Something a bit different, this week: the books that are on my reading list. I’ll be ploughing through these over the course of the summer, whenever I get to snatch a sunny moment in the deckchair or a couple of hours before bed.
I’ve just finished The Girls, which was excellent – very soft focus and dreamlike but with sharp-as-you-like observations and character portrayals. It follows the story of Evie, a teenager who becomes caught up in a cult in the late sixties in California, but it’s far from the “coming of age” novel you might assume it would be. Find it here if you fancy a hazy, sun-soaked, murder-tinged read.
Here’s what else is on my list…

Rough Music by Patrick Gale – £1.49 for the Kindle edition here. I thought that A Place Called Winter was just astonishingly good (that’s here) and so I’m about to start working my way through Gale’s other novels. Starting with Rough Music because it’s only £1.49 at the moment! I’m starting this tonight. Not a clue what the story’s about but I can’t wait to find out…
This Must Be The Place by Maggie O’Farrell, £12.91 for the hardback here. Maggie O’Farrell is a relatively new discovery for me and I love her. She weaves a great tale and she seems to have a real knack for unpicking relationships and seeing what makes people fit together. Or not, which is more often the case. I’ve started this one ...