I have absolutely loved almost everything I've read by William Wharton, so to discover this posthumous collection of short pieces about his wartime experiences was a real treat. I think it's a book for fans; you wouldn't read this for any great insight into one man's wartime experience, but it does give insight into the background events that has informed some of his fiction. Wharton apparently always told his children stories.

First published in 1959, this is a beautiful evocation of Rome, it's history, architecture, character and atmosphere. It's obviously dated, but that adds to its charm, and her writing, her enthusiasm, and her curiosity make it one of the best books on the city that I've come across. reading this would enhance one's own experience of the city, especially the ruins and ancient sites.

I was quite intrigued by the premise for this novel, and it's been a big word-of-mouth hit, so I thought it might make for good holiday reading. It kind-of did, and I enjoyed it for about two thirds of the book, and then I just couldn't believe in it anymore. The characters are all deeply unpleasant, but the mystery and the revelations around Amy's disappearance keep the book rollicking along, and the clever structure of husband Nick's narration alternating with apparent diary entries from Amy add to the intrigue.

I haven't read Rebecca Solnit before, but have thought that her books always look interesting, and she is always well reviewed. I'll be reading more of her work, having read this memoir and meditation on life, nature, art, and her difficult relationship with her mother. Rather than a narrative, it's a collection of linked essays, in which the author beautifully evokes events in her life and in the world around her. She's a very thought provokng writer, and the sections about her mother's struggle with dementia, and her own health issues are incredibly moving.

As a rational kind of guy, and a supporter of the scientific method, I love a book which takes on the anti-science brigade, whether it be psychics, climate change deniers, repressed memory therapists 'investigating' ritual satanic abuse, religious fundamentalists etc. What Storr uncovers is a little more complex, and quite confronting about one's own biases and self-delusions.

I love time travel paradoxes in science fiction, and this is a terrific, and very exciting example. Em and her friend Finn are sent back in time from our near future in which America has become a police state at war with itself, to kill the inventor of time travel before he invents it. Unfortunately for Em, the inventor is James, the love of her (past) life. The person helping James to stop this from happening, is her past self. This sets up a great scenario for drama, action, paradoxes, romance, betrayal and conspiracy.