Books of the month – October 2025

I have read four very different books this month but all five star reads. “Deadline” is a debut thriller written by TV personality Steph McGovern whereas “The Nightingale” is a historical fiction story set in France during the Second World War. We then travel across the Atlantic to Washington State to meet Marcellus the octopus in “Remarkably Bright Creatures”. Finally, it’s back to London to meet a mad group of senior citizens who are trying “to age disgracefully”. A mixed bag of books but I have to say that I enjoyed all of them.

Deadline by Steph McGovern – five stars

Wow! This is a fast moving debut novel from TV personality, Steph McGovern who came to fame on BBC Breakfast, then off to Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4 and now she is moving to BBC’s Crimewatch. Steph’s television experience undoubtedly laid the foundation for this book as she introduces us to the main character, Rose who bears an uncanny resemblance to Steph herself.

It starts with northerner Rose on an outside broadcast for breakfast TV to interview the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Charles Barrow on the day after the budget. Rose has the reputation of being a hard-hitting journalist and has prepared long and hard for this interview. Just as she is starting the live interview, she hears an unfamiliar voice on her earpiece. This voice tells her that he has kidnapped her wife Kate and toddler son Rory. Rose has no choice but to continue the interview although the voice in her ear is now providing the questions for her and they become increasingly embarrassing for Charles Barrow. But who is the kidnapper and why has the Charles Barrow interview been hijacked on live TV?

To find out, we have to go back five years to a rough secondary school in the north of England called Newton Banks Academy. A local MP had visited the school and invited some 16 year old students to the House of Commons. Surprisingly they are invited to Number 10 Downing Street too but there is a fracas between the headmistress Harriet and government official Penelope Pencil. This incident was filmed by one of the students who posted it on social media which resulted in the fall of the Prime Minister. Overall, the London trip had a profound effect on many of the students and inspired them in their future career choices. So what has this got to do with Rose’s interview? You will have to read the book to find out!

If you are interested in a good thriller which keeps you guessing and without long wordy descriptions, this is one for you. It’s very readable and will give you great insight into the high pressure world of TV journalism as well as political scandal, the north/south divide in England and class differences. In my opinion, please don’t be put off that “Deadline” is written by a TV personality – this is definitely a book to be added to your “To Be Read” pile.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt – five stars

I loved this book! It’s a heart warming story set in the fictional town of Sowell Bay, a coastal town in Washington State, USA. The star is Marcellus who is a Giant Pacific Octopus and he lives in a tank at the town’s aquarium. He has “Houdini” tendencies and regularly escapes from his tank through an incredibly small gap in order to feast on other sea creatures and to explore the aquarium. After all, he is a “remarkably bright creature”.

Swedish pensioner Tova is the night cleaner at the aquarium and she strikes up a relationship with Marcellus after he got tangled up in some wires during one of his excursions. He is her confidante and often finds items which are relevant to Tova eg her lost set of house keys. Tova is grieving, both the death of her husband Will who died four years ago as well as her son Erik who was lost at sea 30 years previously. She is also in a knitting group and has an admirer in the form of Ethan who runs the local convenience store.

Out of the blue, 30 year old Cameron arrives in the town from California in a battered camper van in search of his long lost father. Cameron is irresponsible, can’t hold down a job and needs to “man up”. Desperately needing money, he takes a job in the aquarium cutting up fish and assists Tovey with cleaning when she sprains her ankle. They develop a friendship under the watchful eye of Marcellus. But this will be short-lived as Tova plans to leave the area and move to a retirement village.

With lots of twists and turns, the book provides great insight into community, loss, loneliness, love and friendship. Even though the ending was predictable, the compelling writing kept me captivated throughout. It’s Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel and I’m looking forward to her next one. Perhaps it will feature another animal! Plus the book has also been adapted for a film which is due to be released by Netflix in 2026.

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley – five stars

An attractive cover, an intriguing title (especially as I’ve recently turned 60) and written by Clare Pooley, the bestselling author of “The Authenticity Project” and “The People on Platform 5” which I had previously enjoyed – all these ingredients add up to making “How to age disgracefully” a book that I definitely wanted to read when I spotted it recently in Moira library. And I definitely wasn’t disappointed!

Living in London, Daphne was the main character in the book. She had just celebrated her 70th birthday – alone except for her yucca plant! She then decided to buy a whiteboard and make a list of all the things she needed to do to improve her life starting with “Make some friends”. She spotted a notice outside the local community centre for a new Senior Citizens Social Club which she decided to attend. At the first meeting, part of the centre’s ceiling collapsed causing one of the attendees Pauline to have a massive stroke and die. Pauline’s dog Maggie Thatcher was now an orphan and three of the group (including Daphne) decided to adopt her.

With the extensive damage caused to the centre, the local council made the decision to knock the building down and convert it into apartments. But Daphne and her fellow senior citizens decided to fight against the closure and launched a campaign to save the doomed centre. This included unemployed actor Art training Maggie Thatcher to do various tricks and ending up on a TV talent show. Daphne also befriended a local teenager Ziggy who was a single dad to baby Kylie and was getting in trouble with local drug gangs before Daphne intervened. Add to the mix a spot of internet dating, an ardent knitter and Lydia, the official group organiser who had a wayward husband, every chapter brought another amusing twist to the tale.

This is a feel good book, full of very different but lovable characters all with a common aim to save the community centre. There was a mix of generations too – senior citizens with hidden pasts, Lydia in her 50s coping with being an empty nester and teenage single father Ziggy. Whatever your age, you can relate to one of the characters and realise how important it is to be part of a community. This is a book that will make you smile (except for Pauline’s untimely death) and perhaps encourage you to “age disgracefully” too.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – five stars

Historical fiction wouldn’t normally be my reading genre but when this book was selected as a Book Club read, I thought I would give it a go.  And I have to say that “The Nightingale” was a gripping educational read but it was sad.

It is set in France during World War 2.  The Germans have invaded and the French way of life is completely turned upside down.  Vianne and Isabelle are two sisters but they have very little in common.  Vianne is happily married to Antoine with their daughter Sophie in the town of Carriveau.  Isabelle is living in Paris but has been a troublesome teenager having been expelled by many schools.  Their wartime stories were very different but equally harrowing.

This is not like the romanticised TV comedy “Allo Allo” but instead it portrays the dreadful reality of wartime France.  Both sisters showed extreme bravery and played their part to fight against the Germans. Vianne even had German officers staying in her home which was completely against her will.  The winters were freezing and there was no fuel.  Rationing was a huge challenge and it grew increasingly difficult to get any food. As the war progressed, the Nazis got more violent with French Jews being shipped off to concentration camps.

This is a powerful story and one which is likely to stay with me for a very long time. It’s a meaty book which has been extremely well researched covering love, loss, hardship and courage as well as the brutality of the Nazis.  It is definitely a five star read in my opinion.

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Hopefully I have given you some inspiration about what to read next and if you have any ideas as to what I could read next, please feel free to comment below with your thoughts. Next month I’m planning to focus on Irish authors which I’m really looking forward to reading.

Lynda

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