Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt

I had been putting off reading this; I expected to be thoroughly depressed as McCourt describes his desperately poor Irish Catholic childhood. It is an eye opener, both to that level of poverty and to catholic guilt in the head of a boy, but I was completely surprised at how addictive it is. McCourt's voice is distinctive, and feels very raw, as if his childhood self is narrating through him.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, Laurie Lee

This follows on from Cider with Rosie, Lee's description of growing up in a village in the 1920s. Here Lee leaves his home and walks to London, and then through Spain. Lee has a casual, compelling way of writing and is a brilliant observer and travelling partner. As with Cider with Rosie it's a fascinating peek into life for people at that time, both fellow travellers and local people. 

Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff

Beautifully written and just keeps getting richer and richer. Groff muses on how we present ourselves to the world and to those we love, how and why that happens, and possible fallout. Based around the marriage of Lotto and Mathilde, in Fates we first learn of Lotto's past and his view of their life Furies tells us Mathilde's view. Mathilde and Lotto haunt each other's stories; Mathilde is a particularly strong presence and can be felt throughout Fates. Groff has drawn the characters unsympathetically, but we also see them through the eyes of each other, with all their love, idolation, indulgence and annoyance.

Mythos, Stephen Fry

Entertaining, so many characters and stories squashed into one place. As a family tree, stories branching from and linking to one another. Remembered and recognised names put into context and glimmers of known stories, though with new revelations or endings, like Pandora was the first human woman. 

Many of the stories unknown, non-blockbuster myths, earlier than Hercules etc. Lots of origin stories, or snippets of reasons or origins of animals within stories. Fry is an adept and entertaining guide through the centuries and centuries of re-telling. 

This is Going to Hurt, Adam Kay

Absolutely deserving of all the hype; brilliantly funny and enjoyable, but shocking and heart-ripping in the end. 

The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury

The Martian Chronicles read like a history of place, they are almost- short stories which hang together, and occasionally continue on from one another. They vary between true short stories; photographs of lives in a particular moment or change and sketched out ideas of what could happen if the human race ever were able to colonise Mars. Fully fleshed out world and deeply coloured characters, even the ones we are only with for a few pages. 

Heartburn, Nora Ephron

I'd heard a lot about Nora Ephron's writing in general and this novel in particular, so I was aware of expecting too much from it. As soon as I'd read the first pages though I was completely gratified. It is a novel based on the break-up of Ephron's second marriage (similar to The Enchanted April in some ways). Our narrator is Rachel, who is seven months pregnant with their second child when she finds out her husband is having an affair.

It is a heartbreaking and joyous novel, Rachel is witty and personable. The whole novel makes you feel as though Rachel is sat next to you, chatting about what's happened. She immediately pulls you into her world and is irreverent and aware of all the neuroses and shortcomings and idiosyncrasies of it. She is broken and conveys a messy confusion shot through with humour.