I recently read a review of this book and it captured my imagination. Susan Hill had been looking for her copy of Howard's End and as she struggled to locate it she realised that amongst the books on the landing there were at least a dozen that she had never read; this made her re-evaluate how she read and she decided to spend a year reading only books that were on her shelves. Like Susan I purchase many books each year, both new and second-hand, and I also borrow books from the library. I am growing increasingly aware that I am very unlikely to read all of the books that I own in my lifetime, and I was very attracted by the notion of finding out how someone else had attempted to tackle this problem.

Susan decided to forsake new purchases and concentrate on her own personal library. The process of selecting the books that she would read is the main thrust of the narrative. She considers different genres of fiction and also different types of non-fiction including diaries and journals. I enjoyed the atmosphere that Susan created. You get a sense of what her house in the countryside is like and there was a sense of adventure about the whole literary journey. I found the book to also be thought-provoking and I have decided that I will also avoid new purchases next year (or at least try to) and just focus on the many unread books that I own. She has certainly encouraged me to re-examine how I go about reading and how I can structure it, and that can only be a good thing.

Allan

Hilary Mantel won the 2009 Booker Prize with this compelling historical novel. It takes place in Henry VIII’s reign during his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and his marriage to Anne Boleyn, which subsequently led to the split with Rome and the Reformation. It is based on fact, but Mantel weaves substance into the events and life of the characters by her beautiful use of language and descriptive style.

It is the story of Thomas Cromwell, the King’s Chief Minister, born of humble origins but extremely ambitious politically. He controls and manipulates the Court of this ruthless King with an iron fist.

Mantel brings both freshness and a breadth of understanding to this well-known period of history, and fleshes out the other main characters wonderfully – Anne Boleyn, Thomas More and Cardinal Wolsely.

If you are racking your brains for a gift for someone who likes historical novels your struggle is over. This is it!

Maureen

The Cellist of Sarajevo is fiction based on real incidents during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. A cellist sits in the same spot for 22 days playing Albinoni's haunting Adagio in honour of 22 people who were killed in the same spot whilst queuing to buy bread. The book is written from the perspectives of three different characters on the hardships of life throughout the siege. Their stories of hope and survival interweave around the cellist.

Arrow, a female counter-sniper has the task of keeping the cellist alive although the sniper sent to kill the cellist also succumbs to his music.

Dragan, an older man works at the bakery where he is paid in bread. His wife and son have escaped to Italy before the troubles started.

Kenan's story focuses on him fetching water to provide for his family and his neighbour, Mrs Ristovski. He has to negotiate the streets while fearing daily for his life.

This beautifully written, sensitive and haunting novel describes how daily existence is affected by the breakdown of society but also how ultimately goodness can come to the fore even in the face of tragedy.

Mary