Most of us are now trickling back to work, and – if you’re anything like me – coming to terms with the fact that only a small fraction of our intended reading-for-pleasure actually got read. The pile on my bedside (pictured above) is still very much of an alarming width, and that doesn’t include the ones queued up on my Kindle either.

The astute among you may note that only one science-y novel appears: Richard Powers’ latest, which I am looking forward to, although the sheer weight is putting me off a bit and he’s nowhere near the beginning of the queue. Simon Mawer’s The Glass Room is next on my list, but before I could even start it, Simon gifted me with another (his latest, Prague Spring) when we did a literary event together in Oxford last November. I’d better get a move on before he finishes the next one!

The Nine Chambered Heart was a kind Christmas present from Dom Stiles, our chief “lab lit sniffer”: it’s not science-y either, but looks intriguing and I can’t wait to dive in. The Pam Ayre anthology was a recent birthday gift from my husband, who say’s it’s essential for understanding the British psyche, and as for the Kipling, he’s been reading it aloud to my son to the delight of all three of us.

We’ve got lots of great things in store for this year, so keep reading, and keep nominating books for the Lab Lit List!