Travel writing is one of my favourite genres so I was happy to see that Road to Rouen by Ben Hatch had arrived at the top of my pile.  In fact the book is more about family life and relationships than about travelling, but is none the worse for that.  It tells the story of his journey around France in a Passat, which smells strongly of French cheese, with his wife and two young children and is by turns funny, poignant and insightful.  A good follow-up to his earlier book Are We Nearly There Yet? – surely a question that every parent has heard far too often.

Second up this month was The Way of the World by Robert Goddard a thriller set in the immediate aftermath of the First World War, and the first part of a trilogy.  I always enjoy his books and I think I’ve read most, if not all, of them.  I’d be hard put to it though to distinguish one from the other in retrospect, and I’m fairly sure I’ll have to re-read this one in a year’s time before moving on to the second in the series.  But I’d still rate it as an interesting and well-put-together book.  And if you haven’t discovered Robert Goddard before, this is a good place to start.

The Bees by Laline Paull has left me feeling confused.  It’s most certainly a very original and well written debut novel, but I find myself at the end with a vague suspicion that it doesn’t work quite as well as it should.  I wonder whether others have the same reservations as I do, and whether this dystopian tale of a totalitarian bee-hive really works on levels other than a fairy tale.  But highly recommended if you want something different.  Good books are supposed to leave you wondering,  aren’t they?

Next I picked up The Minaturist by Jessie Burton. Another debut novel, this is a fascinating mix of history (17^th century Amsterdam), intrigue and a coming of age story.  A real page-turner.  I couldn’t put it down. But yet again I was left feeling dissatisfied.  I don’t think all the questions posed were fully answered, and I don’t think the plot quite held together.  But perhaps I read it too quickly and missed vital information.  I’d better go back for another look.  I’ll enjoy doing that!

No quibbles about the next book Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healeyand no hesitation at all in recommending it.  Yet again a debut novel, this one taps into a situation with which more and more of us are becoming familiar – how living with dementia feels, or how you cope with having a relative with dementia.  The central character Maud is totally believable and the struggles she faces daily are sympathetically portrayed.  And there is an intriguing storyline in here too. Ultimately, despite what you might expect, this is an uplifting and positive book.  I loved it.

I don’t normally read cookery books from cover to cover.  But Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodwardis a cookery book with a difference.  It’s the inspirational story of how one young woman changed her way of eating to enable her to cope with massive health issues, devising a gluten and dairy free plant based diet.  It’s a fascinating read from beginning to end – and the recipes I’ve tried so far work well too.

It occurs to me now that all of my chosen books this month have been recent ones.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  In fact it’s an indication of just how much good new stuff there is out there. But perhaps next month I’ll try to redress the balance.