Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her first novel The God Of Small Things, then promptly gave up writing fiction for political activism and polemical books, including The Algebra of Infinite Justice, and Broken Republic. This latest book is in the same territory: it's a fierce attack on the current political state of India, where 100 people own assets worth a quarter of India's GDP, and hundreds of millions live on less than $2 a day.

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.