Very interesting premise, this one, in which the TARDIS crew visit a planet that has banned fictional thinking. Facts or it didn’t happen. I can almost feel the inspiration moment that happened for the author - knowing that creativity and evolution of a civilisation can only happen when people are allowed to dream and think and create. What happens when all that stops? Good story, acceptable levels of danger and a happy ending.

This is a fun Doctor Who read, featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose head back in time to investigate a mystery surrounding Neanderthal Man. It’s got great action sequences in there, but also some thoughts about humanity, what it means and what we can do better. I’m not sure the underlying motives of the ‘villain’ were well explained but it didn’t detract too much from the story.

Ah this was good. I’ve enjoyed Ben Elton’s writing in the past but that has usually been a satiric take on something more modern. This was a crime mystery fully focused on the first world war - in which a conscientous objector of sorts ends up on the front line. The characters were really well formed, the situations so well described it was like being there, and I thought the story was cleverly put together and executed. Loved it.

As always, I love Jacqueline Wilson books even though I’m massively the other side of the age bracket, but it can’t be helped - these plucky youngsters putting themselves into difficult situations, learning and growing and coming out the other side. This was an interesting one in terms of a fractured family just trying to piece themselves back together (and apart), but the best bit was Wilson writing herself into the book in a slightly different form. Adorable!

I mean, the Doctor, Rose and Jack on an adventure in the depths of wintry Russia with submarines! What’s not to like? Well, the life-sucking blue monster blobs and a terrifyingly deadly Stonehenge-style circle, but otherwise, all good! It’s a great adventure, the Doctor thinking on his feet as always, and I loved Jack coming into his own with his fierce loyalty and no-man-left-behind attitude. I think Rose was a bit underused in this story, but there were a lot of characters to keep track of so no harm done.

I tried reading this book ages ago, perhaps when we watched the movies, and gave up after just a couple of chapters. But for some reason, I have the whole set of Twilight books sitting in my digital library, so I thought it was worth giving it another go. Actually it went better this time, it’s not the best writing we can all agree, but it’s a serviceable teen vampire rom com.

It’s always fun when Rose comes home and her mum gets involved in the adventure, and I love Mickey being a reluctant hero all the time - such an awkward love triangle going on there. A good adventure with a sensible ending, and plenty of scope for the Doctor and Rose to go on and do more, as we know they do!

Picked up the audiobook to accompany me on some arduous cleaning duties, and it was great. I enjoyed this much more than the first one. Camilla’s reading was really good, her portrayal of The Doctor just the right amount of quirky. My only complaint about this story is that the Doctor and Rose spend too much time apart. The moments where they come together are so fun - particularly the scene where he’s using Eastenders clues to help Rose appear to be a genius. But a good story, with a baddie we know all too well, and lots of good space travel nonsense to be enjoyed. Roll on the next one!

It took me a while to get used to listening to the Doctor rather than seeing him/her. Nicholas Briggs voices this first book and his version of the Doctor is a good one, it has that Northern goofiness so that you can immediately tell who it is but I did think it sometimes went a bit too far into the silly voice. Our Doctor can be serious too.

The book is about grief, so it’s hard to really judge it for being a wallowing look at life, but that is just what it is. Alfie comes across as completely self-involved, which grief will only excuse so far. He won’t listen to his friends or anyone who tries to help him, and I lost patience with him several times.