Books of the Year 2008

I love doing this exercise.  Looking back over the lists and comments is always fascinating.  I have found it very hard to get this down to Ten Best Books which I try do to so am not going to attempt it this time, I am just going to write down those that stood out for me. 

At the start of 2008 I decided I was not going to embark on any plan, I abandoned all Challenges, tempting though they were, and made up my mind I was going to just wander around, pick up and read what I fancied and see what I found.  That is what I did and I have thoroughly enjoyed this relaxed attitude. 

I have also spent a lot of time in 2008 re-reading and rediscovering books, many of which I have not listed and because they do not make this particular list does not mean I have not loved them or thought they were excellent - I am putting books discovered and never read before only in this 2008 choice.  I have placed a sentence or two about each book but if you want to read my posts on the various books, just click on the title and, if my hours spent this afternoon on the laptop have not been wasted, you should find yourself at the correct post.  So here goes - in no particular order:

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer. A sheer delight from start to finish and a one off to be cherished as the author sadly died before this book was published.  Epistolary novel and destined to be a classic in my humble opinion.
• Resistance - Agnes Humbert.  I have raved about this wonderful story of life in a German labout camp after Agnes Humbert was found guilty of running a resistance group in Paris after the German invasion.  Witty, wise, and moving
• Becoming Queen - Kate Williams.  Story of the young Victoria and a portrait also of her ghastly raffish relations.  Great read which fairly rattles along.
• Book of Love - Sarah Bower.  Loved this almost as much as Needle in the Blood.  All about the Borgias and yes OK, they probably did bump off a diner or two, but this book is so much more. Loved it.
• Peony in Love - Lisa See.  Not expecting to enjoy this but did.  Gorgeous writing about life of a young girl in China and fascinating customs and traditions.
• Taint of Midas and Messenger of Athens - Anne Zouridi.  A discovery and another find sent to me by Bloomsbury.  Mysterious detective, the Fat Man, appears in the islands of Greece to right wrongs and punish wrong doers.  But who has sent this mysterious messanger?
• Resistance - Owen Sheers.  The Germans have invaded England and one morning all the women in a Welsh valley awake to find their menfolk have gone and they have to face the invaders on their own.  Gripping.
• Great Western Beach - Emma Smith.  Discovered this author when published by Persephone. Story of her childhood and her parent's unhappy marriage. Magical and I loved it.
• An Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett.  No need to say anything at all about this book. It is by Alan Bennett and that says it all.

• Ekaterinburg: Last days of the Romanovs - Helen Rappaport. If you can read this without weeping I shall be very surprised.  Essentially, a humdrum family who would have been happy living in the Home Counties and looking after the house and garden, but who happen to be the Tsar and Tsarina of Russia, the awful final days of their lives will move you. It did me.

• Daphne du Maurier - Margaret Forster.  One of my favourite authors writes the biography of the author of Rebecca. Insightful, superbly written and I found it totally absorbing. 

• Letters of Noel Coward.  Sheer delight from start to finish.  I am a huge fan of the Master and always will be.

• Cathedral of the Sea - Idelfonso Falcones.  Stunning historical novel set in 15th century Barcelona and read by me just before visiting that city. Huge glorious read and I loved every single word of it.

• Over - Margaret Forster.  The more I read of Margaret Forster the more I feel she should be more appreciated.  The story of a family split by the tragic death of a child and trying to come to terms with it.  Masterly and moving.

• Mothernight - Sarah Stovell.  First novel by this author published by Snowbooks.  You read it, knowing that underneath the surface something not quite rightsis bubbling.  Story is centred around the mysterious death of a baby and effect on all around.

• Ithaka and Troy - Adele Geras.  Written for the younger reader but can be read by adults with huge enjoyment.  This one did.  I have always loved Greek history and the Iliad and here we have the story of children and teenagers set in this historical background which brings to life the day to day difficulties of living under seige and portraying such famous figures as Achilles, Hercules, Odysseus and Penelope, amongst others, as real people.  Great stuff.

• Star Gazing - Linda Gillard.  I think Linda gets better with each book she writes. Main protagonist is a widow, who is blind and also lost her child when the heard of her husband's death. Think that sounds a bit much?  Well, it isn't.  Spiky, witty and tightly written and with a heroine who loves Wagner - well, a shoe in as far as I am concerned.

In my re-reading I have spent time with Dickens and George Eliot as well as reading unfamiliar, to me at any rate, works by those two authors, namely Little Dorrit (which I read alongside the terrific BBC dramatisation) and Janet's Repentance, one of the beautifully produced Hesperus books.  I am currently going through my umpteenth re-read of all the mystery novels of the incomparable Ngaio Marsh, re-read many of the Georgette Heyers (had some gorgeous editions sent to me by Sourcebooks Inc in the USA which are just so lovely to look at as well as read); gobbled up quite a few L M Montogmery books - not the Anne ones but her other stand alone stories, my favourite of which is the Blue Castle and have also spent many happy hours lolling in the bath reading Mills & Boon.

My discoveries of 2008.  I am currently enjoying a read of all the Miss Silver books by Patricia Wentworth.  Not great literature, the plots are very similar and this is particularly noticeable when you are reading them en masse as I am (probably not to be recommended), but they are set in the 1930's and 1940's and fall into the category of 'cosy' murders which sounds an oxymoron, but we all know what we mean and I am having great fun with them.

And now I come to my find of the year - how have I lived so long without discovering the joys and sheer bliss of the Mapp and Lucia books by EF Benson?  They have passed me by and I can only assume this was mean to be so that I would have the total pleasure of reading these relatively late in my reading life and, therefore, enjoying and savouring them all the more.  Utterly utterly divine, I was totally captured by these hilariously, funny, witty books and devoured them in one sitting.  Honourable mention must be made of Tom Holt who wrote two books in this genre and in my opinion, did it seamlessly, and Guy Fraser-Sampson who produced Major Benjy and promises more.

My choices are a mixture of fiction and non-fiction but for my Book of the Year is easy to choose.  It is a book that moved me tremendously and make me feel humble and uplifted all at the same time.  This is Resistance by Agnes Humbert.  Bloomsbury kindly sent me copies for a draw here on Random and Barbara Mellor, the translator also donated signed copies and it was one of the biggest entries I have ever had on this blog and delighted that it was so.  A stunning book and, without sounding too cliched though I suppose I will, a testament to the human spirit.

I look forward to more wonderful reading in 2009.