This year I have continued reading voraciously, and although I did make progress on the bookshelf backlog, it still seems like the count of unread books goes up rather than down. I’ve enjoyed listening to a lot of audiobooks this year and discovered the wealth of reading material available digitally from the library, which hasn’t necessarily helped things! Anyway, as is now traditional, these are ten of my favourites from the year gone, in the order that I read them.

Dead Simple by Peter James

I loved it, whipped through it quickly, the plot is intriguing, the twists and turns are fun to follow and unexpected. I wasn’t so convinced by the supernatural parts of it, but that’s kind of the point isn’t it? And you can’t really argue with a ‘we have to try everything’ attitude when it comes to saving a life.

I read this in February, and still think about the plot every now and again. I watched the TV adaptation which was good, but it’s just the horror of the novel that is really what has stuck with me.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Obviously had watched the TV show on Apple TV which was incredible, and so reading the book was like returning to an old friend. The adaptation is pretty close to the source material, so I could picture some of the scenes as they played out, but there were minor differences and I enjoyed seeing them. It was nice, if enraging from a feminist point of view, to dip back into this world and I hope that Elizabeth is a bit happier after the end of the book!

A Heart that Works by Rob Delaney

It’s hard to review this book because it’s beautiful but of course, completely brutal. Rob writes with such honesty and humour and compassion and rage and everything you can imagine… although obviously you just can’t imagine it. An absolute must read.

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

Absolutely adored this book. It’s inventive and witty, self-deprecating but also full of pride in that our author is the protagonist of the book. Although fictional, there are plenty of factual bits and pieces in there to really make it feel like this could have happened. The meeting with Spielberg particularly sticks in the mind. But it’s also a fantastic murder mystery, told in a unique and fascinating way. Definitely moving on to the next book as soon as possible.

Which I did, and read all five in the series during the year, scoring all of them top marks. Absolutely obsessed with this series, it’s so good.

Because of You by Dawn French

I probably wouldn’t have stuck this with if it wasn’t written by lovely Dawn because I’m not so interested in stories around babies and the crime at the heart of this is just unfathomable to me. But stick with it I did and I’m glad, because the characters are so well drawn, the humanity of the situation always at the fore, and the ending an absolutely gutwrenching twist. Brilliantly done.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was so good, I really enjoyed it. The story is detailed and intricate but covers a huge period of time. It’s mostly set in the 90s and has that late 90s atmosphere perfectly. More than anything, though, it does a great job of explaining how tennis works (not an easy or sensible scoring system) and getting into the mental side of the game, when it’s going well and when it isn’t. I’m not sure it got everything 100% right but it was so well done, I really loved it.

Nowhere to Run by Jonathan Sayer

Obviously, I had to read this, coming from one of the founders of Mischief Theatre, but as I’ve said many times, football isn’t my favourite sport - all recent evidence and excessive blogging to the contrary. This is different though, yes, it’s a bit about football, but what it’s really about is throwing yourself into a project that is all about passion regardless of results. It’s brilliant, honest and open and funny - right from the start, when everyone bought lots of kit and then the grant came through that could only be used on kit. It’s just a really fun, albeit stressful, ride and therefore a highly recommended read.

How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

I’m fuming that I haven’t read this book sooner, it’s brilliant. A sort of memoir but focused very much on what it is to be a feminist as you grow up and try to navigate this difficult world. It was all brilliant but some of it was head and shoulders above the rest. The chapter on abortion was incisive and brutally honest, and the arguments about why women need a moment to really grab their opportunities and become legendary are great. It’s not all perfect but what I loved most about it is the message that women just need to worry less and live more.

Good Girls by Hadley Freeman

I don’t know a lot about Hadley Freeman’s work, but have seen the occasional article here and there. This book details her own experience of anorexia as a teenager, spending a good few years in and out of eating disorder hospitals, but it also approaches the subject as a journalist might - looking for facts, figures, the development and evolvement of the disorder and how it’s treated, plus catching up with people from her past and seeing how they are doing now. It’s a stark read, brutal in places, but a really important and honest look at a disorder that is misunderstood and often mishandled.

I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You by Miranda Hart

It’s not an easy read, it’s years of pain and confusion and working through various things, but there are lighter moments and it’s handled well. Combining science and experience there’s plenty of advice in here that is easier said than done, but something to continuously work towards. This could have very easily veered into pretention, but in Miranda we trust - her outlook and spirit are weaved in from start to finish which is always a joy.

I’ve definitely continued on the trend towards fiction, meaning I have a better balance of genres across the board. I’ve also started a few series that I’m determined to work through, even if they are quite lengthy, so that might be a focus for the coming year. Ultimately as long as I’m reading, I’m happy.