|
| Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Sounds like sci-fi but doesn't read like it. The stroy of a guy who has a genetic malfunction which means he is occasionally taken forward or backwards in his life - usually when he's stressed - and when he lands back on earth he does so naked (which can lead to a few problems). The stroy charts the course of his relationship with his wife - and how his coming and going affects them - raising all kinds of questions in mu mind - would we have fallen in love if we'd met at a different time, how would it affect us and the way we lived our lives if we knew what was going to happen to us. Which all sounds very serious - but it is a book of love, loss, regret, beauty, joy and is unputdownable. Maybe you have to persevere for the first 50 pages to really get into it - but once you do - just hope for an understanding family because you will be glued to it. My fave novel of the last 5 years. |
|
| The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
And this novel runs it close for second spot. 10 year old Daniel is taken by his father to (a bookseller) to the cemetry of lost books where he has to choose a book - the idea is that it is the last copy in the world and he becomes that book's 'defender'. His choice of book dictates the way his life develops because all kinds of people want the book for all different reasons - so that's the set-up. It turns into a rite of passage, discovery of love (and yes, of course, loss), intrigue, mystery, danger and such compelling side stories. This is set in Barcelona - which is lovingly described. The characters are engaging and vivid and the writing is beautiful. No matter how exciting the book is - and it is truly wonderful - I found myself delibertaely reading slowly towards the end because I just didn't want to finish it. |
|
| The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
This was recommended to me and I was reluctant to read it because I thought it'd be a kind of travelogue of Afghanistan. True - I did end up learning a bit about the culture, people and history - but what a story! So engaging and ranging across 60 years this again is a book that will lead you to question what is important, the family ties that bind us, loyalty, love, and the decisions we make. Engaging enough to be read in a single sitting. I didn't expect to like it but I loved it. |
|
| Girflriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
Wow - what an imagination. 1979 and an 18 year old girl falls into a coma which lasts 17 years. When she wakes up she sees her friends and what they have become - and sees it all through the optimistic and fun eyes of an 18 year old. She sees hoe everyone is now so busy and crazy on gadgets that they have forgotten the dreams and time they had for other things when they were younger. Have they done the things they wanted to do or has time drifted and their dreams with it? And what has she seen on the other side? Add to this that she was pregnant when she fell into a coma and was delivered of a daughter and you have quite a few questions going on. The 'other side' then comes into play in the second half of the book. It's funny and sad and maybe ultimately optimistic. Certainly thought-provoking and an incredible read. |
|
| Temple
by Matthew Reilly
100% page turner. Set in the modern day but ties in with a
secret from the days of the Conquistadors. Action, history, intrigue
this is truly unputdownable. Also try Ice Station by the same author
but ignore the rest as they've done what they did with Grisham (publishing
his earlier stuff that they had previously turned down!). |
|
|
Duende
by Jason Webster
A year spent in search of 'duende' - the spiritual state that the best flamenco engenders. The author travels from struggling with guitar lessons to forming part of a travelling gypsy flamenco troupe. Sure you can see how he romaticises his own journey, spiritual and geographical and maybe waxes a little too lyrical - but for all that it's a decent insight into a world most of us know just through tacky Hotel floorshows. I liked it. |
|
|
The Blue Noon
by Robert Ryan
Harry Cole is a con man living high on the hog in wartime France until he comes to the attention of MI6. He soon finds he is dealing with ruthless forces and has to carry on his schemes and cons, but for the greater good. Can he really do what he does best for altruistic reasons? Humour, intrigue, passion and a racing storyline set this book apart from the present crop of WW2 books. Also recommended by the same author is Early One Morning. |
|
|
Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart
Ex-Genesis drummer drops out and moves to Andalucia to a run-down farm - does it up, meets the locals, gets exasperated with the builders, sound familiar? Well, it is a little 'Toujours Andalucia', but maybe a bit earthier than Mayle's book and you do end up liking the guy. How could he move to such a run-down house with child in tow? He's made of sterner stuff than me. Not an extraordinary read but interesting. |
|
|
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron
A heartbreakingly beautiful, sad, moving, life-affirming book that is
also impossible to put down. Set in Coney Island in the Fifties it
is the story of a Mother coming to terms with an impossible choice and
about her search for love and happiness. I can't tell you the story as it
would ruin it but this is really a most fantastic book. Awful film
of it, but a great great book. My wife and I both loved it - it's a
must! |
|
|
Tales of the
City - Armistead Maupin
If you haven't read any of these books (he wrote 6 of them) then you
really have a treat in front of you. Set in San Francisco in the
80's it tells the story of the residents of Barbary House - a shared House
on the Hill. Funny, light. moving you zoom through the pages and
will read one after the other in the series - honestly these are lovely
books. |
|
|
Miss Smilla's
Feeling for Snow - Peter Hoeg
Captivating snow bound murder-mystery. The heroine is
fascinating and again it is a non-stop read. Her next-door
neighbour's 6 year old child dies falling out of a window but as Miss
Smilla knows snow she sees that the child was trying to get in, not
out. She starts asking questions and the book really takes
off. It is nail biting stuff and absolutely fascinating. You will be
sitting on the edge of your seat because the suspense is so intense - you
so want her not to get caught but...... |
|
|
The Luxury of
Exile by Louis Buss
Alright - I confess - this is my favourite Novel of all time.
