Books I Read in August 2026

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout is a stand-alone novel separate from the Olive Kitteridge universe and has been longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize. It tells the story of Artie Dam, a middle-aged history teacher living by the coast in Massachusetts. He is well-liked by his students but also dealing with internal struggles related to his marriage to Evie and the trauma of a car accident a decade ago involving his son Rob. Artie tackles his feelings of loneliness by trying to articulate his feelings more clearly but receives mixed responses from those around him. The interactions between the characters vary from awkward to profound and the backdrop of a politically divided nation in the lead up to the 2024 US presidential election lends a rather melancholy tone. Strout has set up a lot of potential for spin-off stories about other characters featured in this novel, but we will have to wait and see if this will develop into a series.

A British Childhood by Frank Cottrell-Boyce is the children’s author’s survey of how young people in the UK today have been affected by austerity policies. In his role as Children’s Laureate, Cottrell-Boyce visits schools all over the country and was shocked when a headteacher briefed him that the pupils didn’t enjoy the long summer holidays because they miss school, which has become a refuge for many disadvantaged children during the cost-of-living crisis. Each of the ten chapters draws on a classic work of children’s literature, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar to show the power of early years programmes and The Wizard of Oz on the impact of frequently moving home. Cottrell-Boyce is a passionate advocate of storytelling for its positive impact on children’s wellbeing and his socially conscious and inspiring book shows that there is a bigger picture to the state of childhood in Britain today beyond the problems associated with too much screen time and social media.

All In by Claire Powell is set during a short yet intense all-inclusive family holiday in Spain. Jo and Dave are in their forties and muddling through their marriage after failed IVF treatment. They are joined on the holiday by Dave’s wealthy brother Teddy and his younger American partner Kayla, and Dave and Teddy’s dad Alan. I enjoyed the realism of all the banal aspects of a family holiday where everyone is trying exceptionally hard to escape their problems and enjoy themselves despite very unenjoyable and dysfunctional circumstances. A breezy but slightly stressful beach read. Many thanks to Vintage Books for sending me a review copy via NetGalley.

Murder in Paris ’68 by Edward Chisholm is a narrative non-fiction account of the Markovic affair which shocked France in the late 1960s. Yugoslavian refugee, Stevan Markovic, was found dead near Versailles and the subsequent police investigation uncovered his close connections to the charismatic actor Alain Delon as well as a scandal possibly implicating Georges Pompidou and his wife. This is a remarkable true crime account about a case that has been little reported outside of France. Chisholm occasionally outlines some of his efforts to uncover material in various archives, but doesn’t insert himself into the narrative any more than necessary. He has skilfully evoked the murk and glamour of Paris in the 1960s, where the Nouvelle Vague era of cinema, organised crime and politics collide in unexpected and spectacular fashion. I enjoyed Chisholm’s memoir A Waiter in Paris and was pleased to see his latest book on the longlist of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.