Privately published in 2010 as Four Wheeling, and then retitled and republished in 2016 as Turning Corners: Drives of a Lifetime, Brian Bold has revisited his seminal work and has produced an extended edition entitled Turning Extra Corners. The new edition comes with a separate technical companion which is also available.

We relive classic moments through travelogues involving more than twenty cars - episodes that include events as benchmarks: Brian's first drive home from work in a car that decided to vent smoke on the A40; a troublesome journey to The Cavern in Liverpool at the start of Beatlemania on the same day as JFK's assasination; and days of the open road of minor roads and emerging motorways. 

The stories and ancedotes come thick and fast, often hilarious, and always delivered in a personal narrative. 

Brian's books are available through Amazon:

Turning Extra Corners

Turning Extra Corners - Technical Companion

See all Brian's books in our Bookshop. 

The good news for Melville just keeps on coming this summer. 

Melville's poem, First Day at School, has just been published on page 67 of a Manchester poetry anthology entitled The Buzzin Bards 2026.

You can read Melville's poem below.

Well done Melville.

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JULY 2026

NATIONAL POETRY LIBRARY ACCEPTS MELVILLE'S COLLECTIONS

It's many congratulations to Melville Lovatt who has received news that two of his poetry collections, Dancing For England and Reasons To Be Cheerful have been accepted by the National Poetry Library as part of their general collection.

In a letter confirming acceptance, the National Poetry Library's Acquistions Panel said,

'The National Poetry Library receives between two and three hundred new items every month and we are not able to accept everything that is sent for the collection. The Acquisitions Panel meets regularly to look through the unsolicited books that have been sent for both donation and payment and to make a decision on whether to accept them for the collection. No decision is taken lightly and as a result the process can take many weeks.

On this occasion the panel has decided to accept these publications.

We appreciate your bringing this new material to our attention. It helps us ensure that we keep track of new developments and publications, as well as offer people who use the library an up-to-date idea of contemporary poetry.' 

In a busy week, Melville reports that he has also been featured in the Hatch End Summer 2026 Bulletin.

For details on how to purchase copies of Melville's books, please visit our BOOKSHOP page. Reasons to be Cheerful is Melville's latest poetry book published in the summer of 2025. A no-nonsense collection covering a wonderful and at times, poignant, selection of life's experiences and observations.

At our Zoom meeting on 23 March and meeting in the Quaker's Hall on 13 April, we heard from group members with recommended reads and how their selection may be influencing their writing or enjoyment of writing. Here is the list of selected books:

• Focus by Arthur Miller (selected by Andrea Neidle)
• Circle of Days by Ken Follett (selected by Jan Rees)
• And Sleep Until Noon by Gene Lees (selected by Oliver Lomax)
• The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (selected by Francoise Battin)
• The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (selected by Sumi Watters)
• Interesting Stories about Curious Words: From Stealing Thunder to Red Herrings by Susie Dent (selected by Chris McDermott)
• Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (selected by Susan Bennett)
• A West Indian in England by H.D. Carberry and Dudley Thompson (selected by Lesley Kerr)
• Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (selected by Caroline Osborne)
• Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman (selected by Joanna Bawa)

Also mentioned:

• Daily Life in Wartime Japan 1940 - 1945 by Samuel Hideo Yamashita (selected by Sumi Watters)
• Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska (selected by Ian Welland)
• UPROAR!: Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London by Alice Loxton (selected by Ian Welland and Susan Bennett)

Many thanks to all who contributed.

The long awaited second novel in a trilogy of memoirs of Edward Stanton-Ross, 3rd Earl of Hanwell, is here! 

'It's Friday 15 September 1916. Western Front, Flers, Somme, France. The Great War is entering its third year. Trench warfare and a strategy of attrition is inflicting senseless losses. Captain Edward Stanton-Ross, 3rd Earl of Hanwell, has led his comrades in arms over the top.'

Ian says, 

'After the success of Duty of Candour in November 2023, I decided I needed to take my time in writing the second instalment. There were so many "loose ends" and unanswered questions. Edward Stanton-Ross is an intelligent but stubborn man and I felt it was time to address some of the jagged edges of his character. Writing the scenes involving the trenches has meant a great deal of research but also soul-searching as a writer - such scenes are not easy to write. I believe I have achieved a credible story.'

The novel, published by The Altair Press, was launched at Watford Writers on 5 January 2026, and all proceeds from book sales shall be donated to Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care in Watford.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGE (left) TO PURCHASE COPIES 

or Email Ian: ianwelland@hotmail.co.uk 

Watford Writers' Oliver Lomax has received a glowing four-star review for his new book, Sophisticated Harmony: The Lives and Music of the Great British Arrangers.

Published by Vocalion, this fascinating book focuses on six British arrangers who worked on London’s thriving music scene of the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.  Arrangers were once the backbone of the music business. They were the ones behind the scenes – the archetypal backroom boys – who spent hours in solitude, often working to crushing deadlines, scribbling notes onto score paper which would subsequently be heard in myriad contexts: behind a singer or vocal group; or as an accompaniment to comedians, variety acts, all types of pop group, contestants on gameshows … You name it, and the arrangers had to be able to score it, in any style and for any instrumental combination – for TV, radio, documentaries, films, theatre, records – and it always had to be good and delivered on time. In other words, they had to be completely flexible and utterly professional.

This is a vivid account of a fascinating era of music-making, given from the arrangers’ perspective – the people who were at the heart of the music business and the wider entertainment industry. 

Our congratulations to Oliver on his achievement.

READ the LIGHT MUSIC SOCIETY REVIEW HERE

To purchase a copy, please click here.