Mike Gayle's Reading List

"This is the Encyclopaedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. It’s a non-fiction book about an ordinary woman who makes an encyclopaedia about her entire life. CAR WASH Every time I go to my local car wash, the owner peers inside, throws his arms up, and says, Oh, Miss—very dirty. Very, very dirty. I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was supposed to bring it in clean. It’s a unique concept which is very well executed and very funny."

"A tender tale of an elderly man who walks from one end of the country to another without hiking boots, a map or mobile phone in order, so he thinks, to save someone’s life. It’s a warm, funny and moving look at life in all its complexity. I think character is the most important thing to get right and if you manage to do this, everything else will flow from it."

"I’m in awe of his ability to weave such a vivid tale of his childhood encompassing real tragedy like the heartbreakingly sad tale of losing his dad during the war while still being one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. I often begin with a question. For example in my latest book, Hope Street , I was curious about those news stories that pop up from time to time about someone in, say, a tower block or street earmarked for demolition refusing to leave and couldn’t stop thinking about what might make someone do that."

"It’s about an elderly man who has spent his life collecting lost objects in a bid to atone for breaking a promise many years ago. It’s just such a lovely idea with some absolutely beautiful writing. No, not always. It could be about relationships between siblings or friends for example. I think what the reader wants is to see the characters they root for get their happy ending whatever that might look like. It doesn’t always have to be romantic."

"It might seem bizarre choosing a crime novel as a ‘feel good’ book but I think there’s something so deeply satisfying about so many Golden Age mysteries in that broadly speaking, the villains get their comeuppance and justice is served, albeit belatedly and after a high body count. Inhabiting a world in which order is eventually restored is high on the feel good factor for me at least! When I write my books, I always have that feel good factor in mind. So yes, my characters might go through tough times and find themselves in difficult situations but it’s important to me that I leave my readers with a sense of hope and the feeling that a better day is coming. Mike Gayle discusses latest book Hope Street at the Fleet Street Quarter Festival of Words, 14-17 May 2025, event and ticket information at fleetstreetquarter.co.uk/festival-of-words"