My reading year: 2026
What I read informs how I work. It influences how I approach editing, language and storytelling. Most of all, this list is simply an insight into the books I enjoy reading.
Revisiting the classics ...
This year, I'm embarking on a return to classic authors. There's an unparalleled richness in their prose and an enduring relevance in their themes. Revisiting these classics isn't just a pleasure; it's a masterclass in storytelling, character development and narrative craft.
January 2026
Daphne du Maurier, After Midnight
These short stories are darkly gothic and make perfect winter reading. The stories are actually quite long, straying into novella territory. The prose, as expected of du Maurier, is exquisite: 'On December the third the wind changed overnight and it was winter' (opening line of 'The Birds').
The horror is largely psychological rather than external, as exemplified in two of my favourite stories: in 'The Apple Tree' grief and guilt morph into something physical and inescapable, while in 'Ganymede' classical ideas are invoked to legitimise desires.
4*
February 2026
Thomas Hardy, The Woodlanders