Ivor Baddiel and Kathryn Selbert‘s picture book (part of a series on faith/ethnic holidays) explains what Hanukkah involves and why it‘s celebrated and Selbert‘s colourful illustrations bring the family bond to life. My only criticism is that I didn‘t quite understand why Leora was so intent on lighting the candle and why it was important to her but otherwise it‘s a solid way of introducing the holiday to young readers who are unfamiliar with it.

Philip Reeve‘s standalone adventure set in his MORTAL ENGINES universe for readers aged 12+ is a thrilling story of friendship, belonging and what it means to be a hero. Although Tamzin and Miss Torpenhow are the main characters, this is very much an ensemble piece that explores the geography of the Traction Cities‘ world at a breakneck pace. Although this is a standalone story, there is scope here for a sequel, which I would definitely read.

Lavanya Lakshminarayan‘s SF novel (the first in a duology) is an exuberant celebration of food and community that also contains themes of prejudice, colonialism and the irresponsibility of technology companies. If the characterisation is sometimes a little two-dimensional and the inevitable romance unearned, then the enthusiasm and scale of imagination carries you through to the extent that I am very much looking forward to reading the sequel.

This board book features delightfully energetic illustrations by Darshika Varma and sets out the different elements that go to make up the Holi festival. Varma‘s illustrations show different generations and use lots of bright colours. However the use of the flaps is a little underwhelming and they‘re quite flimsy and susceptible to tearing in small hands, which is a shame because I think this is a nice introduction to the festival.

Clare Harlow‘s debut fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series and beautifully illustrated by James Mountford) is a vividly imagined, enjoyable story with solid characterisation, a great sense of place and an interesting plot. Itsa is a well drawn and driven protagonist uncomfortable with having to trust Nat and Ruby. The fantasy elements are thought-through and the cliff hanger ending ensures I‘ll read the sequel.

Dr Amanda Brown is a GP who has previously worked in a youth detention centre and Wormwood Scrubs and currently works at Bronzefield. This compassionate sequel to THE PRISON DOCTOR focuses on her work at Bronzefield and provides an interesting insight into what drives some women to crime and the role of homelessness but the tone of the anecdotes never quite rings true and you never find out what happens to the women after their diagnoses.

Michael Nayak‘s debut SF thriller mixes 28 DAYS LATER and THE THING, drawing on his experience of working at the South Pole to lend authenticity. Unfortunately there are too many characters and many are basically names on the page so the deaths have no emotional impact while the relationships lack the development to make you care. Aside from this it‘s a solid debut with some interesting ideas and the set-up for a sequel means that I would read on.

I struggled to buy into the premise of Marisha Pessl‘s standalone YA thriller as very little about it actually makes sense. It‘s further hampered by one-dimensional characterisation (I struggled to remember who was who in the Veda Seven), a rote love triangle between two equally blah male characters. What really threw me out was how little research Pessl had done on English law or geography, which irritated me throughout the whole book.

Saifedean Ammous is Professor of Economics at the Lebanese American University. This book has useful summaries of the history of money and the development of Bitcoin but his arguments as to how Bitcoin meets the definition of money are unconvincing - no matter how many times he repeats his points - and his Austrian school economic arguments about Bitcoin‘s superiority for settlement smacks of wishful thinking over the real world practicalities.

Sam K Horton‘s debut dark historical fantasy novel (the first in a series) is richly written with well drawn main characters and detailed world building. Horton handles the book‘s main themes about faith, tradition and finding your own identity in an intelligent way and although I have some nitpicks (there are a couple of historical anachronisms and at times the writing too much), the ending has a neat set up for a sequel that I‘d definitely read.

Rana Foroohar is global business columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times and CNN‘s global economic analyst. Published in 2019 it‘s an absorbing and frightening look at how Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google hoard data and intellectual property to maintain market dominance, influence politics and maintain their value and a prescient warning given how the companies are now jostling to influence the incoming Trump presidency.

Andrew Reid‘s debut action thriller is an assured affair with solid pacing and interesting main characters in the form of Cameron King and Ray Perada (who I was pleased did not succumb to a predictable romance). However the storyline between Cameron and Nate falls apart in the final quarter with revelations that suspend credulity, which is a shame because there‘s some solid writing here and the premise is perfect beach reading.

Robert Goddard‘s crime thriller is intricately constructed and Wada is a fascinating main character with the action taking place in Japan, the UK, the US and Iceland. The pacing works well and a dual storyline of Nick Miller also being contacted by Caldwell fleshes out the backstory. A sequel was published in 2024, which I will definitely check out and am otherwise I am keen to read Goddard‘s other work.

