The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett AUDIO

I would never have read Bennett without this being a book group read and I would have missed out on a softly witty, very funny treat.

Au: "It was the corgis' fault. When they strayed through the grounds of Buckingham Palace, the Queen discovered the City of Westminster travelling library. The Queen has never had much time for reading - pleasure's always come second place to duty - "though now that one is here I suppose one ought to borrow a book". She is about to discover the joys of literature, albeit late in life. One book leads to another and the Queen is soon engrossed in the delights of reading.

However, this uncommon reader creates an uncommon problem. The royal household dislikes the Queen's new interest; it makes them uneasy. Books are devices that ignite the imagination. And devices like that are likely to explode."

The Snow Spider Trilogy (The Snow Spider; Emlyn's Moon; The Chestnut Soldier) by Jenny Nimmo

The Snow Spider has just been made into a film although the book is much older, written in the 80s I think, and reading the three books was a joy. Although fairly short because written for younger children Nimmo's books don't lack in imagination and they have the ability in spades to send a genuine chill down your spine as the snow spider grants a peek at the crack between worlds.

Dragonfly by Julia Golding

An excellent teenage fantasy fiction book, unfortunately all her other books are for younger readers, but this story of princesses, rebels and slaves was captivating

Lily: A Ghost Story by Adele Geras

Billed as a 'Quick Read' this certainly is that, but is also a story that lingers long in the mind with its nastiness of what is just out of the corner of the eye. Chilling.

From Where I Stand and A Voice in the Distance by Tabitha Suzuma

Suzuma's books had me in tears, someone brave enough to write about mental illness for a teenage audience, for those who most need the help and early intervention without feeling patronised, to just not feel so alone. You are always right there with the deeply hurt Raven and the desperately torn Flynn

AZ From Where I Stand: "Raven is a deeply disturbed teenager, who, after witnessing the death of his mother, is placed in foster care. The Russells do their best to earn his trust, but only little Ella manages to get through to him. Meanwhile, at school, bullies are making his life a living hell. An unexpected companion comes in the form of Lotte, a classmate bored by her 'ordinary' friends. Together, they track down Raven's mum's killer, with the goal of exposing him to the police. But their carefully crafted plan goes dangerously wrong and suddenly nothing is as it seems. Everything is falling apart and, ultimately, there is only one, final way out."

AZ A Voice in the Distance: "In his final year at the Royal College of Music, star pianist Flynn Laukonen has the world at his feet. He has moved in with his girlfriend Jennah and is already getting concert bookings for what promises to be a glittering career. Yet he knows he is skating on thin ice - only two small pills a day keep him from plunging back into the whirlpool of manic depression that once threatened to destroy him. Unexpectedly his friends seem to be getting annoyed with him for no apparent reason, he needs less and less sleep, he is filled with unbridled energy. Events begin to spiral out of control and Flynn suddenly finds himself in hospital, heavily sedated, carnage left behind him. The medication isn't working any more, the dose needs to be increased, and depression strikes again, this time with horrific consequences. His freedom is snatched away and the medicine's side-effects threaten to jeopardize his chances in one of the biggest piano competitions of his life. It seems like he has to make a choice between the medication and his career. But in all this he has forgotten the one person he would give his life for, and Flynn suddenly finds himself facing the biggest sacrifice of all."

The Companion Garden by Bob Flowerdew

An excellent book which does what it says on the tin, helps you plan your planting so you put plants that help each other together, for instance, marigolds with tomatoes which keep the whitefly off them, and garlic with carrots to hide their scent from carrotfly, meaning that you don't need to use chemicals.

The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve

An intensely beautiful book that reassures me that I've found another author who resonates with my soul. AZ: "Marriage to a pilot has taught Kathryn to be ready for emergencies, but nothing prepared her for the news of her husband's fatal crash. Struggling through her grief, she confronts disturbing rumours and becomes torn between her impulse to protect her husband's memory and her desire for the truth."