"Small Island", Andrea Levy

A splendid read, full of period detail, memorable characters, and stealthy humour. In summation, it is the portrait of a society on the brink of massive change as World War II opens the door to the immigration of Jamaican service men from one small island to another, from their homeland to Britain. But it is really a drama played out through four lives: a young Jamaican woman and the husband she marries to take her to what she sees as the shining Mother Country, an English country girl who marries to escape a life at the family butcher shop, and the English husband who disappears overseas. Levy explores a wide range of experience meticulously, bringing it all to a conclusion so shattering, it demands a sequel. (Craig)

"Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince", J.K. Rowling

The latest installment in JK Rowling's magical Harry Potter series is possibly the best yet. The writing is fast-moving, the plot well thought out and the combination of magic, humour and adventure is first-rate. As the war with You-Know-Who comes closer, Headmaster Dumbledore begins to teach Harry about his opponent, Tom Riddle aka Lord Voldemort. Along the way, Harry deals with the new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher who hates him, another new teacher who wants to be his friend, Ron starting to date girls and his own interest in a special girl. Excellent though this is, it may be quite intense for younger readers. A main character dies, although who dies is not as shocking as how they meet their death. Rowling has not lost her touch. (Trish)

"God's Secretaries", Adam Nicholson

God's Secretaries is the innocuous title of a work of brilliant scholarship and wry prose, sure to delight lovers of history, politics, theology, or the ambiguities of the English language. Adam Nicholson has brought to startling life 17th England, where brutal power struggles between Scots and English, Catholics and Protestants, Anglicans and Puritans miraculously gave birth to one of the most influential and elegant works of the English language. (Victoria)

"Fruit", Brian Francis

The truth about growing up can be very funny and this lively, comic tale set in Sarnia, Canada, in 1984 cleverly tackles the confusion surrounding an awkward, sensitive gay teen's coming of age with wonderful deadpan humour. Thirteen-year-old Peter Paddington weighs 204 pounds and is surrounded by a vividly dysfunctional family whose problems revolve around food, weight and Peter's menopausal, smothering mother. Also along for the ride are a long-suffering father, two "newly" thin sisters, an overweight, closeted homosexual uncle and a foul-mouthed girl from across the street. A series of 'Bedtime Movies' in which Peter is propelled out of his fat, sad existence provide a fantastical twist to the narrative. This novel is refreshing, honest and thoroughly entertaining. (Christopher)