October Newsletter
Author Spotlight:
Charlie Mackesy
British artist, illustrator and author Charlie Mackesy began his career as a cartoonist for The Spectator, before becoming a book illustrator for Oxford University Press. His award-winning work has featured in books, private collections, galleries and public spaces around the world.
His internationally bestselling book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, was published in October 2019 and holds the record for the most consecutive weeks in the Sunday Times Non-Fiction Chart across all formats as well as being the longest running Sunday Times Non-Fiction Number One of all time. A number one New York Times best-seller, it is one of eight books since 2013 that has remained on the number one New York Times Bestseller and on the New York Times Advice, Misc. Best Seller lists.
Charlie’s beloved book is the first ever book to be awarded both the Waterstones Book of the Year and Barnes and Noble Book of the Year (2019) and has been translated into over 40 different languages and dialects. Charlie’s words and illustrations have brought comfort to many and have been shared online around the world as well as on t-shirts for Comic Relief, magazine covers, streetlamp posts, school classrooms, cafés, women’s safe houses, prisons, hospital wards and as NHS hospital computer screensavers. Charlie worked with Richard Curtis on the set of Love Actually to create a set of drawings to be auctioned for Comic Relief, and with Nelson Mandela on a lithograph project, The Unity Series. Charlie’s paintings have been exhibited widely, most recently in Sotheby’s in London. His bronzes can be found in public spaces in London, including Highgate Cemetery and the Brompton Road. Away from art, Charlie co-runs Mama Buci, a honey social enterprise in Zambia that helps families of low, and no income become beekeepers. He lives between Brixton and Suffolk with his dog Barney.
Available October 14
Always Remember. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm by Charlie Mackesy
Charlie Mackesy’s hugely anticipated new book, revisiting the world of global phenomenon The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – the bestselling adult non-fiction book of all time, with 10 million global sales.
‘One day you’ll look back and realise how hard it was, and just how well you did’
Charlie Mackesy’s four unlikely friends are wandering through the wilds again. They’re not sure what they are looking for. They do know that life can be difficult, but that they love each other, and cake is often the answer. When the dark clouds come, can the boy remember what he needs to get through the storm?
Books of the Month
FICTION
Reviewed by Kate
This has been one of my favourite Sally Hepworth novels to date and an example of a very skilled author at the top of her game, doing what she does best – sharing a story. Filled with humour, heart and the importance of human connection, from almost the first line I was wholeheartedly on board for wherever feisty Elsie, aka ‘Mad Mabel’, was going to take me. Hepworth has perfectly woven Elsie’s story, jumping between her 81 yo present day life on Kenny Lane, and her childhood in a huge manor house in mid-century Melbourne. This is not one of Hepworth’s pacey, twisty thrillers, but rather a more character driven mystery / drama, more closely aligned to some of her earlier works such as The Things We Keep. With a fabulous cast of supporting characters, I finished this book feeling thoroughly satisfied – warmly entertained by a master storyteller.
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
‘In 1954, at just fourteen years of age, Mabel Waller became the youngest Australian in history to be convicted of murder.’
In 2025, on a quiet Melbourne lane, an elderly man is found dead by his neighbour, 81-year-old Elsie Fitzpatrick. No one suspects any foul play. Until they discover Elsie’s past. In the 1950s, her name was not Elsie. It was Mabel. ‘She is known around the world as Mad Mabel. But is she mad? More importantly, is she guilty?’. When the police open a new investigation and the media descend upon her, the elderly Mabel decides it’s time to set the record straight. ‘In a world first, at the age of eighty-one, Mabel Waller is speaking. This is her story.’
New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth is at her finest in this twisty, compulsive thriller of friendship, family and murder. Or is it justice . . . ?
NON FICTION
Reviewed by Suzie
Kate Reid is such a wonderfully inspirational woman and candidly opens her heart and soul in this heartfelt biography. Reid is a high achiever who holds herself to some very high standards, but commits herself wholeheartedly to her passions and career. Apart from her career in Formula One and as the creator/owner of Lune (the most amazing croissants), Kate speaks of her battle with anorexia and how she is now at a point where is able to manage this and her depression. Well worth a read!
