One of The Directory readers suggested we create a Book Club which we agree is a brilliant idea. Below is a list of books Directory readers have read recently and recommend. Please do send us your recommendations and we will add them. 

To find more recommendations visit Part 1 of The Directory Book Club HERE.

 

This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2024

This book tells the incredible story of three generations of the Cassar family. It begins in Salonica in 1940 as Paris falls to the Germans and ends in the present day in America. In the intervening years the family grows and moves from Salonica to Algeria, France, Cuba, Canada, Argentina, Australia, France and America.

It is over 400 pages long but is a rich and very enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

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The Two Roberts by Damian Barr

The lives of Scottish artists Bobby MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun, who found love and fame and lost it all, are vividly reimagined in this intoxicating, brave, and compassionate novel... one of the most passionate love stories of modern British art. 

Set against the shifting cultural landscape of mid-century Britain, Barr captures the fragility beneath their early success. He traces how external forces and private struggles began to erode the unity that once defined them, resulting in a story that is as much about artistic identity as it is about enduring, and ultimately vulnerable, love.

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The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Sybil Van Antwerp is stubborn, opinionated and in her letters to family and friends is always steadfast in her belief in the power of the written word.

But as the clock begins to tick, the need for a few post-scripts to the life she’s led become apparent. Fixing her difficult relationship with her children. Taking a final chance at romance. Atoning for an old legal case which has come back to haunt her. And finally, reckoning with a devastating loss that she has spent the last thirty years hiding the details of.

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The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 and
Winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

December 1962, the West Country. Local doctor Eric Parry, mulling secrets, sets out on his rounds while his pregnant wife sleeps on in the warmth of their cottage. Across the field, funny, troubled Rita Simmons is also asleep, her head full of images of a past life her husband prefers to ignore. He’s been up for hours, tending to the needs of the small dairy farm where he hoped to create a new version of himself — a project that’s already faltering.

But when the ordinary cold of an English December gives way to violent blizzards, the two couples find their lives beginning to unravel.

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God is an Octopus  by Ben Goldsmith

Former parent, Catherine Cockcroft sent us this book recommendation for The Directory Book Club... a story of loss, love and a calling to nature.

In July 2019, Ben Goldsmith lost his fifteen-year-old daughter, Iris, in an accident on their family farm in Somerset. Iris's death left her family reeling. Ben tells a powerful, immersive and inspiring story of finding comfort and strength in nature after suffering loss and despair. 

'Intensely readable, poetic, truthful, wise and wonderful.' Stephen Fry

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 The Artist by Lucy Steeds

The Artist was Waterstone's 2025 Book of the Year by first time author Lucy Steeds. It is a well-written novel set in Southern France in the 1920s and tells the fascinating story of an artist, his granddaughter and a visiting journalist. 

As The Times say, "The Artist is a lush, impressive debut; the writing is rich and sensuous..." and The Guardian say "Vividly poetic...A seductive combination of romance, puzzle and poetry." We highly recommend it too.

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My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor

A gripping first novel in Joseph O’Connor’s Rome Escape Line trilogy. Set in Nazi-occupied Rome in 1943, it introduces a remarkable cast of characters drawn into a clandestine operation to rescue Allied soldiers and Jewish refugees from the Gestapo. At its heart is Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, an unlikely resistance leader operating from within the Vatican, aided by the fearless Contessa Giovanna Landini and a small, tightly bound network living under constant surveillance.

Taut, intelligent and richly atmospheric, this is historical fiction at its finest—combining meticulous research with psychological depth and moral urgency. O’Connor captures both the tension of espionage and the quiet heroism of ordinary people risking everything to save others. 

As The Guardian observed, it is “a brilliant, humane novel about courage, faith and resistance in the darkest of times.”

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All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

When a local teenager is abducted residents in the local town are devastated and especially his best friend who becomes obsessed with finding him, but when she does it breaks her heart...

