The Good Lord Willing and The Creek Don’t Rise by Robert Norris

A memoir, modestly told, of a life varied and, at times, listless and without purpose but with one constant – the writer’s mother

A Fatal Gilded High Note by Cecelia Tichi

Another enjoyable murder mystery from the Gilded Age with Val and Roddy DeVere who investigate a suspicious death in a box at the opera

The Z to Z of Great Britain by Dixe Wills

A book of relative nonsense which is delightful, and perfect for dipping into, and quintessentially British in its eccentricity and humour

A Map of the Edge by David Isaak

A coming-of-age tale which is an intense read, following fifteen year old Rick as he navigates a teendom strewn with diversions and upsets

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

My first encounter with Hemingway and surprisingly, a forgettable and, dare I say it, regrettable one: did not meet expectations