We live in a world swamped with books on how to write, all of which pander, with varying degrees of success, to the vast army of nascent novelists amongst us. It is, very much, an industry in its own right, somewhat comparable to the even vaster self help industry. Picking the right book for you, should you feel the need of one, can be a daunting task.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy tells the story of a down in his luck ordinary guy (Llewelyn Moss) who stumbles across the scene of a major shootout in a middle of nowhere section of scrubland down near the border with Mexico. Finding a briefcase full of money amongst the dead bodies, he makes a run with it, along with his girlfriend. Soon, of course, the missing money is noted by one or more of the people involved in the 'business transaction' gone wrong and a killer in the shape of Chigurh is dispatched to retrieve it. Into the fray enters Sheriff Bell as he follows a trail of destruction left by Chigurh in his pursuit of Moss.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay kicks off in 1939 and tells the story of Josef Kavalier's escape from German occupied Czechoslovakia with the sacred symbol of the Jewish people, the Golem. It also tells the story of Sam Clay, a young boy growing up in New York, and cousin to Josef. The two meet in New York when Josef's sojourn branches away from that of the Golem. This opening section of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Michael Chabon is gripping in the extreme, but is only the jumping off point for a sprawling story that largely mimics the real life story of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman…

A number of years ago I tackled Richard Ford's novel The Sportswriter and found it heavy going, so I was reluctant to take on another of his works. However, I picked up this collection of his short fiction and decided to give him another chance. And, boy, am I glad I did. Rock Springs gathers a number of stories that generally take place in and around Great Falls, Montana, and feature characters either fallen on hard times or living a life of limited scope of opportunity…

I'd been meaning to read this novel by Kazuo Ishiguro for some years, having thoroughly enjoyed his The Remains of the Day. I was also intrigued by the premise, which utilises a major science fiction trope in a literary manner. This has developed into a trend in recent years, with several literary novelists dipping into SF for their ideas: Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham, The Possibility of an Island by Michel Houellebecq,Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, and others…

Quite apart from the fact that Cocaine Nights is by J.G. Ballard, the book design and the premise of the story were enough to attract me to this novel. Design and marketing does work, even if all that silver foil ends up on my sweaty little fingers. I have books where you can't see the title or the author's name until you open the cover. The latest edition has perhaps wisely dispensed with the foil. Anyway, the premise involves the arrival of Charles Prentice in the Spanish resort of Estrella de Mar, an exclusive enclave for the rich and retired British, hot on the heels of news he has received that his brother Frank has pleaded guilty to the murder of five people in a house fire. Charles can't believe that his brother would be involved in such a thing, and, indeed, the police don't believe Frank's confession to be true. So, what is the reason for Frank's self-destructive impulse?

The Tax Inspector by Peter Carey tells the story of a young heavily pregnant Tax Inspector called Maria Takis tasked with conducting an audit of Catchprice Motors in the small backwater of Franklin on the outskirts of Sydney in the State of New South Wales, Australia. That may sound boring, but it's the Catchprice family that are the real stars in this ever so slightly bizarre novel.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy tells the story of a man and his son as they make their way along a road towards the coast through a ravaged landscape. Along the way, they occasionally encounter other people in various states of decrepitude and/or savagery.