiernan The beach was where they went to play. A Profitable Wife by Kat Christensen The first time I heard this infamous family lore I was about nine years old, perched on a footstool next to my grandmother’s rocking chair.

Venetian Vespers by John Banville Dusk, a deserted room, a scrap of black silk on a marble table, darkening waters beyond. There and Back: The Story of an Australian Soldier 1915-35 by A Tiveychoc Edward Rowland, born of Australian parents at Sydney on the 20th of June 1899, was working in his father’s factory when … Continue reading My Reading – April 2026

The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson People like to say they seek the truth. Sometimes they even mean it. The truth is they crave the warm embrace of a lie. The Last Fairy Witch by Jean M Roberts A thin mist rose from the ground, shrouding the sentinels in a ghostly veil.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell A boy is coming down a flight of stairs. Too Far Standing Still by Lisette Brodey It’s been a long day. I’m weary. Things that appear normal on the outside feel as though they’re rotting on the inside. Departure(s) by Julian Barnes The other day, I discovered an alarming possibility. No, … Continue reading My Reading – February 2026

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks The Boulevard du Cange was a broad, quiet street that marked the eastern flank of the city of Amiens. Girl at the Lion d’Or by Sebastian Faulks In those days the station in Janvilliers had an arched glass roof over the southbound platform as if in imitation of the big domes … Continue reading My Reading – January 2026

Eileen: The Making of George Orwell by Sylvia Topp ‘Now that is the kind of girl I would like to marry!’ George Orwell told a friend excitedly, the night he met Eileen O’Shaughnessy. The Land in Winter by Andrew MillerHe was lying on a varnished wooden board, the top of a boxed in radiator.

Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams When I was twelve years old God spoke to my father for the first time. Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder I has been six months since the wedding. She uncaps the pen.