For 2024 the aim remains to post a review at least every other Friday and to complete the Bookpacking reading journey.

02 January 2015

Review of 2014

2014 was another successful year for Bibliodyssey with 48 blogs posted; and notable for the completion of the Along the Library Shelf reading journey. From the titles reviewed the following are picked out as books of my reading year and are recommended (full review in bracketed month).

General Fiction:
The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion (Apr) – Fine romantic comedy.
The Redbreast – Jo Nesbo (Jul) – Good tense crime thriller.
The Universe versus Alex Woods – Gavin Extence (Aug) – Touching coming-of-age novel.
Stonemouth – Iain Banks (Sep) – All of the above in one book from a favourite author.

Books for serious readers:
Quarantine – Jim Crace (Jan) – Sparse haunting take on Jesus’s 40 days in the desert.
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe (Mar) – Totally convincing tale of Africa as the white man moves in.
Lighthousekeeping – Jeanette Winterson (Apr) – Spellbinding, resonating story about stories.
Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel (Sep) – Thomas Cromwell’s ringside account of the court of Henry VIII.

Nonfiction:
Last Man Down – Richard Picciotto (Jan) – One fireman’s all too close-up account of the aftermath of 9/11.
Toast – Nigel Slater (May) – His nostalgic, amusing and touching account of childhood through food related anecdotes.
Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand (Jul) – The incredible life of athlete, pilot, castaway and PoW Louis Zamporini
A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson (Dec) – Funny and wise account of walking the Appalachian Trail

Best sport book:

Acing Through the Dark – David Millar (Aug) – His fall, mea culpa and redemption

No comments:

Post a Comment