RECOMMENDED BY Marcia: Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun – or set out on a 30,000-mile bicycle trip beginning in autumn through eastern Siberia. But it gets better. Lilwall cycles on the same bike (he’s named it Alanus) through some of the world’s most dangerous places on his way back to England – Papua New Guinea, Tibet (in winter) and Afghanistan spring to mind. And he does it all with humility and frugality, even finding the love of his life in Hong Kong. She waits for him in London, where they will marry. This is absolutely the most remarkable & enjoyable travel memoir I’ve ever read.

RECOMMENDED BY Melinda: If you haven’t read this series yet, it’s high time you did. Tuck away – we’ll wait for you. To start, Katniss is chosen to represent her poverty-stricken district in the Hunger Games. As she fights for her life in a surreal reality show/death match gone wrong, her world outside of the Arena begins to change as well. This is a great crossover series, and deserves to sit alongside Harry Potter and Pullman’s His Dark Materials in its ability to be read and enjoyed on many different levels. Truly brilliant – an inescapable read. And soon, a movie, so get reading!

RECOMMENDED BY Patrick: It’s a book about vampires, but that’s not the whole story; it’s a book about the vampire Apocalypse! Combining rich characterization, interesting plays on classic vampire tropes, and some truly chilling moments, The Passage is a great return to form for vampire/horror fiction. While the book never loses its sense of impending dread, the last 400 pages really show what this series is capable of. It's a must read for any vampire fan, especially fans of vampires that DON'T sparkle.

RECOMMENDED BY Tamera: I am cheering for this book! Rarely do I have time to read a book in two days; for this one, not only did I chisel out extra reading hours, I didn’t want it to end. I was hesitant to even start reading Room because of the wretched nature of the plot, but now I am rejoicing at the quality of this novel. I won’t be giving anything away when I say that by the end of the book, young 5-year-old Jack, the narrator, has stolen your heart, and its worth the read.