A coming of age story about a young gay Iranian boy who runs away to Italy when he is outed at school. I did find the premise that he got on so well with his new "found family" in Italy and didn't get into a horrible mess and get exploited a bit far-fetched, but on the whole this was an enjoyable story with a positive message.

A quick read. A story told in poetry dealingnwith some heavy topics. Beautifully done.

A happy family-centred Christmas read. Quite predictable, but enjoyable.

Cadfael at his best. Atmospheric winter read. Cadfael, Olivier and Hugh all to the fore - what's not to like?

A favourite of favourites! I love Alan Grant's self-deprecating good nature, his persistence, his self-awareness. And this book has a great premise and denouement.

Political thrillers aren't my thing; I read this because of Louise Penny's name on the cover. Her writing was as good as ever, and the plot drew me in. I liked that it wasn't all action - the personal relationships mattered. And I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at US politics. The nod to Three Pines was a bonus.

Josephine Tey's Inspector Grant books will always be among my favourites. Loved the fugitive element in this one and Grant's soul-searching and angst.

Interesting, but rather bitty. I would have preferred to see longer interviews with the people concerned rather than them being split up to fit chapter themes.

Atmospheric re-telling of the Selkie myth, with beautiful illustrations by Bonnie Hawkins. Quite sad, and no really likeable characters, just those backed into corners by their own limitations and those of their environment.

This was just okay. It was slow, and none of the characters were particularly likeable, although they were believable. I found the ending frustrating.

One plot point (the teeth falling out) made no sense at all to me with any interpretation of what had happened. </spoiler?