The second in Sarah Bowie‘s self-illustrated humorous graphic novel for readers aged 9+ is a well-constructed, fun affair filled with verbal and visual jokes. There‘s a useful summary at the front if you haven‘t read book 1 and Nina is such a well drawn character that you root for her, especially against the awful Megan. Certainly there‘s more than enough here for me to want to read book 1 and I look forward to seeing what Bowie does next.

Sarah Langford is a practising barrister specialising in criminal and family law. This absorbing and thought-provoking memoir looks at 11 of her cases (details anonymised for privacy reasons) to set out the limitations of the justice system together with how it changed the respective defendants lives and the lessons that Langford took from them and in the increasingly crowded legal market stands out for looking at the English Family Court.

Amber Chen‘s Chinese-inspired YA fantasy (the first in a duology) has interesting world-building and I liked the focus on engineering. However the pacing is inconsistent (especially in the final quarter), the plot relies heavily on things happening to Ying rather than her agency and her romance with Ye-yang is unconvincing, in part because Ye-yang is under-drawn as a character. That said, the ending is interesting and I would read the sequel.

Anam Iqbal‘s thoughtful debut YA romance uses the opposites attract trope to explore issues relevant to the British Muslim community. However, even for me there‘s a lot of plot here while the book‘s key mystery goes unresolved (albeit there‘s scope for a sequel) and the privilege porn wasn‘t questioned enough for me. That said, it‘s good to see a YA romance with Muslim characters and there‘s enough here for me to want to Iqbal‘s next book.

Richard Osman‘s thriller (the first in a new series) couples jet-setting action, wry observations - particularly about ageing and dealing with grief - sharp one-liners and an interesting trio of central characters. However for me, neither Rosie nor Amy quite rang true in terms of their characters and the plot - though entertaining - was too easy to guess. That said there‘s a lot of potential here and I will definitely read the sequel.

Freddie Kölsch‘s debut YA historical dark fantasy/horror mixes THE CRAFT with IT in an engrossing tale of love, sacrifice and ancient evil. I believed in Nesbit‘s relationship with the charismatic but tragic Bastion and the way Kölsch reveals North Dana‘s dark history is well done. However I wonder how well modern teenagers will relate to the 90s setting and Cameron didn‘t quite work for me in terms of his role in the story.

Mick Herron‘s thriller (the first in the OXFORD SERIES) mixes sharp one-liners, genuine twists and cynicism but Sarah‘s convoluted back story didn‘t work for me given what you see of her before it‘s revealed. Zoë Boehm makes a bigger impact despite limited page time and I found both her and the dangerous and driven Michael Downey more interesting characters. It‘s an entertaining read and I will read on, but it‘s not as good as SLOUGH HOUSE.

This entertaining educational board book that explains what “opposite” means and gives a number of examples. The illustrations are jolly and young readers will learn about big and small, young and old (although learning that 42 and 3 quarters is old felt like a significant kick in the guts), wet and dry among others. All in all it‘s a book that young readers will enjoy and learn something from and perfect for Hey Duggee fans.

Sam Copeland‘s humorous fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series) has some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and gleefully subverts a number of the fantasy cliches. Although I think Alex has more depth than Axel and some of the resolutions to plot difficulties were too pat, there are also some genuinely moving moments and I enjoyed the adventure such that I would definitely read the sequel.

Pete Brown is a food and drink commentator and food award judge. This is a fascinating look at 9 dishes that have come to be regarded as quintessentially British (including curry, cream teas and fish and chips) with Brown mixing comment on their development, place in British society, questions of authenticity and what they say about British class and culture with his own relationship with food, having grown up working class in Barnsley.

Philip Carter‘s conspiracy thriller is a pacy read that keeps the action coming with plenty of chases, fights and double crosses plus some screaming orgasms for good measure. However while Carter does well at balancing the different plot strands, the fates of the antagonists was underwhelming and I found the central conspiracies a little tasteless and disrespectful. It‘s a decent beach read if you‘re looking for something to hold your attention.

Kim Ghattas is an Emmy Award-winning journalist born and raised in Lebanon who has spent 20 years covering the Middle East for the BBC and Financial Times. This well-researched book argues that 1979 set Saudi Arabia and Iran on a path that‘s shaped the Middle East. Ghattas has a readable style and I came away feeling but there are a lot of figures in play here and despite a useful list, I sometimes found myself confused about who was who.

