This week I have had a bit of a teen-fiction splurge, starting with Alan Gibbons' An Act of Love and finishing today with Ally Carter's Only the Good Spy Young. Call me fickle but I did enjoy Only the Good Spy Young a fraction more. I was in the sort of mood where I could quite easily get lost in a fictional boarding school for young spies.

Everyone has those moments, mine lasted for a few days, during which time I looked forward to the end of the day when I could sit back and stealthily sweep through the corridors of Carter's elite institution. It was everything I was looking for in a girly teenage novel. It had attitude, sass and a ton of girl power. Yup, I was hooked. To make it even better this is just one of a series of books by Ally Carter all set around the lives and loves of the Gallagher Girls. I like to approach teenage books like I would a blind date. If I don't expect much from it I can either be pleasantly surprised or I can walk away and not feel like I have burnt a long standing bridge.

I must say this book did surprise me and as I steadily became swept up in the storyline I became aware that I was genuinely coming to like Cammie and her friends. Definitely a series I will be revisiting and one I will be recommending to anyone who is looking for some effortlessly cool hair-flicking, butt-kicking action.

Hurrah! The postman delivered two very large parcels for me today. Ok, yes I wasn't in and the lovely postman waited all of 20 seconds for my doting partner to stumble down the stairs and skid through the hallway. Luckily said partner is quite the intrepid explorer, and not satisfied with the little red card shoved through the letterbox, he rather heroically legged it down the garden path to chase the rather bemused postman and reclaimed my two treasured parcels.

If you get time this month I would strongly suggest you put on the kettle and read this novel.  I will warn you that you should choose your spot wisely as you will not be getting up anytime in the near future. This is one of those 'down it in one' books. 


Published by Legend Press (a bloody good publishing house between you and me) Swiss author Zoe Jenny's novel The Sky is Changing is the first of her publications to be written in English which according to her website makes " her one of the first authors to write and publish novels in different languages in original form". 
The story traces the life of Claire, a former dancer living in London after the 7 July bombings. Claire has reached a cross-roads in her life as she is unable to place herself in a society that is struggling to identify itself as a survivor. Yearning for a child of her own, Claire reaches out to Nora, her seven-year -old swimming pupil, and soon finds that the bond between them is growing alarmingly strong.

When Grandma recommends a book to me, 9 times out of 10 it is one of those rare books that I will end up reading time and time again. 


Ferney is no exception.  


 Set in rural Somerset this novel follows the entwining paths of two soulmates, Ferney and Gally, as the surrounding hills remain the constant landmark in their ever changing lives. What I loved about this novel is the historical timeline that presents the third element to their romance. Detailing rural life the predestined lives of the lovers meanders through the ages, from medieval times to the present day.


It is clear that James Long, a former BBC correspondent is an avid historian as he masterfully resurrects the dull pages of history books and brings long lost characters back to life. 


This book has bucket-loads of sparkle and if you think the Doctor is the only Time Lord, you've got another think coming.