I’m especially intrigued by the Japanese crime novel. I’ve been hooked on the crime novels of Seicho Matsumoto this summer and this one sounds like a good addition.
I’m plannng to revisit The Children’s Book with Simon Haisell later this year too having read it and loved it when it was first published. I wrote about it and ASB very kindly answered my five questions to writers. She revealed that she’d had some pottery tuition from her neighbour whilst writing the book…Edmund de Waal!
Grace, I am always amazed by your insider knowledge and it makes perfect sense that Byatt's impeccable research would connect her to de Waal. Respect!
Very pleased to hear that Simon is going to be reading The Children's Book this year, I might join in with that if I can. And I am definitely going to seek out Matsumoto's novels before my (possible) Japan trip later this year.
It was a season in my life that I look back on with some amazement now. I used to pose five questions to each author and never for one minute expected a response from ASB but she was game. I loved The Children’s Book so am excited to read it again and should really go back and finish The Frederica Quartet having read the first two.
I’m finding the Japanese crime novels are unique for the quiet measured way they go about solving a crime. Penguin have reissued Matsumoto ( born 1906) and they are very lovely editions.
That’s so impressive, that she was willing to take part. And I also want to read the Frederica quartet in full - I did enjoyed Still Life, based on her own experiences as a student at Cambridge (and another sister narrative). Thanks for the tip about the new Matsumoto editions!
You know this reader wouldn’t judge you no matter how large the glass of wine! Lovely read, as ever, Ann. The posters are striking. There’s something clear but catchy about the ones you show here. Wonder whether there are any lessons for political activists today in that? As for Byatt, I have had Possession and The Children’s Book on my shelf since the start of the year after picking them up in one of my favourite bookshops in Norwich. I may need to bump them up the reading list.
Haha, thank you Michael! It was a nice way to start the book (perhaps we could have tasting recommendations for different books?). I have since discovered that one of the themes of Emily's book is Japanese cocktails, so will continue my research. Will be interested to hear what you make of Byatt!
I Capture the Castle is one of the books that formed me - I read and reread it as a teenager, and when I went back to read it as an adult, discovered that lots of things I thought were my unique thoughts were actually Cassandra's. I love the film as well, which has a stellar cast. And The Children's Book is such a wonderful one - after I read it I went out and bought it for everyone, and I love it easily as much as I love Possession.
How I wish I had discovered it as a teenager, Louise! There could be a whole essay on books you must read at certain life stages... though I honestly think it's never too late, and the best books about young people can reawaken that long-ago time. Because the film was so perfect, I wanted to wait to read the novel and form my own impressions (though Bill Nighy is irreplaceable). A.S. Byatt's Possession made such an impact, and although The Children's Book covers such a swathe of characters, it's impeccably researched and she blends fact and fiction so well.
Interesting! I wonder about the 'must'. There are many children's or young adults' novels that I missed as a child or young adult, then found and loved as an old adult-- but others I read only as a grown-up and just never got. *The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe* comes to mind. Would I have been enchanted by it had I read it earlier?
Yes, I think the 'must' is too strong a word! When I first read Jane Eyre in my 40s I thought it was slightly over the top, but wouldn't have thought that when I was younger... though I did read most of the Narnia books and was quite perplexed! Not sure I would have the patience to re-read them now.
*Jane Eyre* is a good example. I tried to read it as a teen and could not complete, but enjoyed it decades later once I had learned to roll my eyes now and then. I also finally forced myself through *Wuthering Heights* and glad I did, but mainly just to tick it off the list. Now for *War and Peace*...
Ah yes, Wuthering Heights was one I read in my spare time, in about two days, in my early 20s. I was alone in Paris, teaching English to reluctant schoolkids... and got immersed in its OTT passion. Haven't got through W&P yet so might join you!
Let me know if you do! I've just read *Life and Fate* by Vasily Grossman, which some (in the Clare Hall book club) compared to *War and Peace*, while others denied it. So I'm thinking I should read the Tolstoy.
I read Jane Eyre AND War and Peace as a teenager (my father was a school librarian and books in English were in limited supply, so I just read my way through the library!) and also Jane Austen, who did not impress me in the slightest. When I went back and read her as an adult, I discovered so much to love, which had completely passed younger me by.
Interesting, I was in a similar position when I lived in Paris for a year, craving books in English so joined the British Council teachers' library (because it was cheap) and read through their single shelf of classics. Didn't use them as teaching material!
I can't imagine life without my sisters. I love the sister novels you've mentioned here and I especially love the post-war novel, Guard Your Daughters, by Diana Tutton about five sisters in a bohemian family.