RuPaul Charles is a drag icon, actor, podcaster and the host and producer of an international drag show competition franchise. Although this memoir intends to reveal the real RuPaul and he talks a lot about a traumatic childhood through to the beginnings of his drag career and how he met his husband Georges LeBar, there‘s a therapy filter at play here, which creates a sense of distance so I came away feeling like I hadn‘t seen the real RuPaul.

Lauren James‘s standalone YA thriller is very strong on fame, fandoms and toxic fan behaviour but the murder aspect was under-powered for me with the villain too easy to guess and a final twist that didn‘t ring true. At the same time, Delilah‘s backstory was too busy and a sub-plot involving her best friend Nida feeling superfluous. That said, it is a fast-paced read and James has something to say so I would check out her next book.

Tom Hindle‘s standalone murder mystery is an entertaining take on locked room mysteries set amongst the haves, the almost haves and the wanna haves in a glamorous location. I enjoyed how Hindle builds in backstory for the various characters but with such a large cast, there are inevitably some caricatures and unfortunately I guessed the killer and their motivation a little too early for the book to be wholly successful for me.

Chris Skinner is a financial markets commentator and former advisor to the White House and the World Bank. In this book he makes some interesting arguments about the future of technology and there‘s an interesting case study of Ant Financial and Alipay but he simply down‘t want to consider the dangers of the tech he evangelises here, which was a big negative for me - especially when he uses examples from China, where it is part of state control.

The fourth in Julia Quinn‘s bestselling BRIDGERTON SERIES is an entertaining Georgian romance where most of my interest came in seeing where the story and characters differ from the Netflix series. It utilises the trope of friends to lovers and although some of the writing isn‘t technically great (everyone feels the need to use each other‘s name all the time), there‘s some sharp dialogue and fun lines such that I‘d read the rest of the series.

Sharna Jackson‘s mystery sequel for readers aged 9+ is an emotionally sophisticated affair that deals with grief, regret and betrayal in a way that the target readership can relate to. The 9 night structure gives the Copseys plenty of scope to dig into the suspects, including Wesley‘s mum which lends tension and the mystery itself is more about Rachel herself than her death. All in all it‘s a solid read and I‘d check out Jackson‘s other books.

Paul O‘Grady was a comedian, actor, TV presenter, chat show host and British national treasure. The third in his autobiographical quartet charts the 1980s as he hones Lily Savage in Northern clubs (dragging Vera with him), overseas and London‘s gay clubs and searches for love in all the wrong places. But tragedy isn‘t far away as HIV starts to bite and O‘Grady suffers more loss closer to home that even his sharp wit struggles to see the humour in.

Ashley Hickson-Lovence‘s YA novel effectively uses its verse narrative to tell a compelling story of a boy who learns how to tap into his creativity to express himself. However I don‘t think that the Malachi storyline had the intended impact and nor did Ronny‘s friendship with the extroverted Leigh. That said, the use of language is great and Ronny‘s guilt over Maz holds true. I‘d definitely check out the author‘s other work on the basis of this.

Lanisha Butterfield and Hoan Giang‘s picture book is a luscious celebration of life, nature and community. The colours are vibrant and the illustrations packed with character and a sense of place and I liked the fact that there is also a subtle sense of grief in the background as Theo and Jeremiah are dealing with the death of their father. All in all it‘s an entertaining read that shows the importance of neighbourhood and connection.

I feared that Lindsay Eagar‘s standalone YA historical novel was going to be bogged down with an obligatory romance element but it‘s actually a much more compelling coming of age tale with a melodrama vibe. Avita's a compelling main character whose crush on Tomás makes her chafe against the public perception of her but it‘s the family dynamics that held my attention as each member of the family has a reckoning with the brilliant but flawed Arturo.

Tom Gauld‘s picture book is one that‘s destined to be a future classic. Charming, intelligent, full of wit, whimsy and warmth there‘s plenty of jokes in there for both young and older readers (in my view, probably better for youngsters aged 5+). There‘s plenty of potential here for a sequel, which I would definitely want to check out.

Alex Johnson is a journalist, magazine editor, designer and author. This is a lovely book about the British national obsession - the weather - that mixes folklore, local dialects, psychology, economics and, of course, the weather itself. There are loads of facts and nuggets grouped around different types of weather and, yes, there are 100 words for rain as well. It‘s a perfect read to enjoy in your garden on a warm sunny day with a cold drink.

Lauren Oyler is a novellist, essayist and cultural critic. This collection of 6 interconnected essays about gossip, cultural criticism, vulnerability, ‘auto-fiction‘, living in Berlin, and mental illness makes some interesting points at times but too many of the essays left me wondering what the point was while I didn‘t see the purported humour and the constant mentions of her Ivy League education made her too try-hard for my tastes.