Why? It's a story of love and loss and moments that just come alive
and live with you forever. The story of a 40 something Antiques
Dealer whose wife leaves him prompting him to go on an odyssey to find
Byron's Diary in Naples - but really the journey is about finding out what
life is about, what's important to to you, feeling all the sensation and
beauty that life can bring. It's a great read but leaves you with so
much more. |
|
|
Kolymsky
Heights by Lionel Davidson
A super intelligent breathtakingly exciting thriller. The hero
receives a cryptic message from a person he believed to be dead and sets
off to find him. This takes him onto a tramping steamer where the
crew try to get him, into a "closed" Russian Port where he takes
on a new identity and when he gets the info he needs his flight is
gripping. The best thriller I have ever read. |
|
|
Couples by John
Updike
America's greatest living writer - true - but he's also great to
read!! Couples is a collection of short stories about 30 something
couples who go through having kids, being friends and eventually having
affairs. It's all about the danger, excitement (and usually disaster
too) that goes with wife swapping. Beautifully written and
captivating - after reading this you will be a confirmed Updike fan and
then it's time to move on to the "Rabbit" novels - which is the
best sequence of novels I have ever read - but Couples will start you off
nicely - it's a great read for men and women - especially if you are in
the 30 something age group. |
 |
Resurrection
Day by Brendan du Bois
It's the 1990s and much of North America is a nuclear wasteland after
Kennedy's disastrous handling of the Bay of Pigs and the resultant Nuclear
War in which he was killed. Yes this is a What If book and it is also a
thriller and is a fantastic read (I know I always say that). Who is
the Underground Group who proclaim Kennedy Lives? Why will the new
authoritarian US Government not let people into devastated New
Jersey. All these questions and more are answered in this tremendous
novel. |
 |
Seventh Heaven
by Alice Hoffman
About how a mum recovering from divorce and readjusting her life moves
to a small town and ends up touching everybody with a kind of magic.
She is the pivotal character around which everything revolves - amazing
family truths come out from all around and the wonder of the book is that
it really moves you. I'm am man and I didn't think it was mushy! And
my wife loved it more. |
 |
Fatherland by
Robert Harris
If you read Enigma forget it - that was boring! This isn't.
Again it's a What If book set in the German Province of Britannia in the
60s (yes they won!!). It's a murder mystery tied up with a view of
what Britain would have been like under occupation - absolutely
fascinating. Archangel is also good by the same author - but avoid
Enigma - yawn!! |
 |
The New
Confessions by William Boyd
Is the "autobiography" of John James Todd which takes you
through the whole of the 20th Century from the 1st world war, the glamour
and grime of Hollywood, inter-war Berlin and so much more. Of
course the main character never existed but after reading this book you
won't be able to believe that. An uplifting book - when you turn the
last page you really will be sad! |
 |
The Mysteries
of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
Beautiful writing about the years after adolescence but before career
- you know when I mean. Also about discovering love, understanding
relationships and putting things in their place. And about when the
biggest worry you had was how to deal with a hangover and wondering who
was in bed next to you in the morning. It is light and beautiful - kind
of like Catcher in the Rye but on acid and with a lighter more fun touch.
|
 |
Four Iron in
the Soul by Lawrence Donegan
What's the former bass player with Lloyd Cole and the Commotions doing
being a Caddie for a 2nd rate Golfer on the European Tour. Well,
writing a book about it I guess. It's a funny read as the Caddie
gets hacked off with never getting a share of the Prize Money because his
guy is so hopeless and his guy thinking it's all the Caddie's fault.
Hey I don't even like Golf but really enjoyed this book. |
 |
Sacred Hunger by
Barry Unsworth
Tracing the history of a Slave Ship in the 18th Century and the lives of
two very different brothers, one who owns it and one who ends up working
on it. It's like Roots but
better. Heart rendingly sad and beautiful too. This is a book
that is truly extraordinary. It won the Booker Prize and is readable
too! Your life will be better for reading this and again, you will
not be able to put it down. |