Destination Moon by Kate Reid
Destination Moon is an open-hearted memoir about passion and finding purpose from the woman whose mid-career one-eighty led her from Formula 1 to opening the world-famous Lune Croissanterie.
At thirteen, Kate Reid already knew exactly where she was headed: a career in Formula 1, a life lived at full throttle. Like a master cartographer she had drawn the map of her future – all she had to do was follow the course she’d charted.
But after earning a degree in Aerospace Engineering and taking up a coveted position at one of the top F1 teams in the UK, Kate discovered that the reality didn’t exactly live up to the dream. The pursuit of perfection that had once made her reach for the moon now sent her spiralling into a life-threatening battle against depression and anorexia.
From the grey skies of England and Monaco’s glittering, million-dollar harbour, to Melbourne’s trendy café scene and the spellbinding counters of Parisian patisseries, Kate searched for something that would bring meaning and passion back into her life: a destination worth driving towards at full speed.
KIDS & YA
Reviewed by Belinda
I was lucky enough to score an advanced copy of Craig Silvey’s, hotly-anticipated sequel, Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping. What a ride! Action-packed, emotional, hilarious, and had me flipping the pages and right on the edge of my seat. I had to keep reminding myself this was junior fiction and not true crime – I was so invested in the “whodunnit” nature of this story. The characters were loveable, dislikeable, intriguing and downright curious and some of their names were absolute classics – Cha Cha Galore, Rupert Broadsheet and the hairdressing salon Curl Up and Dye – among my personal favourites. Craig Silvey firmly positioned himself among the great children’s authors (not to mention his writing for the bigger children!) alongside Roald Dahl and David Walliams, in my opinion.
For a little extra fun, click here for some Runt 2 inspired activity pages!
Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping by Craig Silvey
Six weeks have passed since Annie Shearer and Runt competed valiantly at the Krumpets Dog Show.
The town of Upson Downs is rejuvenated. The grass is green. The rivers are flowing. And a Tournament of Champions has just been announced, with the world’s best canine talent invited to showcase their skills in the Grand Ballroom of the abandoned Robert-Barren estate.
But as preparations for the event get underway, Runt mysteriously goes missing, and a trail of suspicious clues surround his doghouse. Annie’s worst fears are confirmed when she discovers a ransom note with a peculiar demand: she must win it all to see her friend again. It’s up to Annie and her brother Max – now an intrepid investigative reporter with the Upson Downs Speculator – to rescue Runt before it’s too late.
Endlessly charming, deeply funny and bursting with heart, Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping is an engrossing mystery filled with twists and surprises. A beautiful, tender and moving sequel to the bestselling, multi-award-winning classic, Runt.
October New Release Highlights
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Kids & YA
Staff Spotlight:
Jaime
- Favourite place to read a book? – Sitting on my comfy outdoor sofa on the deck surrounded by trees with a cuppa and a fluffy blanket.
- Which book character would you prefer to be trapped in an elevator with? – I went rogue and chose author Lisa Curry. Her memoir Lisa touched a part of my soul. Her resilience on riding the highs and lows and starting over again is inspiring. Her attitude to life is a powerful reminder that no matter what, we can turn things around.
- Hardback, paperback, eBook or audiobook? – I’m on the move a lot so I like to consume content on audio. Equally, paperback on my bookshelves is a welcome sight.
- The last book you loved? – Jacinda Ardern – A Different Kind of Power.
- Which book character do you think you’d be best friends with? – Characters from the Charlie Mackesy classic The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. Sometimes it takes a community and these characters represent those whom I would choose to help me along my journey.
- Greatest book of all time? – The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku.
- One fun fact about you? – It’s a secret… it can’t be published. (Well we’re all intrigued now Jaime!)
Gifts of the Month:
Events
Love Your Bookshop Day!
Saturday 11 October 2025
Book Club – Our last one for 2025
Mornington Library Events
Other Services
