Willy Vlautin is possibly better known in some circles as the frontman of the band Richmond Fontaine than he is as a novelist, but he has written 3 previous, highly acclaimed novels. This is his fourth, and he seems to have gone up a notch in terms of the acclaim showered upon him. This is a State Of The Nation novel, examining the state of inequality in America, how the country treats damaged returning veterans from the Iraq war, and the struggle to pay for basic health care in that country.

One of the most extraordinary novels I've read recently - since his Cloud Atlas, possibly - this is a true epic, which uses elements of science fiction and fantasy in what is essentially a conventional novel, told in an unconventional way. It has a similar style of storytelling to Cloud Atlas - at least if you're already familiar with that, you will know what to expect! The narrative moves forward in this novel, however, it begins in 1984.

Possibly inspired in part by The Big Chill, this book follows the lives of a loosely linked group of characters from Wellington to the world, through an episodic structure, shifting narrative voice, and a 45 year period of real history. It starts in 1967, with protests against the Viet Nam war when General Maxwell Taylor and Clark Clifford, sent as Special Envoys of the US president, were in Wellington attempting to persuade New Zealand to send more troops. The narrative then sifts forward to 2001, back to 1969, forward to 2004, then to 2010.

In 2009, Fermor's Spanish language translator travelled to Greece to spend some time with the writer. This very charming book is a collection of anecdotes about that time. It's a beautifully designed book, very short, but full of reflections about Fermor, his love of books, drinks and guests. Fermor sadly died 2 years later. If you're a fan, this is an affectionate portrait, a sketch, and a generous companion to his own writing.

A very short book - less than 100 pages - but a very deep and profound one about a number of monasteries in Europe at which Fermor has spent time. He narrates the history of each, and the particular sect that they are a member of, and describes his experiences of them. The book is not about religion; this is human exploration at its finest. A lovely book, and a thought provoking one.

A small, beautifully designed and produced book, this is an illustrated novella which tells of a young man who drops in to his local library to look for a book on how taxes were collected in the Ottoman Empire. There he's led to a mysterious underground reading room by an old man and locked in. There he has a number of very strange meetings, in typical Murakami fashion, and the reader wonders whether he will ever escape, or if the experiences are truly happening. It's a delightful, if very dark story; one for the fans.