Books are where I slow down, sharpen my thinking, and occasionally escape altogether.
I’m fairly indiscriminate in my tastes: leadership and self-development inevitably dominate the shelves, but they’re closely followed by autobiographies, some fiction (usually some form of comedy) and the odd occasion when I allow myself to judge a book by its cover and go off-piste.
This page is a living reading list for 2026. I’ll keep it updated with what I’m currently reading, loosely grouped by category, and I’ll dip back in with short reflections once I’ve finished each book. Not formal reviews — just what stuck, what challenged me, and what I carried forward.
If you’re a reader too, consider this an open bookshelf rather than a recommendation list.
Annual challenge
Biographies and people
The Kenneth Williams Diaries
For more than 40 years broadcaster and comedian Kenneth Williams kept a journal of his experiences - this book is a one-volume selection of these diaries. In addition to offering conclusive evidence as to the nature of Williams' death in 1988, the diaries reveal a side to his character that many suspected but only few understood. The diarie...
In your defence: stories of life and law
Sarah Langford is a barrister. Her job is to stand in court representing the mad and the bad, the vulnerable, the heartbroken and the hopeful. She must become their voice: weave their story around the black and white of the law and tell it to the courtroom. These stories may not make headlines but they will change the lives of ordinary peop...
High Spirits
For the first time actress Joan Sims tells of her fascinating life in show- business, with funny and touching anecdotes from a celebrated career in film, television, radio and stage.
Self development, business and leadership
Thinking In Systems: A Primer
Meadows’ Thinking in Systems, is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute’s Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers ...
How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future
Donald Trump's presidency has raised a question that many of us never thought we'd be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with...
Myths of Leadership: Banish the Misconceptions and Become a Great Leader
The best leaders are born, not made. The best leaders are always in control. The best leaders are those with the highest IQs. But are they really? The thinking surrounding what makes the greatest leaders is increasingly muddled by stereotypes, snake oil promises and pseudo-science. The best leaders rely on fact, not fads. Myths of Leader...
Wildcards
Universality
On an abandoned Yorkshire farm, a group of hippie-anarchists have taken up residence to build a new society. When their leader is brutally bludgeoned with a solid gold bar, an ambitious young journalist sets out to uncover the truth behind the attack. The longread exposé she writes goes viral - but is there more to the story than meets the...
