My reading year: 2026
What I read informs how I work. It influences how I approach editing, language and storytelling. More than anything, 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 with 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
Thomas Hardy isn't everyone's cup of tea, but this story – reputed to be Hardy's favourite – is well worth a read.
The storyline has some inconsistencies (probably due to its serialised publication), but these are overshadowed by powerful description and characterisation. It depicts a harmonious natural setting that is threatened by worldly concerns.
Giles Winterborne is one of literature's great characters, signifying vanishing ideals such as the authentic self and harmony with nature. This is timeless stuff.
5*
Josephine Tey, Miss Pym Disposes
What a story. This isn't the typical whodunit: Tey spends almost two hundred pages preparing the groundwork; when the crime eventually occurs the reader is wholly invested. The 'investigation' involves Lucy Pym's psychological wrangling rather than objective detective work, thus setting this story apart from the popular crime fiction of the period (1940s). While Tey's language and political persepectives may now feel dated (and even offensive), her treatment of the moral aspects of crime feels modern. Read it.
5*
March 2026
William Boyd, The Predicament
Travel writer Gabriel Dax resumes his role as accidental spy in this enjoyable sequel to Gabriel's Moon. Once again, Boyd's likeable protagonist suspects he is a 'useful idiot', knowing as much or as little about his undertakings as we readers do – which makes it easy to warm to him.
This is William Boyd, so it's virtually guaranteed to be a good read – and it is. Nevertheless, it's not in the same league as some of his earlier work, including the spy thriller Restless (which I thoroughly recommend).
3.5*
