A Girl Is a Half Formed Thing by Eimear McBride

I have no idea what this book is about. It is excellently written and highly intelligent but unless you are prepared to study every word it is incomprehensible and frustrating to read. Definitely worth studying if you have a spare week or so to dedicate to it, but not worth reading in the midst of everyday life.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Iceland in the 1820s and Agnes, along with two others, is convicted of murdering her employer and his friend. Whilst awaiting her death sentence, Agnes is housed with the local district officer's family and this novel follows both Agnes' harrowing wait to die and the officer's family's acceptance or otherwise of a convicted murderer into their household. The writing is excellent and although the plot is not especially gripping the novel keeps you very interested and this makes it a compelling read. The characters are very well drawn, particularly Agnes and the young priest who comes to administer to her. This is a relatively heavy book to read so not a beach read but definitely enjoyable and worth reading.

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin

A novel about Max, a young, popular boy who was born intersex.  Max seemingly has a happy secure life but his secret condition threatens to reveal itself as he reaches puberty and experiences a violent assault. The writing in this novel is good and the story has enough to keep you interested but it's not an especially memorable book, and the storyline gets increasingly unbelievable.  I didn't find this book as powerful as many other reviewers seem to have done, perhaps because the characters of Max's parents seemed to me to be detached and hard to relate to. This is a good book but not excellent and I did not enjoy the subject matter.

Love Nina: Despatches from Family Life by Nina Stibbe

I loved this book. It is a collection of letters written by Nina in the 1980s when she was a nanny to a London family moving in literary circles. I love the style of the writing, which is witty, eccentric and easy to read. The narrative is entertaining and the people the letters describe are beautifully portrayed and easy to like. These letters make a very interesting and fun read.

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

I enjoyed this book, which is about a photographer who moves from New York City to a remote rural cottage in order to help get her finances in order. I enjoyed the writing in this novel which is wonderfully descriptive but easy to read. The characters are well drawn and the story compelling. A very easy and entertaining read but has a real depth.

The Bear by Claire Cameron

A young family go camping and are attacked by a bear. The two children survive and this novel is written from the point of view of Anna, the oldest child, who tries to help her and her brother to safety. This is a difficult book to read and it is very well written, but it is nowhere near as good as Room.

All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

I really enjoyed this novel which is about a young Australian girl, Jake, who is living on a remote island in the UK and raising sheep.  Jake is escaping from something in her past which is gradually revealed throughout the novel as she begins to come to terms with it.  The plot is compelling and Jake as a character is very well drawn. Definitely worth reading.