4) The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett

I have bought a few books in New York, mostly for me, a few for young F; and picked this up on impulse for as she is a bit of a Bennett fan. Then this evening, with an hour and a half to spare between work and dinner, I found it slipping into my hands, and read the 120 large print pages pretty rapidly.

It is a lovely little novella about Queen Elizabeth II suddenly deciding to start reading, and the viciously negative reactions of her advisers to her new habit. There is a nice twist in the tail. I won’t say more so as not to spoil it for , but I recommend it.