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Best and worst reads of 2014
Which books have you enjoyed and disliked over the last year?
I've had quite a good year's reading with lots of good books and none that were really bad.
My favourites in no particular order,
The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. A pacey and gripping read.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. A different approach to post apocalyptic fiction.
The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth. Post Norman Invasion unrest. Written in made-up Old English. An interesting main character and very atmospheric.
Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. Rapunzel, the witch & the author of the fairy tale.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. Trauma after the loss of a family member.
The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey. Reminiscent of Matilda by Roald Dahl but with a big twist.
Disappointments
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Too much Harold, not enough Queenie.
An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain by John O'Farrell. Too political for me.
Lionheart by Sharon Penman. I started in November and am only 16% through, it's just not holding my interest.
I've had quite a good year's reading with lots of good books and none that were really bad.
My favourites in no particular order,
The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. A pacey and gripping read.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. A different approach to post apocalyptic fiction.
The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth. Post Norman Invasion unrest. Written in made-up Old English. An interesting main character and very atmospheric.
Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. Rapunzel, the witch & the author of the fairy tale.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. Trauma after the loss of a family member.
The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey. Reminiscent of Matilda by Roald Dahl but with a big twist.
Disappointments
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Too much Harold, not enough Queenie.
An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain by John O'Farrell. Too political for me.
Lionheart by Sharon Penman. I started in November and am only 16% through, it's just not holding my interest.
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Top 5 of 2014
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - fresh and light and delightful
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick - inventive and fun
The Twelve by Justin Cronin - took the trilogy on well and I'm looking forward to the 3rd part when it's out in paperback
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - well-written and amusing
My Animals and Other People by Claire Balding - a non-fiction book I actually enjoyed!
Bottom of 2014
The Never List by Koethi Zan - just horrible
The Bunker Diaries by Kevin Brooks - like the above, horrible, but frighteningly recommended by librarians and booksellers to teen readers. Bleak beyond belief.
Other favourites: The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne
The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness
Worst: A Dangerous Husband by Jane Shapiro - can't believe I actually finished it!
Got that for Christmas, looking forward to reading it
1) 11.22.63 - Stephen King - definitely in my top 5 of all time. I read it in a couple of days on holiday as I was so engrossed despite it being very long. For those who don't know it's a time travel book about the Kennedy assassination.
2) We are all completely beside ourselves - Karen Jay Fowler - a story about a two sisters growing up in the 197s with a twist that you discover very early on but I won't spoil it. If I could recommend one book to others from last year it would be this one and you will shed a tear at the end.
3) The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith - I held off reading this book as it is by the author of Harry Potter under a pseudonym and I really dislike anything to do with Harry Potter but this was a fantastic crime thriller and I loved the 2 main characters. I have since read The Silkworm which was also good but just not quite as good.
4) The Rose Petal Beach - Dorothy Koomson - I have read most of the books by this author and this was one of the best - it's about a woman whose husband is accused of something terrible and her life following the accusation.
5) The Photographer's Wife - Nick Alexander - the first book I have read by this author and I will definitely read more. It starts in WW2 and finishes in the 2000s and had me engrossed from the beginning - I really liked this author's style.
Worst reads is more difficult as I have enjoyed most of the books I have read this year - I must have been choosing carefully.
1) Four Streets - Nadine Dorries - I bought this as it was no.1 in the Amazon kindle chart for ages, probably because it was only 99p but I felt it was very cliched especially
2) Eeny Meeny - MJ Aldrisge - A crime thriller which was very popular but personally I found this too gruesome and didn't take to the main character at all.
3) Bite - Nick Louth - not really a terrible book but I found it very hard to get into and too complicated. The fact that this is in my worst 5 is a testament to the fact that I did read a lot of really good books last year!
4) Where There's Smoke - Jodi Picoult - a short story, something I was glad about as I didn't like it at all. I used to be a bog fan of Jodi Picoult but have not enjoyed her recent books.
5) Tim - Colleen McCullogh - I have been meaning to read this for years as I thought the film was really good but I found it disappointing and felt uncomfortable with the relationship between the older lady and the young man with a learning disability (which I know was in the film but somehow the book made me feel more uncomfortable)
Worst was The Little Friend by Donna Tartt.
I know neither are new books but they were new to me.