I'm not going to list every book I read in 2019, but I am going to pick out my highlights from the year.
Born Lippy: How to Do Female - Jo Brand (5 stars).
I like Jo Brand's comedy anyway, and this managed to make me laugh, even whilst dealing with difficult subjects. She uses her own life experiences to serve as a sort of practical guide to dealing with situations that may arise in life, from a boyfriend your parents detest to teaching your children how to behave properly. It's a book I'm likely to read again, in part for some of the down to earth advice, but more for the laughs.
I like Jo Brand's comedy anyway, and this managed to make me laugh, even whilst dealing with difficult subjects. She uses her own life experiences to serve as a sort of practical guide to dealing with situations that may arise in life, from a boyfriend your parents detest to teaching your children how to behave properly. It's a book I'm likely to read again, in part for some of the down to earth advice, but more for the laughs.
We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World - Malala Yousafzai (5 stars).
Each chapter is a short, and often harrowing, account of one girl's story as a refugee. What these young women have been through, and have survived is extraordinary. It wasn't an easy read, it took me a while because I kept having to put it down, but I also kept having to pick it back up. Keep tissues handy.
Each chapter is a short, and often harrowing, account of one girl's story as a refugee. What these young women have been through, and have survived is extraordinary. It wasn't an easy read, it took me a while because I kept having to put it down, but I also kept having to pick it back up. Keep tissues handy.
Best Foot Forward - Adam Hills (5 Stars)
Considering I'm not usually a fan of biographies, this year I've read quite a few really good ones. Adam Hills' is no exception. He manages to make things that should not be funny, hilarious, and provides an insight into how hard it is to become a stand-up comedian! Another one that had me laughing.
Considering I'm not usually a fan of biographies, this year I've read quite a few really good ones. Adam Hills' is no exception. He manages to make things that should not be funny, hilarious, and provides an insight into how hard it is to become a stand-up comedian! Another one that had me laughing.
Crime! This was shortlisted for the Theakstons Crime Writer's Festival Crime Novel of the Year and I set out to read the shortlist before the festival. This was far and away my favourite, which I'll be honest, is not what I expected when I picked it up. In parts funny, serious and moving, this one had me finding the drug-dealing jihadist protagonist to be relatable and rooting for him, even when I shouldn't have been. It kept me guessing right to the very last page, and I genuinely recommend this as a must-read.
This has to have been my top pick of 2019.
I lucked out and managed to pick up 2 of the shortlisted novels, and one of the longlisted novels, from the library. One of the shortlisted books is late on in a series, so I borrowed the first in the series - Slow Horses by Mick Herron. I am still not up to date, but I gave Slow Horses 4 stars. I'm intrigued by the concept and I'd like to see where this series goes. The idea is that spies that have particular difficulties and need to be kept somewhere, out of the way, are sent to work on non-projects doing unimportant work at Slough House, a nondescript building in central London that you can see into the windows of from a passing double-decker. The outcast spies are called the Slow Horses that lends the book its title. It was the fifth book in the series, London Rules, that was shortlisted this year, but a friend recommended starting this series at the beginning to get the background first, and I'm glad that I did, if only because I now have five more books to read, as there's been another published since!
Johnny and the Dead - Terry Pratchett (5 Stars)
This one was a re-read of an old favourite, so it was always getting 5 stars from me, but I read it with my daughter this time, and she approved the 5-star rating! I'm so pleased! If you haven't had the pleasure - this one is aimed at children, and so is quite a short read. One theory is that Johnny is just too lazy to focus his mind, and therefore to block out the things other people ignore, and so when Johnny goes to the cemetery, he meets the Alderman, Thomas Bowler (1822-1906) who introduces him to the other departed, and nearly famous members of the community. Johnny helps them keep up to date with local affairs through newspapers, an old radio, and eventually, a television. And this is how the cemetery residents discover that the cemetery has been sold to be redeveloped, and convince Johnny to start a campaign to save the cemetery. If you're around my age, you may also have vague memories of the 1980s CITV series based on the book and starring Brian Blessed, which I was pleased to discover is available on DVD, and a copy has now been ordered as a New Year's treat!
This one was a re-read of an old favourite, so it was always getting 5 stars from me, but I read it with my daughter this time, and she approved the 5-star rating! I'm so pleased! If you haven't had the pleasure - this one is aimed at children, and so is quite a short read. One theory is that Johnny is just too lazy to focus his mind, and therefore to block out the things other people ignore, and so when Johnny goes to the cemetery, he meets the Alderman, Thomas Bowler (1822-1906) who introduces him to the other departed, and nearly famous members of the community. Johnny helps them keep up to date with local affairs through newspapers, an old radio, and eventually, a television. And this is how the cemetery residents discover that the cemetery has been sold to be redeveloped, and convince Johnny to start a campaign to save the cemetery. If you're around my age, you may also have vague memories of the 1980s CITV series based on the book and starring Brian Blessed, which I was pleased to discover is available on DVD, and a copy has now been ordered as a New Year's treat!
Thirteen - Steve Cavanagh (4 Stars)
This won the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year 2019 at the Crime Writer's Festival this year. It was a really interesting plot idea, where we go into the novel knowing that there's a serial killer on the jury, but, did the Serial Killer murder the people that the man on trial is accused of killing? It becomes very obvious quite quickly as the point of view switches between the serial killer and one of the lawyers. It really ramps up the pace towards a rather climactic ending, however, an overly graphic piece early on and a bit of a slow middle section let it down a little for me, but clearly not for the judges! If you've read this, and/or any others of this years' Theakston's Crime Shortlist, let me know what you thought.
This won the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year 2019 at the Crime Writer's Festival this year. It was a really interesting plot idea, where we go into the novel knowing that there's a serial killer on the jury, but, did the Serial Killer murder the people that the man on trial is accused of killing? It becomes very obvious quite quickly as the point of view switches between the serial killer and one of the lawyers. It really ramps up the pace towards a rather climactic ending, however, an overly graphic piece early on and a bit of a slow middle section let it down a little for me, but clearly not for the judges! If you've read this, and/or any others of this years' Theakston's Crime Shortlist, let me know what you thought.
What were your top reads of 2019? And what are you looking forward to reading in 2020? Were there book-shaped parcels under your Christmas tree that you're excited to make a start on? Let me know in the comments.
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