Thank you so much for featuring A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing in your August Letter. This was a lovely surprise! I get such great cultural recommendations from your Substack, so I feel very flattered to see my novel among them this month.
Thank you Emily! I'm enjoying your novel greatly, and the post from 400-year Old Library was a great introduction, not least to the wonders of the perfect lychee cocktail!
I’m very pleased to hear of Francesca Wade’s new book! I really enjoyed and learned a lot from Square Haunting. Also you’re in for such a treat with I Capture the Castle. It’s one of my all-time favorite novels, and I’m re-reading it right now with my book club. The Dorothy Evelyn Smith novel O the Brave Music has an important sister relationship, in addition to just being a phenomenal novel.
Thank you Abigail, I'm a fan of Square Haunting so I was intrigued to see what she would do with this one. It's a much deeper dive into the life and work of Stein, and Wade isn't afraid to tackle difficult issues, including Stein's brief support for Pétain's armistice (as she saw it) in 1940. So pleased you are reading I Capture the Castle too! I can't believe I have never read it, though loved the film. And thanks for introducing me to Dorothy Evelyn's Smith's novel, I'm ashamed to say I hadn't heard of it until now. Will order it from my library. (I see Lost Ladies of Lit have had a podcast on it too.)
You are very welcome Lucy, and I did enjoy exploring Brooke's friendship group and what became of them after the war. The memory of him, and those golden pre-war days, stayed with them all.
I would love to see these suffrage posters! I too am reading Maggie O’Farrell’s LAND. I’m only a little way into it—it is intense! And somehow I missed your post on Ray Strachey. Will read.
The Children's Book has a special place in my heart. I remember exactly when and where I bought my hardback edition when it first came out, so excited to have a chunky new AS Byatt to read. And it was while I was reading it that the thought grew in my head that I should turn my research into the life of a late Victorian artist, Nelly Erichsen, into a book. And here I am, in the midst of writing my third book! Inspired, definitely, by Byatt, whom I gave credit to within the Nelly book itself!
What a great inspiration Byatt provided (and well done on your third book)! She was one of those few writers who could combine painstaking research with fictional techniques, and make it work somehow.
I didn’t know about International Sisters Day so thank you for the note - my youngest (of three daughters) turned 18 yesterday so very apt! I would also add the Ingalls sisters to the reading pile 📚
Belated happy birthday to your daughter, Kathryn, and thanks for the reminder of the Ingalls sisters! I am enjoying what I've seen of the new dramatisation.
Thank you Katy, and ditto! It really is an enjoyable book – I have no idea what's going to happen in it – but it's whetting my appetite for a long-promised trip to Japan.
What a fascinating and informative newsletter, thank you. I have noted the Churchill and Nicolson books. I read I Capture The Castle when I was around 14, loved it so much that I've decided to leave it there in aspic.
I'm another joining F and T' s read of The Children's Book. A first read of it for me. Simon H is an amazing guide - I'm sure he'll do justice to it.
I'm lucky enough to have 2 lovely sisters, a blessing.
Thanks so much Claire, and it's very good to see that The Children's Book is having a moment, as they say. And speaking of older books, I am mystified as to why I Capture the Castle wasn't in my local library (or perhaps it was, and the cover or title didn't appeal to me). I know what you mean about not re-reading old favourites, and risk a spell being broken... and sometimes a book preserves a precious memory that is impossible to articulate.
It's been lovely hearing about some novels featuring sisters that I wasn't familiar with, and it's always nice to discover new (old) books. Nicolson's account is new to me, and I am glad to have discovered it while thinking about the summer of 1911 in England (like this one, much too hot for comfort).
I am reading The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard ( two sisters!). Her style of writing is very Byatt ( it seems to me anyway). I should read The Whistling Woman and complete the quartet. I loved the first two, not so much the third.
I have heard a lot about Shirley Hazzard, but have yet to discover her work. The connection to Byatt sounds promising! Is that novel a good place to start?
This is the first Shirley Hazzard I have read so I can't compare it. I took it off our shelf having noticed that is made it recently onto The Guardian's Best Books list. I think it was fiftieth out of one hundred books. If you enjoy Byatt I think you'd appreciate it - it demands reading attention!
I love that poster of the yacht and the rowing boat; so evocative. The books all sound marvellous and I'll take your recommendation of listening to Wilson's translation of The Odyssea.
I'm blessed with lovely sisters-in-law, which makes up for not having a sister growing up. My favourite literary sisters may be Dora and Nora Chance in Angela Carter's Wise Children, twin chorus girls from a convoluted literary family.
