Diane Banks

Penguin, 1959 (originally published by Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1957) Why? A mid-century classic which I'd not read, spotted in a second hand bookshop. I'm intrigued by anything which explores the social re-order following the War - fiction or non-fiction. Enjoyment factor This is a curious one. The protagonist is admirable for wanting to break from his working class roots, but is at the same time overly materially driven and with the tendency to objectify women. How much of thi

Bodley Head, September 2025 Why? Whatever might be said about Nick Clegg, his combination of experience at the top of politics and at the top of a global tech firm is unique, so he must have something to say that's worth a listen. Enjoyment factor This book is heavily co-written (the co-writer is duly acknowledged) and doesn't present the most succinct argument in the world, but nevertheless, it offers some valuable take-aways which haven't been given enough credit amongst a

Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2024 (paperback 2025) Why? I've been meaning to read Clare Chambers for a while, and I spotted this on...

Penguin Books, 2025 (Viking, 2024) Why? Lots of noise around this: winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025, shortlisted for the...

Picador, 2022 (first published 2004) Why? Tempted by the reviews, I'm keen to read Hollinghurst's new novel Our Evenings but, having...

Faber & Faber, 1950 & 2021 Why? I found this in a charity shop (Hospice in the Weald in Edenbridge) and was immediately intrigued....

Harvard Business Review Press, 2025 Why? Both professionally and personally, I have a deep interest in what makes personalities and...

Methuen, 1933 Why? A second hand bookshop find which ticked two boxes for me. I'm fascinated by interwar nostalgia in the face of an...

The Reprint Society London, 1953 (first published by Cassell & Co, 1951) Why? I've read so many books involving the political and social...

Virago Press, 1999 (paperback 2008 & 2012) Why? Sarah Waters is one of my all-time favourite novelists (I particularly loved The Little...

Little, Brown 2016; Abacus 2017 Why? Topical reading in advance of a weekend in Nice. And because Mary Lovell is a phenomenal...

Penguin paperbacks, 1951 (first published by Chapman & Hall, 1945) Granada Television (ITVX), 1981 Why? I decided on a re-read after...

Simon & Schuster, 2024 Why? I'm always interested in what drives successful business people and politicians and this biography (if it can...

Robson Press, 2012 Why? During a discussion about Victorian and Edwardian newspaper proprietors, a friend recommended that I look up...

Doubleday, 2013; Black Swan paperback, 2014 Why? Having belatedly watched the 2022 BBC adaptation, I was intrigued to know how the story...

Sceptre, 2011 Why? I've had this on my Kindle for years, and, with Amor Towles the talk of the town following the Paramount+ adaptation...

First published by Macmillan, 1984; this edition Vintage paperback Why? I was pretty sure I'd never read it, and as a sucker for...

Vintage (paperback edition), 1998 Why? I bought my copy of this bestselling, critically-acclaimed novel when it came out in paperback in...

Cornerstone Press, 2024 Why? Like many others, I spent a considerable part of lockdown setting up my Coinbase account and MetaMask...

First published by Jonathan Cape, 1927; this edition Vintage Classics, 2016 Why? The promise of a tight cast of characters, a glamorous...