In times of turmoil I far prefer to re-read an old favourite than to embark on something new, especially when in the difficult circumstances of being with my child in hospital where reading time will be interrupted and bitty. However my old favourites might nevertheless work for someone else.
Jane Austen - "Pride and Prejudice" - one of the most popular novels in English literature ever, the book follows the development of Elizabeth Bennet as she navigates the social strictures of upper class 18th century society and learns the difference between superficial presentation and true worthiness of character.
Mary Wesley - "The Camomile Lawn" - told in flashback as the various characters make their journeys to the funeral of an elderly mutual acquaintance, and reminisce about the events of decades ago, the novel tells of the WW2 experiences of a group of friends and cousins who were just entering adulthood as the war broke out.
Stella Gibbons - "Cold Comfort Farm" - an antidote to the type of gothic novel where the heroine is caught in a web of confusing and overwhelming forces - Flora Post is an entirely sensible and level-headed protagonist who deals with the complexities of the situations into which she finds herself with brisk efficiency and takes no nonsense.
Noel Streatfeild - "White Boots" - after she recovers from a time of illness, Harriet (from a large, poor and happy family) is prescribed daily Ice Skating by her doctor, to help strengthen her legs. She becomes friends with Lalla, a wealthy only-child who is also at the rink daily, and has been brought up from birth expected to become a great skater like her champion parents who tragically died when she was young. The story explores the two girls' attitudes to hard work and setbacks and perseverance.
Philip Purser-Hallard - "The Pendragon Protocol" - The spiritual essences, known as the "Devices", of the Knights of the Round Table are immortal and inhabit the modern day members of "The Circle" who protect Britain from dark forces even now in the 21st Century - but Jory Taylor, who bears the device of Sir Gawain, finds all his assumptions are overthrown when he comes into conflict with an organisation who take their inspiration from the legends of Robin Hood.
Justina Robson - "Natural History" - In the far future, humanity has evolved and diversified. Alongside the seed-forms of the Unevolved (ordinary humans) live and work the Augmented, people who have been forged, not born. Nonetheless the Augmented are human beneath their vast and complex biotechnological bodies which allow them to live deep in the oceans and out in space. How will the different forms of humanity reconcile?
Natalie Haynes - "The Amber Fury" - When Alex loses her fiancé in dreadful circumstances, she moves from London to Edinburgh to make a break with the past, and takes a job at a Pupil Referral Unit, which accepts the students excluded from other schools in the city. These are troubled, difficult kids who intimidate Alex and every other teacher on The Unit. But with the help of the Greek tragedies she teaches, Alex gradually develops a rapport with them via these ancient tales of cruel fate and bloody revenge, which some begin to take too seriously.