The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd

Sam is a teacher in the UK, and Dennis is on death row in the U.S., convicted of the murder of a young girl 20 years previously. His case has always been in the media, as there are many who believe he is innocent. After the end of a relationship, Sam fills her time trawling through all the sites and messages about Dennis and his case, and starts to write to him. Months later she's on a plane to visit him in prison, and before long her life takes a very different turn.

I enjoyed reading this book, though I found Sam's character rather unnerving. She's obviously an educated young lady, but she's also naive, paranoid and jealous - not exactly ideal attributes in life, especially when you start a relationship with a convict. Perhaps it's those that need help themselves, who offer help to others? I wasn't sure whether we should feel sorry for her, or be frightened of her. I think the surroundings she found herself in were such that they changed her completely.

A great book for those who love easy-to-read thrillers. You're never quite sure which way it will go until you actually reach the end.

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie

I hadn't read any Salman Rushdie books before I came to this one. I know it sounds absurd, but since The Satanic Verses and the threats on his life, I've had a slight fear over his novels. Would they be too political for me, too intelligent?

Well, in The Golden House, he certainly is the latter two things, but it didn't stop me enjoying the book immensely. He throws literary, historical, cinematic and mythological references into nearly every sentence, many of which I hadn't heard! He is certainly a well-educated man, and the book a huge literary feast. The utmost care has been taken over every sentence - no noun or adjective has been misused. Sure, I might've glazed over on some paragraphs because the descriptions were just too much for my brain to cope with on one go, but overall it is a beauty of a book.

Nero Golden arrives in America with his three sons during the period of the inauguration of Obama. They all refuse to say where they have come from and the reason they left. But they bring with them power, money and danger. The story of their downfall is told by one of their neighbours, Rene Unterlinden, who is trying to find an idea for a film - and he finds it in the Goldens. This is an epic tale of Indian and American history and politics - the appearance of presidential wannabes the Joker and Bat Girl will have you grinning and wincing at the same time.

It may be over 400 pages long, but this book will drag you in and under, and you won't come up for air until the last page.

A couple of light hearted facts for you - did you know that in his early career Salman Rushdie was a copywriter for an advertising agency, and he was the one who came up with 'irresistibubble' for Aero, 'naughty but nice' for cream cakes, and 'that'll do nicely' for American Express?

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk

I absolutely loved Lauren's first book 'Wolf Hollow', and this second book is almost as good, but for me hasn't quite pipped the post, but is still a joy to read. Lauren is such a beautiful writer - she is an award-winning poet, and this definitely comes through in her writing. You just have to savour every single sentence, because each word is chosen so carefully and fits so perfectly. The writing is magical and the storyline and characters are magical too. Crow is a young girl living on a tiny island with her guardian, Osh. As a baby, she was wrapped up and put in a tiny boat and sent off from one island and landed on Osh's, where he found her and has brought her up as his own. Now Crow is older, she starts wondering about the island she was cast adrift from - an old leper colony - and of her real parents. Will her curiosity spoil the wonderfully simple life she leads with Osh? Is danger lurking close by, threatening her, Osh and their close friend Maggie?

Lauren Wolk is a true talent and I very much look forward to her next book.

Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

I read another of Elizabeth's books called 'Olive Kitteridge' on a recommendation of a colleague a few months ago, and I fell in love with her writing. It wasn't what I expected - it read like a collection of short stories, with one character, the titular Olive, being the thread running through them all. I'm not usually a fan of short stories, and I don't like to describe it as such to customers coming into our bookshop in case it puts them off for that reason, but in this case I just loved them. Elizabeth Strout the author is wonderful at character analyses and descriptions, and day to day life and relationships are described in such a realistic and truthful (and sometimes ruthless) way.

I was eager to read her next book 'Lucy Barton', and I was very disappointed. This followed Lucy being visited in hospital by her estranged mother. Even though other characters are alluded to and memories brought to the fore, it mainly deals with the strained relationship between Lucy and her mother, and I missed the other characters and descriptions from 'Olive'.

I was willing to give her another go, and thus read 'Anything Is Possible'. I loved it. It surpassed my love of 'Olive Kitteridge'. This book follows the other characters that were mentioned in 'Lucy Barton', including her brother and sister, her cousins, her aunt, her school janitor - they're all in there, with Lucy being the thread through it all, and I just adored that return to style of 'Olive'. The last chapter is especially moving. Highly recommended.

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The Sellout has recently won the Man Booker Prize 2016, so I wanted to read it to see what I thought. I must admit, while I was reading the first chapter I was thinking, 'What is going on here, I'm not going to like this'. But you must stick with it, because you will end up enjoying it.

