Instead of doing one huge post which always takes me ages to put together, am splitting it up this year and will spread my choices out else I am never going to get it done. I am up in London three times this week and I am very busy and it is All Too Much to Bear so if I don't start this now it will morph into books of 2012.
So in no particular order here are some titles that made the list. I hope, if I do it correctly, that by clicking on the name of the book you will find yourself in my Random Review of same. Fingers crossed.
My find of the year and the book that really knocked me sideways was The Unbearable Bassington by Saki. I am indebted to Simon of Stuck in a Book, as I so often am, for this recommendation. Witty and poignant, reduced me to tears at the end.
Miss Mole - E H Young. Another gem which I found at a second hand book sale in the wonderful Green Virago edition. Grabbed it and it stayed on my shelves unread until now. Why did I leave it so long? Answer came there none.
The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell. Last in the Wallander series and oh how I wish it wasn't. Again, poignant and sad.
88 Killer - Oliver Stark. The follow up to American Devil about which I raved and raved in 2010. Impossible to top that one but this comes pretty near. I gather the publishers have commissioned another one so hoping for another stonking read in 2012.
I have had a wonderful time this year reading and re-reading Anthony Trollope. Have not reviewed all of them but here are two. The Bertrams, totally new to me and The Prime Minister, a revisit. Both quite marvellous and I do love his writing, though I suspect you know that by now.
The First Wife - Emily Barr. Creepy and compulsive reading, I am now going to try and hunt out more books by this author.
Scissors Paper Stone - Elizabeth Day. Recently read, another sit down until finished read. A Debut novel and look forward to the next one.
House of Silence - Linda Gillard. An author who gives us a different book each time she writes. You never know what you are going to get which makes it even more intriguing. Sadly, it seems that individuality counts for naught when it comes to getting a book published and 'marketed' and so Linda took to the E-Book, published this for the Kindle and then sat back and watched it sell in thousands. Great read and good for her. She also visited Random and told us all how to do it, here.
I make no apologies for including A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer in my books of the year. I re-read it every year and always love it. In my opinion, and many others as I have discovered, this book is my favourite and I think, along with An Infamous Army, the best written of this author. I have no doubt it will turn up again in 2012, 2013 and so on.
OK so this is my first selection. As I said they are in no particular order. I have a non-fiction selection and a crime and thriller selection as well which I will put together over the next week or so. I am pretty certain which is going to be my book of the year though it has been a close run thing.
Off to London to look after Florence tomorrow and then back up again for Thursday and Friday to meet with friends, visit the Dickens Exhibition and other interesting things and will tell all when I return. I will try and pop in before the end of the week, but it is looking doubtful at the moment so please don't think I have forgotten you.
Though I know you won't.....
