Fiction
Listed in order of author's surname, 20 per page.
La's Orchestra Saves the World
Rural Suffolk at the outbreak of the Second World War. La is a divorcee who moves from London to the country for a fresh start and decides to form an amateur orchestra.
read my review of November 2010
The Lost Song of Paris
Beautifully atmospheric and sensitively, compellingly told story of a wartime mystery.
read my review of July 2023
Publication date: 16th March 2023
The Blue Book of Nebo
A beautiful, haunting and life-affirming post-apocalyptic story of a mother and son learning to survive in their changed circumstances in rural Wales.
read my review of January 2022
Publication date: 6th January 2022
Mrs Gaskell and Me
The author opens her heart as she details her obsession with a man destined never to fulfill her hopes and desires, and she presents her devotion and admiration for a writer whose life she mirrors for one tip-top time.
read my review of October 2018
Alison
A graphic novel! It's an increasingly popular genre so what will we make of it? This book has had rave reviews and is described as 'a story as old as the hills' made fresh and new by illustrations which are 'Posy Simmonds meets Edward Bawden'.
read my review of March 2024
Publication date: 3rd August 2023
Reasons to be cheerful
A wry account of a young woman leaving home for her first job as a dental assistant, growing up in the 1970s.
read my review of February 2020
Publication date: 2nd January 2020
The Lamplighters
Fantastically atmospheric, great characterisation and an intriguing mystery. Rather wonderful!
read my review of March 2021
Publication date: 4th March 2021
Olive, Again
Wonderful to return to the life of Olive Kitteridge and the daily challenges of life in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine.
read my review of November 2019
Days of Wonder
A delightful escapist read about the power of theatre and stories, friendship, and hope. Published in June 2018.
read my review of May 2018
The Potting Shed Murder
Daphne Brewster has left London for quieter, safer Norfolk, but village life isn't quite as idyllic as she'd hoped.
read my review of February 2024
Publication date: 4th April 2024
End of Story
A gripping and challenging thriller set in a near future when storytelling is banned.
read my review of February 2023
Publication date: 23rd March 2023
The Kind Worth Killing
Do we know a murderer? This is a clever, gripping and intriguing thriller where the reader's usual sympathies are upturned.
read my review of October 2015
The End of Men
The outbreak of a virus threatens the world order, affecting only men. Brilliantly written page-turner that boasts sensitivity and hope.
read my review of May 2021
Publication date: 29th April 2021
Mothering Sunday
It is Mothering Sunday 1924. A maid is given the day off work. She visits her lover, but events take a catastrophic turn. How will her future unfold?
read my review of June 2017
The Goldfinch
A stunning and compelling account of loss, identity and invention.
read my review of December 2013
The Road to Urbino
A story exploring the power of art, love, obsession and loss.
read my review of May 2012
Elegance
Life isn't turning out how she expected, so when 30-something Louise discovers a fascinating treatise on fashion in a second-hand bookshop, she decides to put the principles into action.
read my review of November 2011
The Family Retreat
A haunting and gripping domestic psychological thriller which tackles some big issues. Couldn't put it down!
read my review of April 2023
Publication date: 11th May 2023