Oh, I had forgotten about Wise Children! Such a wonderful novel. I am enjoying the audiobook of Emily Wilson's translation, it's a good way of taking in a poetic work I think, and it got me through Joyce's Ulysses a couple of years ago (while also reading the notes afterwards, for references to Homer that passed me by). I want to write a little more about the Duncan Grant suffrage poster as it's so powerful... a great era for memorable images.
So much in this post! Thank you, Ann. I've added *A Tiny Speck of Black...* to my list. (I wonder how faithful the translated title is to the original.) Also thanks for the gift of Emily Wilson's LRB article. It helped me understand my reaction to the film.
I hope your talk goes well! Maybe we'll get an extract of it here?
Thanks Leslie! I hope to write up my talk here soon. Emily Midorikawa is actually from York in the UK, so it's a perspective on Japan from someone who (like her main character), is half-Japanese and moved there after university, partly to explore her heritage. The intriguing title is based on a traditional folk tale told early on in the book, and Emily writes more here:
Ah yes! I have only started the book, so still on Queen Victoria (!) but I know that Ted will have interesting things to say about the young Elizabeth II. (I don't usually read books about the royal family, but this one is fascinating.)
Austen's Pride and Prejudice has a fine group of sisters indeed. I read Land in July. As an Irish reader I have some mixed views on the book. Will review it in my July Reads this month. Plenty of reading in your holiday tbr stack Ann. Enjoy 😉
I'll be very interested to hear your take on Land, Lucy, but must dive into it first! Claire Connolly had some reservations... looking forward to hearing about your other fiction choices too.
Yes read it first. I try to avoid reading reviews beforehand as much as possible so I can immerse myself and gain my own view. Enjoy your holidays Ann.
What a wonderful selection of summer reading!
I’m especially intrigued by the Japanese crime novel. I’ve been hooked on the crime novels of Seicho Matsumoto this summer and this one sounds like a good addition.
I’m plannng to revisit The Children’s Book with Simon Haisell later this year too having read it and loved it when it was first published. I wrote about it and ASB very kindly answered my five questions to writers. She revealed that she’d had some pottery tuition from her neighbour whilst writing the book…Edmund de Waal!
Grace, I am always amazed by your insider knowledge and it makes perfect sense that Byatt's impeccable research would connect her to de Waal. Respect!
Very pleased to hear that Simon is going to be reading The Children's Book this year, I might join in with that if I can. And I am definitely going to seek out Matsumoto's novels before my (possible) Japan trip later this year.
It was a season in my life that I look back on with some amazement now. I used to pose five questions to each author and never for one minute expected a response from ASB but she was game. I loved The Children’s Book so am excited to read it again and should really go back and finish The Frederica Quartet having read the first two.
I’m finding the Japanese crime novels are unique for the quiet measured way they go about solving a crime. Penguin have reissued Matsumoto ( born 1906) and they are very lovely editions.
PS A trip to Japan will be amazing.
That’s so impressive, that she was willing to take part. And I also want to read the Frederica quartet in full - I did enjoyed Still Life, based on her own experiences as a student at Cambridge (and another sister narrative). Thanks for the tip about the new Matsumoto editions!
You know this reader wouldn’t judge you no matter how large the glass of wine! Lovely read, as ever, Ann. The posters are striking. There’s something clear but catchy about the ones you show here. Wonder whether there are any lessons for political activists today in that? As for Byatt, I have had Possession and The Children’s Book on my shelf since the start of the year after picking them up in one of my favourite bookshops in Norwich. I may need to bump them up the reading list.
Haha, thank you Michael! It was a nice way to start the book (perhaps we could have tasting recommendations for different books?). I have since discovered that one of the themes of Emily's book is Japanese cocktails, so will continue my research. Will be interested to hear what you make of Byatt!
I Capture the Castle is one of the books that formed me - I read and reread it as a teenager, and when I went back to read it as an adult, discovered that lots of things I thought were my unique thoughts were actually Cassandra's. I love the film as well, which has a stellar cast. And The Children's Book is such a wonderful one - after I read it I went out and bought it for everyone, and I love it easily as much as I love Possession.
Those posters look fascinating.
How I wish I had discovered it as a teenager, Louise! There could be a whole essay on books you must read at certain life stages... though I honestly think it's never too late, and the best books about young people can reawaken that long-ago time. Because the film was so perfect, I wanted to wait to read the novel and form my own impressions (though Bill Nighy is irreplaceable). A.S. Byatt's Possession made such an impact, and although The Children's Book covers such a swathe of characters, it's impeccably researched and she blends fact and fiction so well.
