Happy new year! This year I read 50 books, not as many as in the past but considering how much has gone on this year I can’t be upset. This year has been a learning process as I began editing in earnest, more than before, and have enough experience now to realise I need to overhaul my site. (This thought is combined with an ‘eek!’ as websites take a while to design, let alone write.) My database shows that I read a measly 3 non-fiction books this year; I realise I have an issue in that I love the idea of non-fiction and do love reading it, but the relative mental work it requires can make me push it back for a while. I cut down on review copies.

My usual best of the best list was difficult to create this year. A combination of fewer reads and fewer stellar reads means that technically this is almost a ‘because I’ve little to choose from’ list. Quite different to last year’s problem of having too many options! You’ll find my personal favourites at the bottom of the numbered (rated?) list.

As always, books that have been reviewed have a line underneath them and the title links to the review. The personal favourites is just a paragraph of book covers, because those covers (plus review links) are of course in the objective lists too. I’m keeping the navigation I created last year – if you want to skip the objective click here to view my personal favourites. There is of course some overlap between the lists.

The Best Of The Best (Objective list)

• Gillian Flynn: Gone Girl – Amy disappears and husband Nick seems not to care – could he be the killer or is there more to Amy than we think? Yep, I finally read it, and it’s as twisted but awesome as you all said.
• Helene Wecker: The Golem And The Jinni – A master-less golem and a somewhat-freed jinni learn how to live in the world of humans whilst everyone around them learns how to live in a different situation. Fantastic.
• Irène Némirovsky – Suite Française – As the Germans invade and conquer France, thousands of refugees move to areas that are still free and later adapt to life as the German soldiers move to live amongst them. An excellent book.
• John Green: The Fault In Our Stars – Two teenagers with cancer, one in remission, the other in a stable condition, fall in love amongst the happiness and trials in their life. One of those rare books I found lived up to the hype.
• Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games – In a dystopian world, children are chosen to fight to the death in a televised ‘game’, and Katniss has volunteered in order to save her sister. Loved this book, enough said.

5

• Johanna Lane: Black Lake
• Meike Ziervogel: Clara’s Daughter
• Suzanne Collins: Catching Fire

4.5

• Davina Blake: Past Encounters
• Hanne Ørstavik: The Blue Room
• Louise Douglas: In Her Shadow
• Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen: The Rabbit Back Literature Society
• Philip Pullman: The Broken Bridge
• Suzanne Collins: Mockingjay

4

• Aimee Bender: An Invisible Sign Of My Own
• Diane Setterfield: Bellman & Black
• Elizabeth Chadwick: The Leopard Unleashed
• Elizabeth von Arnim: The Enchanted April
• Emma Henderson: Grace Williams Says It Loud
• Greg McKeown: Essentialism
• Irène Némirovsky: Fire In The Blood
• Isla Morley: Above
• Jenny Barden: The Lost Duchess
• Kamal Ben Hameda: Under The Tripoli Sky
• Laini Taylor: Daughter Of Smoke And Bone
• Nancy Bilyeau: The Crown
• Natasha Solomons: Mr Rosenblum’s List
• Suzannah Lipscomb: A Visitor’s Companion To Tudor England

3.5

• Andra Watkins: To Live Forever
• Erica Vetsch: A Bride’s Portrait Of Dodge City, Kansas
• Heather Walsh: The Drake Equation
• Jane Austen: Mansfield Park
• Kristy Cambron: The Butterfly And The Violin
• Lindy Woodhead: Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge
• M J Rose: The Collector Of Dying Breaths
• Merryn Allingham: The Crystal Cage
• N K Jemisin: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
• Taylor Stevens: The Catch

3

• Ai Mi: Under The Hawthorn Tree
• Emily St John Mandel: Station Eleven
• Kay Kenyon: A Thousand Perfect Things
• Lisa Jewell: Before I Met You
• Peggy Riley: Amity & Sorrow
• Shannon Stacey: Love A Little Sideways
• Susanna Fraser: A Christmas Reunion

2.5

• Noelle Adams: Married For Christmas

2

• Elise Alden: Pitch Imperfect

My Personal Favourites

This year was about reading as much as I could whilst working around challenges (life ones rather than bookish). I had a vague notion of reading more classics but when it came to my goals, that I met any at all was mere luck. I will be making goals for this year but, as I’ve started to do, they will be general.

In many ways, even though the reading itself fell mostly in the latter months, this year was about long classics. If I wasn’t reading them, I was thinking about them, especially those I hadn’t finished. I couldn’t take more than 50 pages of Nicholas Nickleby per few days, especially given that it started to hurt my back to read it (and I would counsel that it’s not worth the aches), but the effort was there all the same. There was also a somewhat sudden flurry of Christian fiction that was interesting despite the fact I knew I wasn’t the audience for it. I made minor progress in my aim to get back to Asian fiction, but it was enough to leave me thinking of it constantly and I very much look forward to reading Jung Chang’s Empress Dowager Cixi.

Quotation Report

If Elene of The Leopard Unleashed had to counsel, she’d speak of her unintended success in throwing cups about when arguments were in full swing. It won her both the battle and a bit of something else she might refer to with a blush.

In the next few days I’ll be posting my goals for 2015 and, after that, my second film round up.

What were your favourite books of 2014?

Happy new year! It occurred to me yesterday that I hadn’t written or posted my December round-up so I’ve decided to post it just before my year round up – it would make no sense to post it afterwards but at the same time I like to record each month. A few days after Christmas the weather suddenly turned from autumnal to wintry; a bit late, especially for my nephew who had convinced himself that it snows at Christmas; but it was nice to have it.

All books are works of fiction.