Paul O‘Grady was a comedian, actor, TV presenter, chat show host and British national treasure. The second in his autobiographical quartet charts 1973 to 1980 as he deals with his father‘s death, becomes a father, bounces between jobs, marries a lesbian, struggles to find a partner, travels internationally and starts to develop Lily Savage within the London drag scene. Told with O‘Grady‘s biting wit, it‘s sad, thoughtful, horrifying and honest.

The second in Lorraine Gregory‘s INTERDIMENSIONAL EXPLORERS humorous SF series for readers aged 9+ is an entertaining, fast-paced, action-packed read with lively illustrations by Jo Lindley. I emphasised with Danny‘s insecurities as to his friendship with Modge and Inaaya and his worry about losing them as they grow apart. The plot has plenty of twists and turns and there‘s a wider series suggestion that someone at Centralus is a secret baddie.

Anna Kemp and Alice Courtley‘s warm and charming picture book, told in rhyming verse, is an epic and sweet tale of how kind other people can be and all the different types of transport there are. I very much enjoyed Courtley‘s colourful illustrations, which have lots of lovely little details (my favourite being the headphone on a flamingo helicopter pilot and the teddy bear that Daddy Penguin carries with him).

Katherine Mengardon is an education expert on neurodiversity, play and creativity and the author of several non-fiction books. This useful book for readers aged 9+ suggests 100 jobs grouped around whether they are interested in: animals, art, maths, the environment, music, gadgets, performance, sports, fashion and writing. I enjoyed the interviews with some people who do these jobs but would have liked more information on education requirements.

Daniel Rachel is a musician turned critically acclaimed author. On balance this account of the 1990s ‘Cool Britannia‘ phenomenon is worth a read as Rachel has secured interviews with some key figures (including Tony Blair, Noel Gallagher, Jarvis Cocker, Tracey Emin and Melanie Chisholm) if only to get their view on what happened and what it meant but there are notable omissions (e.g. Justine Frischmann) and nothing on Black British contributions.

This board book for younger readers is a bit of a disappointment as both the story and the language comes across as too sophisticated for the board book form while the illustrations are computer generated and somewhat soulless. If you have a young Paw Patrol fan then they will enjoy seeing the pups using their powers, but otherwise I don‘t think it‘s worth their time.

Daniel Thompson is a poet, storyteller, filmmaker and musician. This collection of 50 poems for readers aged 7+ (beautifully illustrated by Julia Murray) themed around nature all show Thomson‘s enthusiasm for the subject, with several poems working well. However the majority use rhymes that are overly strained and threw out the rhythm and I thought it was a shame that other forms of poetry weren‘t used to show young readers the variety of forms.

Mimi Yu‘s debut YA fantasy (the first in a duology) draws on Asian history and mythology to create an interesting world with various factions, each with their own objectives and methods. However while I enjoyed the aesthetics, the story itself of sibling rivalry and power hungry antagonists is all a bit underbaked with Min in particular being underdeveloped despite being a viewpoint character and the inevitable YA love triangle left me bored.

Paul O‘Grady was a comedian, actor, TV presenter, chat show host and British national treasure. Warm, hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking this is the first in his autobiography quartet, charting his life in Birkenhead from birth to his late teens and his relationship with his working class, Catholic parents and aunts. This 2018 reprint featured a new introduction by O‘Grady where he says he‘s softened some of the depictions of his family.

This picture book (adapted by Matt Huntley from the episode ‘Aqua Pups Save A Merdinger‘ by Jeffrey Duteil) has a lot of action but is very much for hardcore Paw Patrol fans as it assumes you know who the characters are and what the set-up is. There were times when I was confused as to who was who and the action is also a little confusing at times but if your young reader is a fan of the cartoon then it should pose them no problems.

This board book, made with the Eric Carle estate, is a colourful introduction to shapes and different types of food for very young readers. It‘s solidly put together but I must confess that I did not understand why there is a hole in the middle of each page (I later learned it‘s for the Caterpillar to crawl through) and one of the shapes (a squiggly line) isn‘t what I would immediately think of as a shape.

Jane Bull is an experienced writer of crafting and activity books for children. This introductory book to embroidery, needlepoint, patchwork, appliqué, knitting and crochet is aimed at readers aged 7+ and is easy to follow with clear photographs and patterns to use. I came away feeling more confident with basic stitches and adult care-givers who are also looking to pick up these skills can do them alongside younger readers.