Interesting! I wonder about the 'must'. There are many children's or young adults' novels that I missed as a child or young adult, then found and loved as an old adult-- but others I read only as a grown-up and just never got. *The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe* comes to mind. Would I have been enchanted by it had I read it earlier?
Yes, I think the 'must' is too strong a word! When I first read Jane Eyre in my 40s I thought it was slightly over the top, but wouldn't have thought that when I was younger... though I did read most of the Narnia books and was quite perplexed! Not sure I would have the patience to re-read them now.
*Jane Eyre* is a good example. I tried to read it as a teen and could not complete, but enjoyed it decades later once I had learned to roll my eyes now and then. I also finally forced myself through *Wuthering Heights* and glad I did, but mainly just to tick it off the list. Now for *War and Peace*...
Ah yes, Wuthering Heights was one I read in my spare time, in about two days, in my early 20s. I was alone in Paris, teaching English to reluctant schoolkids... and got immersed in its OTT passion. Haven't got through W&P yet so might join you!
Let me know if you do! I've just read *Life and Fate* by Vasily Grossman, which some (in the Clare Hall book club) compared to *War and Peace*, while others denied it. So I'm thinking I should read the Tolstoy.
I read Jane Eyre AND War and Peace as a teenager (my father was a school librarian and books in English were in limited supply, so I just read my way through the library!) and also Jane Austen, who did not impress me in the slightest. When I went back and read her as an adult, I discovered so much to love, which had completely passed younger me by.
Interesting, I was in a similar position when I lived in Paris for a year, craving books in English so joined the British Council teachers' library (because it was cheap) and read through their single shelf of classics. Didn't use them as teaching material!
I must say I could never get into the Narnia books as a child or an adult, much as I tried.
That is comforting to hear :)
I can't imagine life without my sisters. I love the sister novels you've mentioned here and I especially love the post-war novel, Guard Your Daughters, by Diana Tutton about five sisters in a bohemian family.
Thank you Dominika, that's a great recommendation – look forward to discovering her work – and I very much agree with you about sisters!
Thank you so much for featuring A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing in your August Letter. This was a lovely surprise! I get such great cultural recommendations from your Substack, so I feel very flattered to see my novel among them this month.
Thank you Emily! I'm enjoying your novel greatly, and the post from 400-year Old Library was a great introduction, not least to the wonders of the perfect lychee cocktail!
I’m very pleased to hear of Francesca Wade’s new book! I really enjoyed and learned a lot from Square Haunting. Also you’re in for such a treat with I Capture the Castle. It’s one of my all-time favorite novels, and I’m re-reading it right now with my book club. The Dorothy Evelyn Smith novel O the Brave Music has an important sister relationship, in addition to just being a phenomenal novel.
Thank you Abigail, I'm a fan of Square Haunting so I was intrigued to see what she would do with this one. It's a much deeper dive into the life and work of Stein, and Wade isn't afraid to tackle difficult issues, including Stein's brief support for Pétain's armistice (as she saw it) in 1940. So pleased you are reading I Capture the Castle too! I can't believe I have never read it, though loved the film. And thanks for introducing me to Dorothy Evelyn's Smith's novel, I'm ashamed to say I hadn't heard of it until now. Will order it from my library. (I see Lost Ladies of Lit have had a podcast on it too.)
https://www.lostladiesoflit.com/transcripts/83-dorothy-evelyn-smith-o-the-brave-music-with-simon-thomas
Thank you so much for that kind recommendation of my last post!
Your talk sounds wonderful - I am fascinated by Brooke and by that whole network of writers.
You are very welcome Lucy, and I did enjoy exploring Brooke's friendship group and what became of them after the war. The memory of him, and those golden pre-war days, stayed with them all.
I would love to see these suffrage posters! I too am reading Maggie O’Farrell’s LAND. I’m only a little way into it—it is intense! And somehow I missed your post on Ray Strachey. Will read.
Thanks Sarah! I loved having a closer look at those fragile, yet still powerful, posters.
I can imagine! Are they too fragile for an exhibit?
There was an exhibition in the library a few years ago, and there’s a very good online version here - link in my Ray Strachey post!
https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/suffrage
The Children's Book has a special place in my heart. I remember exactly when and where I bought my hardback edition when it first came out, so excited to have a chunky new AS Byatt to read. And it was while I was reading it that the thought grew in my head that I should turn my research into the life of a late Victorian artist, Nelly Erichsen, into a book. And here I am, in the midst of writing my third book! Inspired, definitely, by Byatt, whom I gave credit to within the Nelly book itself!
What a great inspiration Byatt provided (and well done on your third book)! She was one of those few writers who could combine painstaking research with fictional techniques, and make it work somehow.
