Based on a secret that could change the course of WW2, Follett creates a tense, gripping thriller that follows a deadly German spy, The Needle, so named for his use of a stiletto. There is a race against time while British intelligence closes in. I enjoy the way his storytelling blends historical detail with relentless suspense, building an atmosphere where every decision feels perilous and every encounter could shift the fate of the war.

The book begins in 1486 on the island of Murano. Glass is a man’s thing but in the Rosso family, Orsola finds a way of working with the hot fluid and is soon providing a secret income for her family. There is tension in the house between those who make glass and those who buy and sell it and those who have nothing to do with it. Time is also fluid and the Rosso family don’t age but live and work through the trials and tribulations of history and the changing fortunes of the glass industry. It is a tale of family, love, loss and resilience.

Not a novel but an enjoyable read. This is to be his last literary offering and is indeed about various departures. He is realistic about his situation in life and wryly looks back to events that amused or entertained him. He is very matter of fact about his own health and wants to bid a final goodbye to his readers without wallowing in self-pity. An accomplished piece which I enjoyed.

Set in 1828, on a sugar plantation in the deep south, near New Orleans. It's from the viewpoint of a woman called Manon, whose husband is the master of the plantation and owner of the slaves who work it. He's a pig, and everyone hates him, including his wife. They have a slave girl, Sarah, who works in the house: she was a wedding gift given to Manon by her aunt, but she's already had the master's child, who lives with them. Unfortunately he is deaf and may have learning difficulties - it's not clear - but he's an embarrassment to the master. Times are hard; the husband (who I don't think is ever named), is a poor businessman and a wastrel, so he's deep in debt.
All the local plantation owners are on edge because there's the threat of a major slave uprising, which will probably mean death for the white landowners.

The book is called 'Property' because it's about the plantation, and the slaves, the girl, Sarah and her boy, and the wife, who are all the property of the husband: even the inheritance of a house by the wife from her mother who dies, because that will become his property too. It's a disappointing ending to the story, but a good read.

A story about a family, covering Japan, America and North Korea, with an excursion to Europe thrown in. It's told from the viewpoint of 4 people, mainly a mother, father and daughter, with a brother given a smaller role.

It starts off well but then I struggled as the 3 main protagonists are not very likeable.
We understand perhaps why they behave as they do but it makes it difficult to carry on when their individual stories get a bit bogged down and boring. However, there is a major twist about ¾ of the way through that changes everything. The book is absolutely fascinating from that point on. By the end I was very glad to have read it.

I would definitely recommend it but if any other reader gets fed up with minutiae, they can skip chapters about the daughter's trip to Europe and the mother's very detailed relationship with another man!

One man's journey around half of the coast of the UK, it stops at Hildasay, a Scottish Island, with a second book Hildasay to home. The writing style is turgid at times, the plot is monotonous and predictable, but it's not about the style it's the story. It’s an undemanding read about a bonkers undertaking. Lewis didn't make it easy for himself, insisting on following the coast, no matter how difficult the route and also doing the Three Peaks Challenge en route.

Wilbur, having died at the age of 81, finds himself on the midnight train travelling through his life. From babyhood, through youth and onwards he views his life; the train occasionally stops and he is allowed to walk through a scene as a ghost. Three rules apply, don't interfere, get back on the train when it restarts and don't be there when the living Wilbur falls asleep. One of his great regrets is the breakdown of his marriage to Maggie and when he sees an opportunity to right this, he breaks all three rules. Shades of A Christmas Carol.

One of a series of police procedurals, featuring Detective Inspector Kim Stone. It's quite grim, featuring a network of racist, sexist, xenophobic criminals, who have been carrying out their offences over many years. Although it mentions the BNP and the EDL, it does show that racists come from all sections of society and are not all yobs and skinheads wearing union jack vests. This one is also quite pivotal in the series, as it explains the long-standing hostility between Kim Stone and a colleague, that has been simmering through several books in the series.

Again, this is a story narrated by different people. The main character is a woman who was sent behind enemy lines in France to help the resistance during the WW2.
The first part is narrated by her, then it is narrated by her twin brother who flew as a pilot in RAF but had no idea that his sister had anything other than an office job.
The narration then unexpectedly comes from about 2003 from a third party. I initially found this irritating but in fact it pulls everything together. The ending is excellent.
It is a really lovely book.

Dolly is in hospital waiting for a possible cancer diagnosis. She looks back on her life, from Ireland to New York and back to Ireland. There is joy in the hope of a new life, sadness in the realization that she is made a mistake at the altar, sorrow at her daughter's lifestyle whilst still loving her, anger at her son for manipulating her and frustration with her husband who, despite her doubts, she has remained with.

Although the plot is based around some of the worst aspects of the 1970s and 80s, there is some really amusing action and dialogue, such as references to ‘Maggie Thatcher, the milk snatcher’. Set in Yorkshire during the anxious times of the ‘ripper’, we read about Miv and her friend Sharon and how they set about finding him. Along the way you’ll read about family dynamics, child abuse, the rise of the far right and racist attacks, puberty, falling in love for the first time, mental health issues and the general societal problems of ‘the north’. It sounds heavy but it is a powerful read, very evocative of its time and the characters draw you into the narrative.

A light, funny take on The Taming of the Shrew. In Tyler’s version, Kate is a socially awkward, prickly protagonist who simply wants a life of her own, due to both her father and sister making constant demands on her. In Piotr she finds an emotional bond that grows from their shared sense of loneliness; they find comfort in each other’s idiosyncrasies. It is ultimately not a story of taming but a gentle love story born out of mutual respect and acceptance.

We read Jess Kidd's The Hoarder. This is a new direction for her. It's a crime/mystery story. The main role goes to an ex nun, Nora Breen, living in a grotty boarding house. She's a fantastic character. There are lots of weird characters in the story, as you'd expect with Jess Kidd. It's a very easy read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Her follow up has recently been released and this is also on Borrowbox. Murder at the Spirit Lounge. Even better than the first one! Easy, entertaining comfort reading!

A small town in Ireland in 1994 is the background to this tale of two women who are trying to break out of societal constraints. One left her husband to live in Dublin with a married man and the other is in a toxic marriage. Their lives become entwined as they try to navigate their freedom. Will either of them find happiness?

This has been widely publicised and been on best seller lists. I had no expectations but it is very interesting; it's an investigation into a true story. A young man fell from a posh multi storey building. The authorities didn't appear to do anything much about it, assuming he'd taken his own life. It's much more complicated than that and the American (!!!) journalist gives a good account of the London background and the criminals involved in his story. Worth a read.

Although not a major character in the novel Abigail's three marriages are key. Daphne, her daughter from the first marriage, unexpectedly meets her stepfather, from marriage two, in a museum forty years after the seemingly happy marriage ended abruptly and unexpectedly with all contact ceasing.

It’s 1957 and Sonny is a Shetlander working on the whaling boats in the Southern Atlantic. He endures the worst of storms so that he has enough money to make a life with the woman he intends to marry. The problem is that, somehow, the sea never leaves a whaler and it impacts down the generations. His son Jack, now an old man, lives in the cottage left to him by his parents. He lives alone, rarely goes anywhere and is seemingly content with his CD and vinyl collections of country music. But his life changes when a box is left outside, a box containing a mewling baby. Jack learns to have friends, mulls over his life and choices and uses his music to heal. A beautiful book.