A short novel in translation from German, this book has apparently been highly successful in Germany. It's a very powerful, sparsely written novel about an ordinary man leading an ordinary life. Set in the mid-Twentieth Century, A Whole Life is just that. The prose is simple and spare, the lead character, Andreas Egger, works hard, endures suffering and bereavement, and has a deep relationship with the harsh but beautiful landscape so lovingly portrayed in the book. An antidote to all the very long novels that seem to be around at the moment - an epic in miniature.

Ordinarily, this is not a book I would have picked up - it looks very 'soft' - but it was recommended to me by someone whose judgement I trust, so I gave it a go. The narrator is David McBride, a psychiatrist; the plot concerns his treatment of a failed suicide, Elizabeth Cruickshank. The heart of the novel is a seven hour conversation between the two main characters, during which the doctor comes to realise the resonance with which Elizabeth's life chimes with his own life and losses.

Mike Bullen is the creator of Cold Feet, an excellent TV series from a few years ago. This is his first novel, so I was expecting relationship-comedy-drama of the same calibre. It isn't. It's not that it's a bad book, I read all the way to the end (on a plane) and quite enjoyed it, but the characters are a little cliched and lightweight, the plot is a little cliched and lightweight, the psychology of the characters not-entirely convincing. Quite disappointing, really. I wouldn't bother.

Oliver Sacks called this 'a remarkable and hopeful portrait of the endless adaptability of the human brain'. In recent years, neuroscientists have learned that the brain is more plastic than previously thought. This discovery, called neuroplasticity, has profound implications for the treatment of a huge variety of brain disorders and learning disabilities. Everything from dementia, stroke, blindness, cerebral palsy, even autism, come under Doidge's microscope as he travels the world talking to people who are working at the forefront of this possible revolution.

In this collection of four short essays, all written in the last two years of his life, Sacks faces aging, illness and death with remarkable grace and dignity. Hugely moving, this book is a very worthy testament to one of the most loved writers of our time. It's also a beautifully packaged little book, barely 40 pages in length, but is one to read again and again.

Gavin Francis is a GP and writer, and in this book he takes the reader on a journey through the human body, from head to toe. There are fascinating stories about the brain, the eye, the internal organs, wrist, hands, genitals, feet and others. They are written from a clinicians perspective, with reflections on the way the body has been imagined, and new directions in medical discovery. It's described as 'both a user's guide to the body and a celebration of its marvels', which is a very apt description. It's also well written, and beautifully packaged.