Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Before the Coffee Gets Cold

- A tender and delightful story about the delicacy of loving relationships, for both old and young people. 

- The old husband suffering from Alzheimers who can’t recognise his wife; the young male IT professional who takes a job offer in America but can’t see the suffering of his girlfriend who is in love with him. The bar owner who is estranged from her parents returns to the family home for her younger sister’s funeral but they still want nothing to do with her. The pregnant woman who is likely to die if she gives birth. 

- Every time someone enters the cafe the author describes what they are wearing. Why?

Hannelore Cayre, The Godmother

- An interesting tale of a middle aged woman who learns through her job, as a translator for the police, about drug running gangs in France, and decides to profit from it. 

- Also very insightful about older parents in appalling aged care facilities, and the drama and tensions they bring to their families. 

Jodi Kantor/Megan Twohey, She Said

- This is a thrilling and vitally important read. Easily one of the great journalism stories of our time - up there with Woodward and Bernstein's All the President’s Men. Superbly written and structured it's about two New York Times journalists' struggle to persuade women to break their silence on famed Hollywood producer and serial abuser Harvey Weinstein.

- What strikes you is the courage of the many actresses and staff who came forward about Weinstein, putting their careers at real risk. Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rose McGowan, Selma Hayek and many others. 

- It's also a gripping story about how aggressively Weinstein fought back, using highly experienced lawyers to protect him. Besides large sums of money the legal documents they drew up to ensure confidentiality were extraordinary. Some clauses often defied common sense and were surely unenforceable, however they seriously scared the victims into silence. 

- These lawyers were celebrities in their own right, eg, David Boies (Al Gore’s lawyer in the 2000 presidential recount) and Lisa Bloom (well-known 'feminist’ lawyer). 

- Some of the stories of Weinstein's abuse are appalling and heart wrenching. The journalists worked day and night for more than year to persuade the women to come forward. And what I found remarkable is the seriously high level of support and encouragement they received from senior editors and staff at the New York Times, particularly from Executive Editor Dean Baquet.

- The last third of the book details the case of Christine Blasey Ford and her Congressional testimony against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, whom she accused of attempted rape at a party when they were high school students. She was another victim courageously coming forward.

- I so enjoyed this book. It's a brilliant and inspiring read.

Alan Furst, Under Occupation

- This is one of Furst’s best. As usual it's set in occupied France in 1942 and the French Resistance and its heroism is front and centre. 

- The story has all the tension needed to bring the period alive, and the characters are endearing, apart, of course, from the Gestapo. 

- The sheer courage of so many French citizens at the time remains inspiring to this day. 

- A light but great and entertaining read (especially if you're crazy about Paris!)