Looking for your next read? Our October choices include literary fiction, historical drama, thrillers and an entertaining escape to Provence with Eric Idle.
Batter Gray (aka Prisoner 83A0956) was named after his mother’s incredible, gimpy rescue dog (Mom is a typeface designer, font of wisdom, font of fonts). Batter loves poetry, so when he gets his toe in the door at prestigious publishers Peck & Peck in 1980s New York, it’s like a dream come true.
Owned by third-generation fraternal twins, the company is run by choleric, poetry-hating Salton Peck, following the disgrace of his gifted womb-mate, Declonius. And if Batter’s job is only photocopying, hey, you have to start somewhere! So we enter the rivalrous world of siblings and sonnets.
And if it’s not so much “Gather ye rose-buds” as “The boy stood on the burning deck”, thank heavens Mom knows her Aptos from her Bembo!
After the hellscape of the Normandy beaches and a stint of peacekeeping in the Holy Land, Philip Deval is now teaching at a Catholic girls’ school. There he forms a friendship with inscrutable music teacher Frances Darwood.
Faulks perfectly evokes the fatigue of a postwar Britain in which people struggle to move on, to look only forward – but for Philip and Frances the past has a nasty way of intruding.
The wedding was a dream – now the honeymoon… Paul and Chelsea are in Paris, no expense spared, Instagram bliss. Then, on a trip to the D-Day beaches, the couple are kidnapped, leaving their families in pieces. And what looks like a dismal case of human greed is far bigger, deeper, darker.
A harrowing read, leavened by the occasional quip, from a master storyteller burned up by injustice.
Polish-Jewish Mrs Danowski (‘Danni’), housekeeper at Mandeville Hall, is entranced by glamorous visitor Daphne du Maurier, and shares with her a summer of love. Poor Danni, first seduced then traduced, caricatured as the malign Mrs Danvers in du Maurier’s classic Rebecca!
A story of love, betrayal, survival, which started as a short story and has grown into a movie – starring Cornwall.
In 1971, with Monty Python in its second year, Idle bought a tumbledown, inaccessible shack in the Var region of Provence and got busy creating an earthly paradise. Now 83, he regales us with memories of the locals, native and ex-pat, and the starriest of celebrities he hosted.
Toil, troubles and wildfires notwithstanding, this is a fabulous escapist read by a comic genius, a Python in search of the meaning of life.
Try something different – a new style of accommodation, unbeatable locations and peak season at great prices.
These are a great alternative to traditional hotel breaks with our nationwide chauffeur service included.
Plus, you can save £100 per person for a limited time only. T&Cs apply.
This year, Saga is celebrating an incredible 75 years – and we’d love you to be part of the celebrations. For a limited time only, you can subscribe to Saga Magazine for just 75p an issue.
Receive the next 6 print editions delivered direct to your door, plus 6 months’ unlimited access to the Saga Magazine app – perfect for reading on the go.
These engrossing novels and fascinating non-fiction picks are the perfect summer escape.
Dr Mark Porter dives into the health issues affecting us all in the new podcast from Saga.
The celebrity historian shares her travel stories and disasters.
The BBC newsreader on running 23 marathons, coping with grief and why she’s still chasing new challenges at 58.
The writer and broadcaster on childhood adventures, Winnie-the-Pooh and the lesson that has guided him.
The TV presenter shares her favourite places and the surprising companion she would love to travel with.
TV’s Dr Hilary Jones on why he wants sweeping reform to modern healthcare.
