For Who The Bell Tolls - One Man's Quest for Grammatical Perfection by David Marsh

Instantly attracted by the title, I wasn't disappointed by the content.

This is a grammar book which seeks to explain, to those of us who did not benefit from either a degree in linguistics or a traditional grammar school education, the rules of Standard English; when to use what, how to avoid common errors and the like. It's entertaining, up-to-date and relevant as well as accessible to all with an interest in and basic knowledge of how English works. As a language student, I was pleased to see the linguistic viewpoint taken into account when, for example, explaining the thorny problem of language change.

I read this all through like a novel, but it could easily be used as a reference book, particularly if you're the sort of person to confuse words like "affect" and "effect". Others finding this book useful might be writers or would-be writers: the author is, after all, an editor. There's lots of information here that I didn't know; but, fellow pedants beware: keep it to yourself unless you want to annoy others with your superior knowledge!

The Hikey Sprite by Robert Coyle

This is a children's book published last year.

This is very much in the Alan Garner mould, with a strong sense of place where characters from folklore make their mark upon the modern world and supernatural evil is ultimately defeated by unlikely heroes in the shape of ordinary children.

I enjoyed the local (Norfolk) references and the main character is certainly appealing. Atmosphere is built up through description, though not too much of it, and events in the "real world" convincingly echo those in the supernatural world running alongside. The device of allowing different characters a voice in separate chapters works effectively in telling different parts of the story and widening perspective, and this technique could have been further enhanced through, say, using different fonts or varying the chapter heading illustrations.

It's a short read aimed at, probably, eight to ten year-olds, but I felt that there was a bigger story here trying to get out, and that it could have been meatier, more detailed and, dare I say it, longer? Fantasy novels of this type (Harry Potter, His Dark Materials etc.) do tend to get away with greater depth and length than other genres. On the other hand, this could be considered as filling a gap for slightly younger children who enjoy fantasy but haven't yet developed the reading stamina for those longer stories.

Mister Teacher by Jack Sheffield

If you liked those school books by Gervase Phinn, then you may or may not like this. IMO, it's a pretty poor imitation.

Typical story: a school year with all its ups and downs, funny things children say, scary school inspectors, uncertain romance, ordinary Yorkshire folk, stroppy cleaners... Trouble is, I've heard it all before.

My main complaint is the bad writing: this is full of cliches, stereotypical characters and, perhaps worst of all, clumsy, intrusive, usually irrelevant references to the 1970s in an attempt to place the story in real time. As a previous English SATs marker, I would give it no more than a Level 5 - the standard expected for an average 13 year-old. Hard to believe it's written by a headteacher (maybe he is more of a Maths specialist?).

It's not all bad: a nice touch is, at the beginning of each chapter, a quote from what looks like a genuine school logbook, which relates to the story to follow. And it's clear that at least some of the details ring true, as anyone who grew up in the 1970s can testify. The events in school also have an authentic feel and show just how much things have changed since then.

But if you prefer good writing, read Gervase Phinn instead - he's a far superior writer.

Skios by Michael Frayn

This has been out for a few months now, if not longer, and has been well-received.

Having enjoyed an earlier book by Frayn (Spies), though not his play Noises Off, I wondered which camp this one would fall into. Probably somewhere in between.

It's a farcical, satirical tale of mishaps, mistaken identity and humour played out over the backdrop of a Greek island. Details are well-described, characters mostly convincing and there's enough pace to keep the reader wondering what will happen next. I did enjoy this, though not as much as Spies (which was more of a mystery), and there were elements which reminded me of Noises Off, though thankfully not enough to make me put the book down.

It's a light read, a slim novel and great for holiday reading.

Sorry! The English and their Manners by Henry Hitchings

If like me you're fascinated by people's behaviour, this will be as welcome as a politely proffered umbrella in a shower of rain.

It's a sort of history of manners and how behaviour has changed, more or less since mediaeval times up to the present day. Roughly chronological, there are some interesting snippets here, with evidence mainly from literature or from other historical writings upon the subject of etiquette and the like. Focusing on what English (as opposed to British) people see as good manners, there's nevertheless some allusion to what other people think of us.

Although this is a thick hardback with over 300 pages, and as I said some of it is interesting, I felt by the end that somehow the author had only touched upon the subject: I wanted to know more, and sensed that there's probably more out there to know.

How To Instantly Connect With Anyone by Leil Lowndes

First a warning: this is written by an American, so some of the advice might seem a bit over-the-top for us reserved Brits. Nevertheless, there are some interesting ideas here, some of which I've taken on board.

The subtitle tells us that there are "96 all-new little tricks for big success in relationships". She's not kidding. There are indeed 96, which is way too many to remember, let alone put into practice, but I would say, as with all of this self-help stuff, take what you want from it.

By "relationships", the author is really talking about anyone you might come across, at work or socially, not people you already know well, though some of them are also applicable to existing relationships. The bulk of the book seems to be about impressing and convincing people professionally, rather than improving your marriage or whatever, so I felt that the sub-title was slightly misleading.

The layout of the book is probably one of its best features. Each "little trick" is described in detail; we are often told its origin, its uses and the effect on other people, then the "trick" is summarised helpfully in a text box, which does help when you are trying to find it again. The text is well-written, chatty, even entertaining at times, so not a heavy read. I would buy, rather than borrow this book, because, if you find it useful, you'll either need to refer to it again and again, or read it really slowly, as it's fairly chunky at over 300 pages.

And do the tricks work? She's fairly convinced they do. In my own experience, it's too soon to tell. Many of them are to my mind simple courtesies which, once you are told about them seem fairly obvious. Many of the most emotionally-aware people I know are already doing most of them, as far as I can see; but for those of us who have to work quite hard at reading people's body language etc., this is a very useful source of ideas and information, even if some of them do seem like a lot of hard work.

The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald

Having, seen the film, I wanted to read the book!

Well, it might have been the book of the film, rather than the other way around. the plot was exactly the same, even the words people said in the film were lifted straight from here.

It's a small book by any standards, and very well-written. Somehow, I wasn't expecting that. Having seen the film of course helped to picture what was going on, so no need for a picture to be painted in words - but it was.

If you haven't seen the film, the plot is slightly Evelyn Waugh - reminded me of Bridehead Revisited. It's basically a decline and fall tale in a "how are the mightly laid low" sort of way. No-one comes out of it particularly well, even the narrator who, one is left feeling, is well-meaning but a bit wet. I don't feel the main female character is very well-drawn, though others are. Clever devices, such as (convincingly, it has to be said)  revealing information which should come out later in the story are used to circumvent the problem of a first-person narrative having access only to things (s)he personally has seen. This device is presumably what led to the whole story appearing as a flashback in the recent film.

I would definitely recommend this if you've enjoyed the film, or even if you haven't seen it yet.