It's hard to sum up in a sentence what the book is about. I tried to explain to a colleague and they just looked at me slightly puzzled as I garbled a disjointed account of the story. They also looked slightly alarmed when I used the words 'funny' and 'racism' in the same sentence. But it's true!

The opening chapter is set in the Supreme Court in America. The case is 'Me v. the United States of America'. The Me in question is Mr Me - originally Mee but over the generations the final letter was dropped. That case title itself is ironic as Mr Me (who is black, and whose first name is never known) is accused of owning a slave, and almost the whole black population of America is mad at him for turning the civil rights clock back so many years.

Now if you are sensitive to racial language or indeed any language at all, you may want to avoid this book, but do bear in mind that the whole book is a satire, full of wit and sarcasm. Mr Me believes in segregation, and to find out why, we are taken through his life starting with him being home-schooled by his father, who would put Me through test scenarios (including electric shock treatments) to test fear, prejudice, servility and obedience. We learn about the small town he grew up in , how it was taken off the map and why he tries to get it back on there. We find out how he gets to 'own' a 'slave', about his girlfriend Marpessa, about the Dum Dum Donut Shop where they hold racism and black inequality talks, and about why an old friend of his father's tries to kill him.

It's a marvellous book like no other - it pushes boundaries and raises eyebrows. It's brilliant.

The Girls by Emma Cline

Emma Cline the author always had the idea of writing a book about a commune, and then she started researching Charles Manson. He was an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. In the summer of 1969, Manson's murderous “family” of 3 young women went on a rampage in Los Angeles that left nine people dead, one of them being Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of Roman Polanski. He ordered the killings, but was not present during them. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He is still alive in prison today, aged 82.

In 'The Girls' we are introduced to Evie Boyd, a middle-aged lady, recently unemployed, living in a friend's holiday home. One evening her friend's son comes to the house with his girlfriend, and recognises Evie's name as being part of a cult which carried out violent murders in the '60s. By alternating between the past and the present, we start to find out from Evie what happened.

Aged 14, she is living with her mother - her parents have divorced, her father having left her mother to live with his personal assistant. After an argument with her mother, Evie goes out on her bike, but the bike breaks. As she's struggling to repair it, a black bus pulls up and a girl gets out to offer help. Evie has met one of the girls on the bus before, and they invite her to a solstice party at the ranch where they're staying. Thus begins Evie's inclusion in the commune, which is headed up by Russell, who seems to have a hypnotic effect on all his followers. He preaches about all-encompassing free love, the lack of a need of money and material things. Evie is taken in by life on the ranch and especially Suzanne who she becomes close to. She spends most of her summer there, lying to her mother that she is staying at her friend Connie's house. It is only on her return to the ranch after a 2-week stay at home, that she notices a difference in the mood amongst the commune. She is soon to get herself included in part of a grisly history which she will always have nightmares about.

This was very readable, I quite liked the flashbacks from past to present, it didn't interrupt the storyline at all. Most of the story is about Evie, her close friendship with Suzanne, her crumbling relationship with her mother, her realisation of how she is attractive to men. But this is also the most disturbing part for me, being myself the mother of a 14-year-old girl. I found some of the storyline uncomfortable as I imagined someone the same age as my daughter going through the things Evie did. Russell is excellently portrayed as a very creepy, sinister character, even though all the girls on the ranch can't see this and would do anything he asked.

Well written, with an atmosphere of impending doom which will keep you hooked.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

I had read a few things about this book and all were positive, there was much praise about it. I don't often read non-fiction, but I was drawn to this one, even though the subject matter is the devil itself - cancer. We have all been affected by cancer in one way or another - I've heard the most scary statistic, that one in two of us will be stricken down by it. The worst thing in the cases that I have personally been aware of, and I'm sure millions have been through this, is that you fight it, you beat it, but it's not to be kept down. It stands back up again and overcomes you. A cure for all cancers cannot come quick enough.

This book follows the journey of 37 year old Paul Kalanithi, neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, and cancer sufferer. He was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 36, and he found himself going from doctor to patient. This book is not a diary, it's a journey of a young man who is on the verge of becoming a highly revered and very successful neurosurgeon, when he suddenly has the devastating news that he is facing death much earlier than he wanted to. His chapters on his time as a junior doctor through to his being at the top of his department are absolutely fascinating. What is hard to digest is that he is writing this while battling cancer, while going through chemotherapy, while looking into a future that may not exist further than the next 6 months.

He questions everything - mortality, the meaning of life, being a doctor, being a patient. He and his wife Lucy have many things to discuss before he dies, the main one being - should we have a child, even though they know that Lucy will be bringing it up on her own, and the child may not be old enough to remember her father when he passes away.

