I haven’t been getting out much lately, apart from the permitted exercise and an occasional visit to the supermarket or pharmacist. We have managed to get most of our shopping needs delivered. One thing I miss most about this lockdown is being able to go browsing in the local bookshop. Bookshops seem to be all too rare these days and – while I have nothing against Amazon – I like to support the independents with regular purchases.

First on the ‘must get‘ list are two recommendations:

One Giant Leap by Charles Fishman

This is the story of the first Moon landing and the politics and the scientific work behind the project.

Fragility – Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism – by Robin Diangelo

The subject matter here is too obvious to need mentioning.

And to round off my non-fiction plans there is:

This Orient Isle by Jerry Brotton

This book is a history of the relations between England and the Islamic World during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. [already on my shelves but not yet read]

Current and upcoming fiction I intend to check out or buy (or rediscover in my library!) and read includes:

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

The third book in her trilogy about Thomas Cromwell.

A Song for the Dark Times by Ian Rankin

Coming soon, yet another detective story featuring John Rebus.

The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen

Coming in October, a new psychological thriller by the author of The Date and The Family.

Meantime, I have been working to clear out old files on my computer, including some pieces of miscellaneous writing from the past twenty years or so. A few have been published before, others were written for friends and others still have never seen the light of day – and probably ought not to see it now. But hey . . . writers are an eccentric bunch. Sometimes we can’t resist digging around in the attic. So I have collected everything together and put it in a little book entitled In My Own Write. And, by the way, The Attic is the title of the first (very) short story.

Whatever your favourite genre, happy reading everyone – and stay healthy and safe from COVID-19!

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