History of Wolves

by Emily Fridlund
An interesting story of a girl brought up in the backwoods of Minnesota as part of a hippy commune already broken up by the time the story starts.
Madeline is fifteen and this story takes place over the summer as she gets involved with a family across the lake who employ her to look after their four year old. Not everything is as it seems and we soon realise something dreadful is going to happen. It is a gripping story with a number of sub plots that left me a little perplexed-her ex school teacher for one. Would still recommend it though 7/10

Exit West

by Mohsin Hamid
A retelling of Antigone set in the modern day this story had me gripped from beginning to end. A tale of three british asian siblings who get caught up in the struggles of our times. It does not have a happy ending but in the way of the Sophocles play, family devotion wins out over loyalty to the state which is uplifting 9/10

Days Without End

by Sebastian Barry
A story set in the American civil war lent some wry humour by a cross dressing soldier and his lifelong friend. It was very readable but not really my cup of tea 5/10

Reservoir 13

by Jon McGregor
The supposed central character of this book is Rebecca who disappears just before new years eve. She pops up throughout the book but the real star of the show is the village and it's changing and unchanging life over a period of some 10 years. It is a simple story beautifully told and, living in a village and having an allotment, I found resonances in so much of the detail. I loved this book 9/10