You know it's going to be an emotional ride when you start, and boy does it have you in tears at the end, but it's written by a very brave, and very strong, individual.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Wow.I mean, wow. This book may have 'little' in the title, but it is oh so big in many ways. Firstly, it's 720 pages long - big in paper. Secondly, it's big in characters - and I don't mean the amount of characters, I mean it's a hugely character-driven story, with so much detail about all the people. Thirdly, it's big in emotion - I cried so many times. I think that's where I should start really. This book is harrowing, it's upsetting, it's powerful, it's emotional, it's awe-inspiring, it'll take over your life, it'll become your friend that you cannot bear to leave, it'll be there when you're not reading it. When you finish reading it, it'll leave a massive hole in your life. You will decide to read it again. It's brilliant. It'll definitely win many literary prizes.

I should tell you a little bit about the story. It's set in America, and spans the lives of four friends from university to late middle age. Willem, Malcolm, JB and Jude. Even though we learn a lot about all of them, it is Jude who is the main focus of the story, as he is the main focus of all his friend's lives. He has suffered a shocking and traumatic childhood, one that no-one would believe a child could or should go through, and we watch with sorrow and unease as he carries this weighty disturbing baggage with him into adulthood.

This is Hanya's second novel. Her first was 'The People in the Trees'. I will definitely be seeking this one out.

The Glory by Lauren St John

Oh my goodness, I love Lauren St John's writing so much. I've been a huge fan since her White Giraffe series (**newsflash** there will be a new title in that series 'Operation Rhino' due out August 2015) , which was then followed by the brilliant Laura Marlin series, then the excellent One Dollar Horse series, and now there is this 'The Glory'. All I can say is that her writing is as superb as ever. I read this book in a day, it was so engrossing. Lauren has this excellent ability of describing places in such beautiful detail that you want to get straight on a plane to visit it. This happened after I'd read 'Rendezvous in Russia'. I'd always wanted to go to Russia, and after reading this I said to my daughter 'Right, we're off'. We visited St Petersburg and I was just so excited I didn't care that it rained the whole week, and I didn't care that I had to spend a week's wages to buy a ballet ticket - it was all worth it. It was beautiful.

So, now Colorado is my next port of call. I followed the trail of The Glory (a fictional month-long, 1200 mile horse and rider endurance race, with a $250,000 prize) in one of my guidebooks on the USA, and the places just sound amazing. I want to to go horseriding, I want to buy a cowboy hat, I want to go to that cafe in Boulder, I want to experience the spectacular scenery and surroundings, I want to camp out under the stars (without the rattlesnakes).

Thank you Lauren for enriching my literary and travelling life!

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Zoe Sugg is better known to her (mainly) teen followers for her online beauty vlog written under the name Zoella. She is also the girlfriend of vlogger Alfie Deyes, whose book 'Pointless' sold thousands in its first few days of publication. 'Girl Online', which is about a young girl who writes an anonymous blog, and then falls in love with an American pop star, is Zoe's first novel, but unfortunately I didn't really like it. I thought it was twee, sugary, childish - not at all for the teen market which it is aimed at. I would happily let my 12-yr-old read it (but I won't, because it's just a bit rubbish). I'm also writing this review the day after Zoe and her publishers have admitted that the book was written by a ghost writer, possibly teen author Siobhan Curham, and that Siobhan was given 6 weeks to write the novel. If that is true, then it is evident in the book. It definitely feels like a rush job.

I hope the thousand of youngsters who have bought the book already aren't too disappointed, but I definitely was.

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff

Picture Me Gone
by Meg Rosoff

Meg Rosoff is one of my many favourite authors. One of her books 'How I Live Now' is soon to be a film (out 27th September 2013). My personal favourites are 'What I Was' and 'Just in Case'. Until now. 'Picture Me Gone' is about 12-yr-old Mila, who sets out on a trip to America with her father to try to find his friend, Matthew, who left the family home one day and didn't return, leaving his wife, baby son, and dog behind. Mila uses her special gift of being able to 'read' people - their thoughts, feelings and memories - to try to solve the mystery. What she uncovers are friendships, secrets, lies, tragedy, and a situation that is just too incomprehensible for a 12-yr-old girl.

I was drawn into this book immediately - I knew by the second chapter that this would be my favourite. I nearly cried when I read how sad Honey the dog was, how she was disliked by Suzanne the wife, how she missed her master - "loneliness flows off her in waves"..."this is not a happy house". Thankfully Mila and her father take Honey with them on the search for Matthew which is a relief for us all.

This is a fantastic book of discovery. Mila is a very mature young girl - perhaps being an only child has helped her understand the intricacies of adult relationships and behaviour, which also helps her piece together the mystery.

Meg has the brilliant ability of capturing and describing every emotion, every subtle bit of body language, every part of a conversation, so you can vividly imagine each and every character she introduces into the story. I loved loved loved it.