I've read a good few books over the past year over a few different genres and I thought why not make my first blog post about a few of my favourites. There were several stinkers but I don't like to dwell on the negative so I won't mention them and I can pretend they didn't happen.
I started the year reading the Slow Horses series by Mick Herron. I should preface by saying that I haven't seen any of the T.V. show though am assured that it is very good and that Gary Oldman is completely brilliant. I loved the books, the machinations of the intelligence services are Byzantine though in the early books never stray into the totally unbelievable. Later on, though they haven't yet jumped the shark, the fin is visible and the ramp is almost built.
The Night in Question by Susan Fletcher is so, so good. It's about a wheelchair bound old lady in sheltered accommodation who, along with her elderly friend, finds herself investigating the death of the manager of the housing development they all live in. Although everyone is convinced that it is a case of suicide Florrie isn't convinced and is determined to find out the truth. Along the way we are treated to chapters from Florrie's eventful life. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
Evie King's Ashes to Admin is a non-fiction look at life as a Council Funeral Officer. This a lovely book, Evie King goes through her casebook to tell some stories of how people who die with no money, seemingly no family or friends can get a dignified send off, often with long lost relatives turning up to say goodbye. It was so far removed from most peoples' expectations of a "pauper's funeral" and really uplifting. There was tears.
A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke tells the story of Aubry Tourvel, a spoilt French child who succumbs to a mysterious illness which means that she cannot stay in any one place for more than a few days without becoming fatally ill, nor can she return to a place she has previously visited. She sets off on a journey that takes her across the whole world and into an infinite underground library with only a handful of hidden entrances.
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet is a fantasy crime novel that I took a chance on. It is the kind of fantasy that I don't normally read with strange worlds and odd names for things that I sometimes struggle to remember. However, this is brilliant, I loved the fact that I didn't know what all the various ranks of people meant and I had no idea who outranked whom because it didn't really matter. It didn't get in the way of a really good detective story and I look forward to the next one.
I'm ending the year reading The Winter Garden by Alexandra Bell. Oh, I am in love with this one. It is like The Night Circus but with Victorian pleasure gardens. There is magic, rivalry, clockwork, heartbreak, regret and love.
Honourable mentions for Gymkharnage by Jane Torbeck, Simul by Andrew Caldecott and Treacle Walker by Alan Garner.
I hope anybody reading this has a fabulous 2025 with plenty of good books (and no stinkers).
