With Angela Petch’s sumptuous descriptions of the landscape, people and food, it was certainly worth the wait to get to Sicily.

Please can I go on a Caroline James holiday every year? Her books are so full of joy, feeling, and wonderful characters I just want to be part of them.

The Cowgirl Nanny is the perfect heart-warming read, with characters who’ll live with me for a very long time.

Writing as Maisie Thomas, Susanna Bavin excels at creating incredibly well researched novels of female friendship during the Second World War, and this book is no exception.

If you read only one First World War saga this year – make it Wartime on Sanctuary Lane.

More absolute brilliance from one of my favourite authors.

My, but this book is good. It treads in so many places where angels would fear to, tripping across difficult and heart-breaking issues with just the right weight of feet.

Cass Grafton’s love for Cornwall shines through in her portrayal of the village, which is the perfect virtual West Country escape without going anywhere near the M5.

I was so completely absorbed in the world of the Oregon Trail in the 1840s that I could hear the creak of the wagons, smell saddle leather and horses.

This book, this wonderful book, is absolute perfection. Spare, taut, yet rich in detail, it builds layer on layer, each scene perfectly crafted and tensioned. The incredibly talented Claire Dyer at her absolute best.