Probably one of my favourite Harry Potter books, the Prisoner of Azkaban leaves me with just one niggle - how likely is it that even a highly intelligent domestic cat could really be employed to steal a sheet of passwords and carry a mail order form?

To the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure.

The Owls' House was published in 1923 and neglected until recently revived by a Cornish publisher. Though the writing is beautiful in places (Garstin was clearly an excellent writer) the book falls down when it comes to plot progression. Major events pass by in a sentence or two, and it simultaneously feels like the reader is being rushed while also spending too long on other segments. Good, but not the forerunner to Poldark it is billed as.

Already excited about Garstin's The Owls' House (billed as one for fans of the Poldark series) after this evocative opening.

Exhausted with a newborn baby and looking for something light to suit my attention span, I borrowed The Ribbon Weaver from my grandmother. The writing is hackneyed and the dialogue clunky, but it nevertheless passed the time fairly pleasantly and was easy to pick up and drop for a while. Now on the lookout for decent light reading!