Any Human Heart by William Boyd. In my opinion, the author's best novel to date. From Uruguay to the Bahamas via Oxford and Paris, this is the story of Logan Mountstuart's compelling journey through the twentieth century. As a son, friend, lover and husband, he makes the same mistakes we all do in our search for happiness. This is the story of a life lived to the full - and a journey deep into a very human heart. A fantastic book and one of my all time favourites.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières. I read this when holidaying in a remote Turkish village in 1998. The backdrop of crickets and oppressive heat synced perfectly with the story set on the Greek Island of Cephalonia during the Second World War during the Italian and German occupation. This book was everywhere in the summer of 1998 and for good reason. Historical, romantic and brutal, it's one of the great reads, way better than the film and a perfect summer book.
Clothes,Clothes,Clothes. Music,Music,Music. Boys,Boys,Boys by Viv Albertine. Selected by the New York Times in 2014 as one of the 50 Best Memoirs of the past 50 years. This is a fantastic memoir from a pioneering feminist and punk icon documenting a transformation from suburbia to rebellious lead guitarist with the Slits at the centre of punk culture. Albertine delivers a searingly honest memoir about her life; on abortion, marriage, motherhood and surviving cancer. Raw and uncompromising, a true heroine of our times.
Midnight in Sicily by Peter Robb. If you're travelling to Italy this summer then you should read this. Peter Robb explores Sicily, just off the "toe" of Italy's "boot" using art, literature, food and violent crime to produce an evocative commentary of life on a bewitching Mediterranean Island.
Spies by Michael Frayn. Set during the Blitz in the Second World War, Spies is a nostalgic coming of age tale set in suburbia. The main character, now an elderly man living abroad, is drawn back to London to revisit his childhood home to confront the devastating consequences resulting from an seemingly innocuous game of spy. Winner of the Whitbread Novel of the Year Award in 2002, Spies is a wonderful treat.
A Death in the Family by Karl Ove Knausgård. The first instalment of the brilliant Norwegian autobiographical novel. Knausgård lays out his life in encyclopedic detail. Honest, intense and emotional, with an ability to make the mundane extraordinary. A big book in every sense.
Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson. I read this last year and it recalls the events and times of a group of poets and artisans on the Greek Island of Hydra in 1960. The time, the place and the heat make for a great summer read.
Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls. I love this book. Set in the nineties, this is a story of first love over one life changing summer. Unremarkable Charlie Lewis has finished his exams and a long and uneventful summer lies ahead. A chance meeting with Fran Fisher changes the narrative and things will never be the same. A poignant read and reminder of how affecting first love can be.
Crossroads by Jonathan Frantzen. Released in 2021, Franzten's 6th novel is the story of a dysfunctional family set in a small mid-western town in Chicago in the early seventies. Interwoven stories mainly taking place on the same day in December finds each member of the Hildebrandt family seeking a freedom that each of the others imperil. Crossroads examines a family on the verge of momentous change and disintegration at the same time. The social issues of community, family and fidelity all come together in a moral tale examining life's choices.
The Calculus Affair by Herge. The left-field choice. Although designed for children, Tintin stories appeal just as much to adults and this is widely considered to be Herge's masterpiece. Originally published in 1956, The Calculus Affair has it wrapped. A terrific spy story with tremendous characterisation, vibrant art work and sharp witty dialogue. A book for the ages.