When you find yourself laughing out loud on the first page of a book it's a pretty good start. This was one of the most delightful books I've read in a long time, in the same vein as The Rosie Project, not quite as sharp, but perhaps a little funnier. Sebastian teaches English as a second language (and there are plenty of jokes for the grammar geeks), married to Sarah, a career woman who is desperate for a baby. When a Czech student, Eva, joins his class he gets drawn into a mystery that sets them all on a different course.

ELIANNE.
By Judy Nunn. Random House.
$32.95.

Another rollicking saga from Judy Nunn, actor turned successful author. Stretching from 1881 to the 1970s, this is the story of the Durham family, Queensland sugar cane growers, from Big Jim, who named the estate Elianne in honour of his French wife, to their grandchildren Kate, Neil and Alan, growing up in the 1960s when times were a'changing. Nunn weaves the story around history, there's Vietnam, rock'n'roll and Australian politics and a family with many secrets they're keen to keep hidden. Perfect summer reading.

THE TAILOR'S GIRL.
By Fiona McIntosh. Michael Joseph.
$29.99.

Another summertime saga to pack in the bag for the beach, by another Australian author. Here, Eden Valentine, a young seamstress, meets up with Jones, a returning soldier from World War I, who cannot remember who he is or where he came from. There are few clues but Eden thinks she can help him discover who he is. Standing in the way is a jealous fiance, intrigue and dealing with life as a young woman in the early 1900s. McIntosh knows her history, too, and this won't disappoint.