scuffedgranny

The House of Spark by Luminita LaFlash

Luminita LaFlash’s book describes an oppressive and dark period in Romania’s past, based on her own family’s history

A surprisingly good novel in verse about the life of a portrait painter, brimming with sensuality & its evocation of attitudes of the time

An enjoyable historical murder mystery with likeable characters and a steady plot, set in the Gilded Age in New York

A very moving book about Sammy Lou and his brother, Avery, two boys struggling to survive in a world that is hostile to them

The story of the Greek hero Achilles told through key characters from the Iliad and forming an enjoyable introduction to an ancient myth

William Boyd excels again with the story of Brodie Moncur and his love for Lika -powerful, all-consuming, uplifting and destructive

Wendy Cope’s style of poetry is simple in terms of its accessibility but still has depth of humour and meaning

A lovely book about kind people being nice to each other with a touch of the other worldly and gentle humour

A masterful mystery, unique and incredibly well-written – you must read it for yourself to be baffled and wowed.

Bertie Carvel’s depiction of Dalgleish surprised me – read on to find out if this was a good or a bad thing