bobblington Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 I know it's a little early but I was discussing with a friend the book that has been the best read (on a personal level) of the year. I started the year with a winner for me which is Possession by AS Byatt. The book just blew me away. I don't think I have enjoyed a book like that in ages. I didn't want to put it down, I loved the reflective nature of the relationships, the use of poetry and letters to tell different parts of the story and the mystery of the characters present and past. I felt each voice and use of language was distinct and that the whole work flowed effortlessly together. My two runners up were American Gods - Neil Gaiman Imperial Life in the Emerald City - Rajiv Chandrasekaran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuntzy Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 These are my three fiction best reads of the year:- Brooklyn - Colm Toibin The Balkan Trilogy - Olivia Manning Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoebus Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 My two favourites were: The Glass Room by Mawer and One Day by David Nicholls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunababymoonchild Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 Favourite of the year is : The War of The Worlds, H G Wells Inseparable from : The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas The Island of Dr. Moreau, H G Wells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megustaleer Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 I'm nowhere near ready to give up the hope of reading a really cracking book before the end of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anneliesscott Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 So far it's David Eagleman's "Sum", with Patrick Ness's "The Knife of Never Letting Go" as a close second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grammath Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 I thought Richard Yates's "Revolutionary Road" might be the best thing I read this year. In fact, it is the only book I've awarded 5 stars to thus far. Sarah Waters' "Fingersmith" got 4.5 meaning it was a close second. However, my current read, Cormac McCarthy's "All The Pretty Horses", might be about to pip it at the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 I haven't really had a good reading year. I think I've picked up more books I haven't liked than I thoroughly enjoyed. I suppose the best would be "One Good Turn" by Kate Atkinson (fiction) and "Those Feet" by David English (non-fiction) Worst? Well, there's several contenders... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazel Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 Crikey, I'll have to have a look at my Book List, but from memory James Frey's Bright Shiny Morning might have been my favourite. ETA - and the Larsson Millenium trilogy...and I Am The Messenger by Zusak... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East River Posted November 27, 2009 Report Share Posted November 27, 2009 Hard to choose but - Fiction: 3 by Rose Tremain, Restoration, Music and Silence and The Way I Found Her plus In the Springtime of the Year by Susan Hill. Non-fiction: Julian Freeman's British Art: A Walk Round the Rusty Pier and Stephen Oppenheimer's The Origin of the British. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirls Posted November 27, 2009 Report Share Posted November 27, 2009 My fave this year was Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted November 27, 2009 Report Share Posted November 27, 2009 My favourite so far this year has been Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant. Closely followed by The snow goose by Paul Gallico (which I only bought on a whim as I have a few Camel albums). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viccie Posted November 28, 2009 Report Share Posted November 28, 2009 The runnaway winner this year has to be Any Human Heart by William Boyd, I also loved The Great Western Beach by Emma Smith, The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill and The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo by Steig Larson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radders Posted November 28, 2009 Report Share Posted November 28, 2009 I think my best reads this year are The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson and Revelation byCJ Sansom. I'm another one who hasn't had the best reads this year, lots of 4 stars but very short on 5 stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benmed15 Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I'll second The Girl Who Played with Fire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenomanjaro Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 My favorite so far has been 'The Shock Doctrine' by Naomi Klein'. However, I'm currently reading 'The Complete Maus' by Art Spiegelman and it's looking like this will trump everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterHobgoblin Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I think the technical book of the year would be the flawless The Road by Cormac McCarthy. But for the book of the year that I look back on with most warmth, it would be 2666 by Roberto Bolaño. Not the easiest of reads; at times it was dull and repetitive, but the cumulative effect was stunning. Still doesn't rival Kevin, which was my book of the year last year and vies with This Thing Of Darkness for my all-time great novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megustaleer Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Still doesn't rival Kevin, which was my book of the year last year and vies with This Thing Of Darkness for my all-time great novel. just wondering if I should be worried that those books are two of my all-time favourites, too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterHobgoblin Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 just wondering if I should be worried that those books are two of my all-time favourites, too Given that we tend to have such different outlooks on life, the fact that we agree on these novels must surely be strong evidence of their immense and rare quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lipstick_librarian Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 Most of the books I've read this year have been pregnancy or baby-related, so there's not much to choose from for my book of the year. I've abandoned so many because I just haven't had the commitment or concentration to give them my best shot (This Thing of Darkness & On Beauty - I will get back to you, I promise!) So, my book of the year has to be Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. I love all her books and I think that one just may be my favourite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 I've had a few five star reads this year, but I enjoyed Steig Larsson's Millenium Trilogy the most. To think, I nearly didn't read them purely because my snobbery nearly rejected The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on the grounds that it was so ubiquitous it couldn't be any good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brightphoebus Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 it would be 2666 by Roberto Bolaño. Not the easiest of reads; at times it was dull and repetitive, but the cumulative effect was stunning. Couldn't agree more, MHG. For me, joint favourite with the marvellous Wolf Hall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apple Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 This is a no brainer for me, Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris, I say this one as it has introduced me to a set of books which I have become completely obsessed with and a set which I have enjoyed on so many levels, a story which should not work at all but does and there are not many books out there which I find completely incapable of putting down. As well as that I also say the last one of that series - Dead and Gone which is my favourite of the series the darkest of the Sookie Stackhouse series, this book concentrates on Sookie's ancestry and her blood relations the Fae and basically they want her dead, there is an interesting side story of the Were's and Shifters going public which neatly combines with the main story. Sookie changes in this one as well she's not as chirpy its almost as though its starting to get her down, very dark and very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calliope Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Daniel Woodrell's 'Winter's Bone' is probably my best read of the year. Closely followed by Sarah Waters' 'Affinity'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Lazarus Posted December 7, 2009 Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Looking back at my list of books read this year, I've given 5 stars to four books: The Yacoubian Building Special Topics in Calamity Physics A Thousand Splendid Suns and Talking to the Dead. It would be hard to choose between them, but maybe I'd go for Calamity Physics, as it was pretty unique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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