I didn’t know about International Sisters Day so thank you for the note - my youngest (of three daughters) turned 18 yesterday so very apt! I would also add the Ingalls sisters to the reading pile 📚
Belated happy birthday to your daughter, Kathryn, and thanks for the reminder of the Ingalls sisters! I am enjoying what I've seen of the new dramatisation.
Thank you! I need to start watching the new series.
Such a pleasure to hear from you, as always, Ann! That Midorikawa book sounds especially appealing.
Thank you Katy, and ditto! It really is an enjoyable book – I have no idea what's going to happen in it – but it's whetting my appetite for a long-promised trip to Japan.
What a fascinating and informative newsletter, thank you. I have noted the Churchill and Nicolson books. I read I Capture The Castle when I was around 14, loved it so much that I've decided to leave it there in aspic.
I'm another joining F and T' s read of The Children's Book. A first read of it for me. Simon H is an amazing guide - I'm sure he'll do justice to it.
I'm lucky enough to have 2 lovely sisters, a blessing.
Off now to follow up your links.
Thank you again.
Thanks so much Claire, and it's very good to see that The Children's Book is having a moment, as they say. And speaking of older books, I am mystified as to why I Capture the Castle wasn't in my local library (or perhaps it was, and the cover or title didn't appeal to me). I know what you mean about not re-reading old favourites, and risk a spell being broken... and sometimes a book preserves a precious memory that is impossible to articulate.
It's been lovely hearing about some novels featuring sisters that I wasn't familiar with, and it's always nice to discover new (old) books. Nicolson's account is new to me, and I am glad to have discovered it while thinking about the summer of 1911 in England (like this one, much too hot for comfort).
I am reading The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard ( two sisters!). Her style of writing is very Byatt ( it seems to me anyway). I should read The Whistling Woman and complete the quartet. I loved the first two, not so much the third.
I have heard a lot about Shirley Hazzard, but have yet to discover her work. The connection to Byatt sounds promising! Is that novel a good place to start?
This is the first Shirley Hazzard I have read so I can't compare it. I took it off our shelf having noticed that is made it recently onto The Guardian's Best Books list. I think it was fiftieth out of one hundred books. If you enjoy Byatt I think you'd appreciate it - it demands reading attention!
I love that poster of the yacht and the rowing boat; so evocative. The books all sound marvellous and I'll take your recommendation of listening to Wilson's translation of The Odyssea.
I'm blessed with lovely sisters-in-law, which makes up for not having a sister growing up. My favourite literary sisters may be Dora and Nora Chance in Angela Carter's Wise Children, twin chorus girls from a convoluted literary family.
Oh, I had forgotten about Wise Children! Such a wonderful novel. I am enjoying the audiobook of Emily Wilson's translation, it's a good way of taking in a poetic work I think, and it got me through Joyce's Ulysses a couple of years ago (while also reading the notes afterwards, for references to Homer that passed me by). I want to write a little more about the Duncan Grant suffrage poster as it's so powerful... a great era for memorable images.
So much in this post! Thank you, Ann. I've added *A Tiny Speck of Black...* to my list. (I wonder how faithful the translated title is to the original.) Also thanks for the gift of Emily Wilson's LRB article. It helped me understand my reaction to the film.
I hope your talk goes well! Maybe we'll get an extract of it here?
Thanks Leslie! I hope to write up my talk here soon. Emily Midorikawa is actually from York in the UK, so it's a perspective on Japan from someone who (like her main character), is half-Japanese and moved there after university, partly to explore her heritage. The intriguing title is based on a traditional folk tale told early on in the book, and Emily writes more here:
https://emilymidorikawa.com/2026/03/26/in-exactly-the-right-place-at-exactly-the-right-time/
How interesting that Churchill helped shape Queen Elizabeth's public persona. I wonder how she helped shape his? ;)
Ah yes! I have only started the book, so still on Queen Victoria (!) but I know that Ted will have interesting things to say about the young Elizabeth II. (I don't usually read books about the royal family, but this one is fascinating.)
Austen's Pride and Prejudice has a fine group of sisters indeed. I read Land in July. As an Irish reader I have some mixed views on the book. Will review it in my July Reads this month. Plenty of reading in your holiday tbr stack Ann. Enjoy 😉
I'll be very interested to hear your take on Land, Lucy, but must dive into it first! Claire Connolly had some reservations... looking forward to hearing about your other fiction choices too.
Yes read it first. I try to avoid reading reviews beforehand as much as possible so I can immerse myself and gain my own view. Enjoy your holidays Ann.