This exciting crime novel and love story is difficult to put down. It has almost 600 pages but it is difficult not to turn them quickly as the story is so fast paced and exciting. 

As The Guardian say "The gripping, sweeping, new novel from the acclaimed number 1 bestseller Chris Whitaker: one of the must-read novels of 2025."

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The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits

This perceptive and beautiful understated novel describes an aimless road trip set off by a mid-live crisis. It  was shortlisted for The Booker Prize 2025 and is one of the recent books recommended by the Bookstoker.

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Precipice     by Robert Harris

Summer 1914: In London, young socialite Venetia Stanley’s affair with Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, exposes a trail of leaked secrets and political peril. Blending real events with masterful storytelling, Robert Harris delivers a gripping portrait of power, desire and betrayal on the eve of the First World War.

Sunday Times - 'A riveting tale of politics, war and erotic obsession.’ 

Nicholas Coleridge, Indepenent - 'His most enthralling yet . . . extraordinary.'

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The Place of Tides by James Rebanks

This beautifully written book is set in the Vega archipelago off the North coast of Norway on the edge of the Arctic. The author joins Anna, who lives there caring for wild Eider ducks and gathering their down, and discovers her enchanting world and the centuries-old trade.

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Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

Longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and highly recommended by Giles Coren, a Directory reader has raved to us about this fabulous short novel:

"Set in 1962, a boy on the Lancashire coast drags for shrimps in the shallow waters with a horse and tackle, like his father and grandfather before him. Full of authenticity and with a thread of romance."

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Three novels by Jodi Picoult...

Wish You Were Here:

As the pandemic begins, Diana travels alone to the Galápagos after her partner stays behind to work on the frontline. Stranded in paradise, she’s compelled to reassess her life, relationships and choices — only to discover that reality may not be what it seems.

A powerfully evociative story of the resilience and triumph of the human spirit.

The Storyteller:

A moving exploration of guilt, forgiveness and moral ambiguity. When elderly Josef confesses a horrific past to young baker Sage, she is forced to confront the legacy of the Holocaust, challenging her own beliefs about justice and redemption. 

A heartbreaking and unforgettable novel.

A Spark of Light:

Set in reverse over the course of a single day, this gripping novel traces the events leading to a hostage crisis at an abortion clinic. With perspectives from those caught inside, Picoult examines the complexity of reproductive rights and the human stories behind polarising debates.

A heartstopping must read from the No.1 Sunday Times bestseller.

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Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig

'Zweig's fictional masterpiece' GUARDIAN

The only novel written by one of the most popular writers of the twentieth century. In 1913, young second lieutenant Hofmiller discovers the terrible danger of pity. He had no idea the girl was lame when he asked her to dance-so begins a series of visits, motivated by pity, which relieve his guilt but give her a dangerous glimmer of hope.

Stefan Zweig's unforgettable novel is a devastating depiction of the betrayal of both honour and love, amid the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

"This is a doomed romance about the tragedy of pitying somebody. Incredibly beautifully written - a poignant book." Trinny Woodall

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100 Ideas that Changed Fashion by Harriet Worsley

Written by Directory Member and Garden Designer Harriet Worsley, this elegant coffee table book chronicles the most influential fashion ideas through which womenswear has evolved, offering a unique and engaging perspective on the subject. Charting the movements, developments and ideas that transformed the way women dress, the book gives a unique perspective on the history of twentieth-century fashion. But rather than just documenting these changes in fashion, it crucially explains why they happened. From the invention of the bias cut and the stiletto heel to the designers who changed the way we think about clothes, the book is entertaining, intelligent and a visual feast. 

See Harriet's Garden Design & Consultancy on The Directory HERE

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There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

This is the story of one lost poem, two great rivers, and three remarkable lives – all connected by a single drop of water.

Set in the ruins of Nineveh, the ancient city of Mesopotamia; in Victorian London, and in modern day Turkey and London this novel spans centuries, continents and cultures, entwined by rivers, rains, and waterdrops.

