Here are my favourite eight books of the second quarter of 2022.You will notice that it doesn’t include any crime dramas, detective novels or serial killer thrillers. While I love those genres, they rarely bring something totally new to the table and my favourites tend to be feel-good, whimsical or magical realism. Or totally original or make me cry. There are a couple of historical fiction in there too.

The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan MacGowan

Working class 15-year-old Lotta Rae, having been brutally attacked and assaulted by a man of high standing, an investor at the company where she works, is persuaded to have him prosecuted for rape. In fact it’s her father, Pap, who reports the crime and so the divide between rich and poor becomes obvious.

Because when Lotta is defended by barrister William Linden, little does she know that those in power will…