The Books

Emily St John Mandel: Station Eleven – A virus wipes out most of humanity and in its stead also everything of the world as we know it. I’m going to have to re-read some reviews because I ended the book wondering where the point had gone and where the last few pieces of the puzzle were; there’s nothing new here that hasn’t been written already in recent years by many others.

Natasha Solomons: Mr Rosenblum’s List – A Jewish German refugee takes to heart the guidelines he is given and lives his life around the goal of becoming an Englishman. A lot to love here.

Susanna Fraser: A Christmas Reunion – On leave from the military, Gabriel arrives home where he lived with his family until he and his cousins’ cousin shared a kiss. Strictly okay.

It would be Mr Rosenblum’s List this month. It was a long time coming, I should’ve read it years ago, and whilst it wasn’t quite as expected it didn’t disappoint.

Quotation Report

None this time.

And so once again it’s back to a blank page… at least in theory. I carry over three classics this year and, as you might expect, they’re all rather long, so we’ll see how I fair.

What was your favourite book of the month?

Some have their Christmas decorations up already. It’s the earliest I’ve seen them up and can’t but wonder whether it’s due, at least in part, to the fact the weather was mild for so long that it wasn’t feeling like Christmas and thus steps had to be taken. I’ve only two books here but I’m glad (and relieved) to say I’ve three on the go that I hope to finish before January.

The Books

Non-Fiction

Suzannah Lipscomb: A Visitor’s Companion To Tudor England – A glimpse of 50 Tudor-related buildings and places. Good, but a bit limited.

Fiction

Diane Setterfield: Bellman & Black – Aged ten, William Bellman killed a rook with his catapult, and whilst he regretted doing so before the stone made the target, his life remains tortured. Not bad, if unclear.

With only two books to choose from it’s hard to speak of favourites. I liked both, but didn’t love them.

Quotation Report

None this time.

Snow is (not) falling all around (us) but children are playing and having fun. It’s strange to think that the new year will be upon us when I write December’s round up.

What was your favourite book this month (or week if you round-up each week)?

The weather helped, the readathon helped, and the end of the slump helped. I read a good number of books in October.

All books are works of fiction.

The Books

Davina Blake: Past Encounters – When Peter comes home from war, Rhoda marries him, but she’s never been very happy and when she finds a note from a woman she becomes suspicious. A truly excellent book.

Elise Alden: Pitch Imperfect – Anjuli ends her singing career to return home to a B&B project and the possible anger of the man she left at the altar. Could’ve been a lot better.

Erica Vetsch: A Bride’s Portrait Of Dodge City, Kansas – Addie’s efforts at running the photography studio by herself are being hampered and she just hopes to God (literally, as this is inspirational fiction) that this new town won’t discover her past. A rather good book in which the times faith plays a role are generally realistic.

Maile Meloy: Half In Love – Several short stories with a subtle link. Pretty good.

Merryn Allingham: The Crystal Cage – Grace agrees to help Nick research an architect of the Great Exhibition as she tries to become less forcibly dependent on her partner. Takes a while to become truly interesting but does sport some good commentary.

Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen: The Rabbit Back Literature Society – Ella becomes the long-awaited 10th member of a society that involves the country’s greatest writers – but are they the greatest writers, really? A very good look at ideas and writing in general.

Past Encounters was my favourite this month, followed by The Rabbit Back Literature Society. That said, I enjoyed everything I read this month except the Alden which took me a while to get through.

Quotation Report

None this time.

The weather is still mild; I saw someone in shorts the other day and couldn’t blame them. It is nice to be able to have the windows open and not to have to put the heating on. It’s almost easy to forget to think about festive books.

What was your favourite book this month (or week if you round-up each week)?

This month I nursed a reading slump from day two until I realised that if I didn’t get a move on it’d be October and I’d have read only one short book. Granted this thought came to me on the 9th but that’s late when you’re otherwise an avid reader. So I wrote a post, forced myself to choose something from my bookcase and even though Lisa Jewell didn’t wow me, it did manage to break me out of the slump, which was pretty good for a fairly long novel. I did a fair amount of editing this September, which technically means I’ve read more than four books so although I can’t list them here I’ll be considering them in private added to the list to bolster me further.

All books are works of fiction.

The Books

Elizabeth Chadwick: The Leopard Unleashed – Renard goes back to England bringing his mistress with him, and whilst he knew he’d have rivals to deal with, he didn’t bank on loving his betrothed. A solid book.

Kamal Ben Hameda: Under The Tripoli Sky – Hadachinou studies those he lives with, telling the reader of the cultural dynamics of his society. A nice vignette of various issues and a socially-driven novella.

Lisa Jewell: Before I Met You – Betty travels to London from Guernsey in search of the mysterious person mentioned in her grandmother’s will; in 1920s London Arlette lives the beginnings of the Bright Young Things. A fair book but it does have major flaws.

Taylor Stevens: The Catch – Munroe joins a team without full knowledge of the job entailed and ends up working to solve issues when everything goes pear-shaped. Not the best Munroe.

I would say a difficult choice would need to be made between Under The Tripoli Sky and The Leopard Unleashed. As often happens I liked each for very different reasons; the Peirene appealed to the literary student in me, the Chadwick to my historian self. The Catch was disappointing when compared to the past books in the series, though by itself not so bad.

Quotation Report

If Elene of The Leopard Unleashed had to counsel, she’d speak of her unintended success in throwing cups about when arguments were in full swing. It won her both the battle and a bit of something else she might refer to with a blush.

The shops are gearing up for Christmas already which is interesting when people are still in shorts, but it does help one to remember they need to look for festive books.

What was your favourite book this month (or week if you round-up each week)?