It’s been another year full of reading and it’s been wonderful, the only downside being I don’t seem to be making as much progress on my bookshelf backlog as I would have liked. But nevertheless, each year I like to pick out ten of my favourite reads from the year. These are the ones I have hand picked, listed in the order that I read them, as I refuse to have to do anymore than narrow it down to ten!

How to be Perfect by Michael Schur

I don’t think I can adequately describe how much I loved this. My knowledge of philosophy has only ever been ‘I think therefore I am’ and the trolley problem, and that’s even having watched and adored every series of The Good Place. But I remember listening to the podcast that accompanied the show and whenever creator Mike Shur was on, it was always fascinating. This book is basically an extension of those epiosdes.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I absolutely loved this, roared through it in double quick time. The consequences of decisions and ripples of changes are one of the best things about time travel stories that I love, and whilst this isn’t a time travel novel, it features those elements in the best possible way. It’s intriguing and heartwarming and leaves you feeling just a bit more positive about the world than before you read it. Which is perfect.

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

Oh wow, I really loved this book. I listened to the audiobook read by the author, so enjoyed Fern’s amazing accent throughout, but it was the content that really shone. The way Fern describes what she’s faced and been through before and after a late autism diagnosis and her difficulties with her family, and how she interacts with the world… it’s brilliant and funny and moving and startlingly honest and just wonderful.

Good Pop, Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker

I was expecting good things from this book, and of course it delivered. It’s a memoir of sorts but with Jarvis Cocker, it was never going to be a straightforward story delivered from A to Z. Instead, we’re trawling through a loft and getting stories and insights into a life from the things found there. A fascinating way to find out about someone’s life… and it’s a fascinating life. Great stuff.

The Glassblower by Petra Durst-Benning

This was such a lovely read, a book originally written in German and translated into English, it follows the fortunes of three sisters who grow up in the glassblowing capital of Lauscha, only to find themselves orphaned and struggling for a future. It took a little while to get going, but once the sisters started picking themselves up and taking action, in their various different ways, it was absolutely fascinating.

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King

My experience of Stephen King novels is that they are either a big hit or a big miss. But when a book grabs you, wow it doesn’t let go. And this one absolutely did, it was SO well written, I just wanted to inhale every word. I love how much character is put into even scenes that don’t really have a big part to play - the intro has so much brilliant detail even though the characters don’t really come into it ever again. This is the start of a trilogy and I’m super keen to get started on the next one.

No Shame by Tom Allen

I really loved this book. I listened to the audiobook read by the author, and it’s just such a wonderful, difficult, moving story about someone trying to find themselves, understand themselves, make their way in a world where they don’t necessarily fit into ‘normal’ (whatever that is). Tom is hilarious all the way through, obviously, and I recognised bits from his standup too, but there’s also a lot of heart and sharing difficult things which really make you think.

Mrs, Presumed Dead by Simon Brett

Another great Mrs Pargeter mystery novel, this time our intrepid heroine has joined a keeping-up-with-the-joneses style neighbourhood and spends some time figuring out each of her neighbours, before realising that one of them killed the person who owned her house before her. She naturally gets very involved in the investigation, and gets to the answer well ahead of the police, with a little help from the friends of her late husband. An enjoyable read, and another cosy mystery solved!

Great-Uncle Harry by Michael Palin

This is a really interesting book, both from the point of view of the story being told, but also as a concept. Michael Palin delves into the history of his Great-Uncle and his various researches piece together a small but not insignificant life, cut tragically short by the First World War. I love how Palin tells this story, being completely frank about the fact that a lot of it is conjecture, but also comparing and contrasting the things he finds out with his own life. And he visits lots of the destinations, or has visited them in his travels, which gives an extra insight as well. Really loved it.

Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger

I didn’t know that Arnold S had gone the wise old owl route and was really turning into something of a self help guru, but here we are, the proof is in the audiobook! I listened to Arnie’s reading of this book and I’m glad I did because I think it gave it an authenticity and approachability that reading the text may not have done. Lots of wisdom in here, lots of common sense, a little bit of hard love as well - you have to do the work to make your dreams come true. But overall a really good listen, quite inspiring and honestly a pleasant surprise!

Last year I had noticed that I was leaning towards non-fiction and autobiographies as favourites and this year, although that trend has continued, the fiction has been creeping back in. I’ve read some incredible books this year and can’t wait to get stuck in during 2024 as well.