This is a quick and readable tale somewhat lacking in detail and well-rounded characters. It is about a single mother working hard for her daughter, and about the boy she tutors and his mother. It is about friendship and trust, the haves and the havenots. With a backdrop of an overgrown garden, I liked this book but I didn’t love it as I wanted to.

Aloysius Tempo is a freelance hit-man, arranging 'accidents' that can't be traced to him or to the people who hire him. This is a rollicking good book with lots of surprises. It is very well crafted and written and I hope there is more of Aloysius in the future ... although you can't be too sure of that from the ending.

Kim Hood’s second book is even better than her first. It is realistic, with believable characters with whom the reader can empathise. It deals sensitively with mental and physical illness and explores relationships of many kinds. Sixteen-year-old Jane is a great character whose point of view we see throughout the book. It is superbly conceived and written, and although sold as YA is a book that any age from 13 upwards could enjoy.

Molly’s Diary looks at the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916 from a twelve-year-old girl’s point of view. There are parts I love and parts I am not so keen on, so a mixed review from me. But I would recommend it for 10-14 year olds, particularly those who live in Ireland or generally enjoy history.

Yes, it's self-published. Yes, my policy is to review books whether they deserve one star or five stars or anything in between. No, on this occasion I really can't.

Bonkers. Weird. Surreal. Satirical. Politically incorrect. Clever. Absurd. Witty. Disgusting. There you have it! Recommended.

These are Captain Charlie May's First World War diaries and a love letter to his wife Maude and baby Pauline. They are eloquently written, and informative, sad, funny and loving. They show a very human side of a dreadful war. Charlie May was killed on the first morning of the Battle of Somme and these diaries, kept in secret, were delivered to his wife by a comrade. They have been superbly edited by his great-nephew, Gerry Harrison. Highly recommended.

This short book is packed with easy-to-read but hard-to-stomach statistics of casualties of war over the last hundred years. It gives a quite fascinating history of the Remembrance Poppy movement. There are many stark and memorable graphics, newspaper extracts and poems. Well worth reading.

A novel about contemporary relationships. Four siblings gather at their mother's request for the fortieth anniversary of the family hotel next to a lake in Brunnen, Switzerland. There is plenty of family tensions and each of the characters has a secret. Although there is plenty of drama, this is a fairly gentle and largely satisfying read, even if sometimes you will want to give some of the characters a good talking-to.

This book is SO going to divide reviewers. I loved it – in fact, in July, it is one of my top books for 2015. It is a stream of consciousness from a lonely, quirky, intelligent woman, who is perhaps not wired up quite like most of us; she is a wonderful character. Superb writing and a fabulous book.