The independent bookshop, South Kensington Books, is selling signed copies.

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Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

This Sunday Times bestseller is a gripping new murder mystery thriller for 2025. ‘Agatha Christie meets The White Lotus’ says fellow author, Tom Hindle.

In the shadow of an ancient wood, guests gather for the opening weekend of The Manor hotel and a sumptuous feast but as the candles are lit tensions spark and old animosities reignite. This isn’t a celebration, but a deadly reunion. And time someone got their just deserts…

Recommended by Directory Member, Fiona Axe who features her stunning South Devon rental property, Higher Cross Park in The Directory.

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Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico

Shorter books and novellas are becoming more popular with 8 of the 13 titles longlisted for this year's Booker Prize having less than 200 pages. With this in mind this week we are featuring one of this year's entrants Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, which has just 120 pages.

The novel is about Anna and Tom, a young digital creative couple living in Berlin, who initially feel they've achieved a dream life, but gradually become disillusioned with their existence and the modern world.  

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Butter by Asako Yuzuki

 is the Number 1 Sunday Times bestselling book and was Waterstones' 2024 Book of the Year. It is is about a Japanese female gourmet cook, who is obsessed with food and who is conviected of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, and a young journalist who wants to tell her story.

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Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley

The perfect time to read this wonderful book would be as we enter Spring Japanese Cherry Blossom Season!

Four Seasons in Japan is a gorgeously crafted book-within-a-book about literature, purpose and what it is to belong.

It doubles as a love letter to Japanese culture, its landscape, exploring the comfort found in books and the understanding between generations. (Town and Country Magazine)

"Four Seasons in Japan primarily has two stories – one about a translator and the other being the text that they are translating. Both stories progress chronologically over a year through the four seasons. 

I am reading this book whilst travelling on a train. It is perfect escapism and a wonderful distraction." 

Recommended by Thomas's Kensington parent Katie Black.

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Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood is a captivating story of first love, youthful indiscretions and the freedom of student life. When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love, the girlfriend of his best friend.

Immediately he is transported back to his student days in 1960s Japan, the bustle of Tokyo and the forests of the northern mountains. This novel is haunting and nostalgic and such a treat to read with Murakami making ordinary life sparkle.

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Gabriel's Moon by William Boyd

This is William Boyd's 18th novel and is a very enjoyable cold war espionage tale which vividly recreates the early 1960s. The hero is Gabriel Dax who lands a scoop interview with the prime minister of the Republic of Congo who tells Gabriel of some powerful figures who wish to kill him. When he ends up dead Gabriel's tapes of the interview become hot property. We found it difficult to put down.

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Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Intermezzo is the latest book by Sally Rooney which is about two brothers with very different personalities and love lives, who are mourning the death of their father. Peter is a successful barrister whilst Ivan, the younger brother, is a shy competitive chess player. Sarah really enjoyed this book and highly recommends it.

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2024 Booker Prize Shortlist

These six books are the finalists in this year's Booker Prize :

Held by Anne Michaels - from a soldier on the battlefield in France this book explores the lives and memories of four generations.

Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner - a woman is caught in the crossfire between the past and the future in this part-spy novel and part treatise on human history.

-WINNER- Orbital by Samantha Harvey - six astronauts are working in the International Space Station but over a 24-hour period they begin to wonder what is life without Earth and Earth without humanity. 

James by Percival Everett - a powerful exploration of slavery, identity and the pursuit of freedom and justice.

The Safekeep by Yael Van der Wouden - a tale of twisted desire, histories and homes set in the Netherlands after the war. At its heart are two women who are pulled together and the secrets they carry.

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood - set in a monastry in rural Australia this book is about one woman's journey to make sense of the world and her life.

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The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

Welcome to Eris - a tidal island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out...

A place that is unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day. Once the hideaway of Vanessa, a famous artist whose husband disappeared twenty years ago. Now home to Grace. A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation. But when a human bone is uncovered in Vanessa's artwork, far away in London, Grace receives an unexpected visitor.

