Vanja, you magnificent devil, you’re at it again. Anyone who’s read Little Thieves (which should be everyone) will know that Vanja is incorrigible, so it’s no surprise that within the first ten pages of Painted Devils she’s started a cult. By accident! She swears! And sure, it’s very convenient to be the prophet of a …

This list makes no claim to comprehensiveness, even as far as I, the reviewer, am concerned. It’s just a list of books I liked and wanted to talk about at the end of the year. Most have been perhaps a little overlooked. “I think these books are good and that you should read them” is …