AND THE SECRETS OF ERIS THREATEN TO EMERGE. . .

The tense new crime thriller from the multi-million-copy bestselling author of The Girl on the Train.

'The best Paula Hawkins yet.' LEE CHILD

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Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe

In 1982 Nina Stibbe, a 20-year-old from Leicester moved to London to work as a nanny and this is the collection of letters she wrote home. Nina had no idea how to cook, look after children or who the visitors were to the house she stayed in but the family were fun and seemed delighted by her lack of skills. 

Highly recommended by a former Thomas's Battersea mother.

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The Get-ahead Christmas Cook by Jane Lovett

Jane Lovett brings us the ultimate stress-busting guide for the Christmas period with failsafe recipes that can be prepared and often made ahead, alongside hints, tips and menus for the big day and beyond.

Sally from White Coco says... "Jane’s cookery books are simply the best, and her recipes will undoubtedly become the most used in your kitchen. Fresh off the press, she’ll be here to chat and sign copies."

"There is no-one whose recipies I trust more" says India Knight.

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Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin

This best selling novel is full of French charm and memorable characters and is difficult to put down. It is the story of a cemetery caretaker, who is coming to terms with the loss of her daughter, which combines gentle humour with her search for happiness.  

Jane Garvey and Fi Glover's book club pick.

“An appealing indulgence in nature, food and drink, and, above all, friendships.” The Guardian

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Mama Still Got It by Louise Boyce

As one of the biggest parenting stars on social media, mother-of-three Louise Boyce knows a thing or two about navigating the craziness of family life.

Louise Boyce shares her expertise in Mama Still Got It, a hurtling gallop through the ‘real’ parenting calendar. From drop-kicking the kids through the school gates in September, to the perils of using a public loo with your toddler, this book covers all the highs and lows of modern motherhood.

So put the kids to bed (for five minutes at least), grab a glass of wine, and settle in for the ride.

Mama may be tired, but she’s still got it!

'I adore how honest this is - Louise finds the funniest moments in the smallest everyday occurrences. I loved it.' Fearne Cotton

'Utterly heartfelt and blimmin' hilarious - Louise has created that perfect cocktail of laughter and tears. It's like a bosomy maternal hug in a book.' Anna Whitehouse

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When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the slew of ordinary and extraordinary incidents that shape their everyday lives. It is a story about childhood and growing up, loss of innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love and life. Stripped down to its bare bones, it’s about the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.

This, her debut novel won Sarah Winman various awards including New Writer of the Year in the Galaxy National Book Awards and it was one of the books chosen by Richard & Judy in their 2011 Summer Book Club.

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Sofia Petrovna by Lydia Chukovskaya

Sofia Petrovna was written in the Soviet Union and is one of the few surviving accounts of the Great Purge written during the purge era. It was composed secretly in a school notebook in lilac ink during the winter of 1939-40.

It describes two years in the life of a widow with a son she adores and a job in a publishing house she likes and it shows the horror of Stalin’s Purges unfolding against this background of ordinariness. 

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Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

Published in 2023 this book was described as a satire of racial diversity in the publishing industry as well as a metafiction about social media, particularly Twitter. This chilling and hilariously sharp novel is Kuang's first venture into literary fiction and it has been recommended to us by a former Thomas's pupil.

...White lies. Dark humour. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she claims to be; she didn’t write the book she says she did, and she is most certainly not Asian American.

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Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Riku Anda 

Featured in the Financial Times's best summer books list in 2023.

It is set In a small coastal town just a stone's throw from Tokyo, where a prestigious piano competition is underway. Over the course of two feverish weeks, three friends will experience some of the most joyous - and painful - moments of their lives.

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The History of Love by Nicole Krauss 

Recommended to us by an English Literature student The History of Love was Shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2006.

Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer is trying to find a cure for her mother's loneliness. Believing she might discover it in an old book her mother is lovingly translating, she sets out in search for its author.

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