frankie Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 (edited) We did this last year and the year before that (I can't remember how far back this idea goes...) and I've been waiting for someone to start the thread for a while now. C'mon good members of the forum, tell us which books you've loved and enjoyed the most so far this year! Edit: I added the link in case anyone's interested in that 'statictics' of last year or feels like reminiscing (Couldn't find the one from 2011 for some reason, though...) Edited June 26, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 (edited) I know I don't publish the ratings I give books on my reviews, as I usually change my mind after a bit of distance from reading them, but apart from a re-read of a favourite book, I've only given out one 5/5 which has remained in place, and that was for Sightlines by Kathleen Jamie. It's sort of a mixture of travel, natural history and memoir, with a beautiful style and is a collection of fascinating accounts of the various journeys she has taken both at home and abroad. She really brings to life her experiences with wonderful descriptions, including her first experience of an archaelogical dig, and a lovely chapter about watching a lunar eclipse where there is a contemplative passage about the passing of time, and you can't help stop and consider time, and our tiny experience of it in the lifespan of the universe.I said at the time (back in January I think) that it was "an absolutely wonderful book, and I'll be very surprised if this isn't among my top five by the end of the year." Well at this stage, it's still number one. Edited June 26, 2013 by chesilbeach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 (edited) I said at the time (back in January I think) that it was "an absolutely wonderful book, and I'll be very surprised if this isn't among my top five by the end of the year." Well at this stage, it's still number one. I think it's a good sign of a truly great book if you said back in January that you'd be surprised if it wasn't one of your five books by the end of the year. Especially when we've gone half the year and it's still number one on your list I was quite shocked to see I've already given 13 books the top ratings, 5/5, this year, but then I remembered four of them were re-reads of the Anastasia Krupnik book, which always get the top rating from me. The other books to get a 5/5 from me so far this year are: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Ugly by Constance Briscoe Black Swan Green by David Mitchell Hell's Prisoner by Christopher V. V. Parnell Case Histories by Kate Atkinson Yes Man by Danny Wallace Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann Pyhiesi yhteyteen by Jari Tervo The Help by Kathryn Stockett And I honestly thought I'd been strict with my ratings this year... as I have tried to be! Well it may just be that I've managed to somehow pick up a lot of great reads by accident so far (Although, now that I checked out my post in the 2012 thread, I had 11 books on the list, I have fewer now, so I guess I have been stricter... ) Edited June 26, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I've enjoyed all these for wildly differing reasons, but my favourite reads so far: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Book Thief by Markus Zusak My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher I'll also throw in Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson. The former three really stuck with me after reading them, and while Watson's book didn't in exactly the same way, I devoured it and couldn't wait to get to the end. With a good second half of the year though, it's unlikely to make my top five by the end of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Only three 5/5's so far this year, which were.. The Wolf Within - Shaun Ellis Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier The Language of Flowers - Vanessa Diffenbaugh A few notable 4.5/5's were.. The Girl You Left Behind - Jojo Moyes Hopeless - Colleen Hoover The Next Always - Nora Roberts The Thread - Victoria Hislop And a special mention for Replay by Ken Grimwood, I scored it a 4/5 but may have to revise that as when I look back over the books I've read so far this year that is one of the ones that sticks in my head.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmac Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I would certainly have "Before I Go To Sleep" as a choice, but I would have to go through my Kindle archives to see what else I read which was special. Memory banks don't seem to work as well as they used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 And a special mention for Replay by Ken Grimwood, I scored it a 4/5 but may have to revise that as when I look back over the books I've read so far this year that is one of the ones that sticks in my head.. That's nice to hear! My favourite read so far this year is without a doubt Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies. Just behind that, Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold and Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep (which was a re-read). Honourable mentions: The Iliad (Fagles translation), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), The Coldest War (Ian Tregillis). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I decided to be much stricter with my scoring this year, having had loads and loads of 5/5s last year - but they weren't all as enjoyable as each other! This year so far only 3 have scored top marks: The Seance - John Harwood Replay - Ken Grimwood waits to see Steve feeling very (rightly) smug! Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens I might revise a few up at the end of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Replay - Ken Grimwood waits to see Steve feeling very (rightly) smug! Hang on, you can see me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 (edited) I probably don't read as much as others - I'm on my 22nd book of the year - so haven't as many top ratings as most, but just two books have achieved 6 stars this year. That's about par for the course: looking back over the past five or six years, only one year has seen more than 10% achieving that rating, and it's usually around 7-8%. Anyway, the two top raters are: David Copperfield - Charles Dickens King Solomon's Carpet - Barbara Vine I was pleasantly surprised by David Copperfield, read for my book group, having started it but failed to progress far at least twice before, but it deserved its rating not least for the stunning set of characters that came so vividly to life. King Solomon's Carpet is one of the more quirky books I've read recently, but that was part of what made it so good, giving it a character that made it stand out from the crowd in no uncertain terms. Three books, again not out of line with previous years, have hit my 5 star rating this year: The Crimson Petal and The White - Michel Faber The Voyage Out - Virginia Woolf The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet - David Mitchell I also can't make up my mind about the most recent finisher, Light by Margaret Elphinstone. 4 or 5? I do sometimes upgrade 5 star books and downgrade 6 star ones (others tend to be left alone); the most likely book to change of those above is the David Mitchell. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there's definitely been an above average number of 1-star books (4 so far), but pretty much all of them were ones chosen for book group reading; 2013 will be the first year I've done that, and they definitely make for a more mixed bag for me than previously, not surprising really. Edited June 26, 2013 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal76 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 (edited) Definitely The Quarry by Iain Banks. Excellent. Edited June 27, 2013 by Michelle please don't link to your own blog, we prefer reviews to be posted on here, to encourage discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Well I havent read as much this year as I would have liked but I have still had read a few really good books. I have actually only rated one book 5/5 which was The Crimson Petal and the White. I have read lots of good books but not a lot that really capture my mind! Hopefully the second part of the year will bring some more 5/5 books to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmac Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Found a couple of other books which I thought were really a good read, 'Call Down the Hawk" by Irish writer Maurice Nicholson, "A Cold Day in Paradise" by American writer Steve Hamilton, "Dire Straits" by Canadian writer Peter Jackson. All of these were murder/mysteries which is probably my favourite genre along with thrillers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 (edited) Found a couple of other books which I thought were really a good read, 'Call Down the Hawk" by Irish writer Maurice Nicholson, "A Cold Day in Paradise" by American writer Steve Hamilton, "Dire Straits" by Canadian writer Peter Jackson. All of these were murder/mysteries which is probably my favourite genre along with thrillers. You're giving me too many new mystery writers to look up! lol And thanks! hee hee I have to suppose I am a bit lax with giving 5 stars, sometimes at least. But for me, there are so many factors that go into a 5 star. I mean, I have given 10/5 rating, at least once. John Banville, of course. This year though, here are my faves this year.......so far, after all, it's only the end of June. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry 4/5 The Music of Chance by Paul Auster 5/5 Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster 5/5 The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster 5/5 The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin 5/5 (yes, that Justin Cronin, of The Passage and The Twelve fame) (No, it has nothing to do with vampires!!) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel 5/5 Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel 5/5 Replay by Ken Grimwood 5/5 (curtsies to you-know-who! in thanks) Death Will Have Your Eyes by James Sallis 5/5 The Rook by Daniel O'Malley 4.5/5 The Lolita Man by Bill James 5/5 ( a great new, to me, detective series) The Night Gardner by George Pelecanos 5/5 (one of the writers of The Wire, that's all you need to know to know it's terrific!) As you can see I was on a bit of a Paul Auster kick earlier this year. And I have several new, to me, authors on the list. Edited June 28, 2013 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 My favourite books so far are: Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson - Wheel Of Time #13: Towers Of Midnight George R. R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire 1: A Game of Thrones Kristin Hannah - Home Front Sophie Kinsella - Twenties Girl Nicholas Sparks - The Notebook 2: The Wedding John Grogan - Marley & Me Rereads this year: Sinéad Moriarty - The Baby Trail Sinéad Moriarty - A Perfect Match Sinéad Moriarty - From Here to Maternity Roald Dahl - Matilda Roald Dahl - The Witches Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory I didn't list any non-fiction books, though I have read quite a few good ones, ie. about stress or in the For Dummies series (I can provide a list if anyone wants to see). Great idea for a thread ! It's so nice to think back of these books and how I enjoyed them! It's also great to read what everyone else enjoyed, it's always nice to find more recommendations . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Great thread My faves so far are ... Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf - Edward Albee The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern A Boy at the Hogarth Press - Richard Kennedy (only for Woolf fanatics probably ) Matilda - Roald Dahl Right Royal B*stard - Sarah Miles The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell The Boy With No Shoes - William Horwood And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Off the top of my head, I would say The String Diaries and The 5th Wave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I have just finished my 44th book of the year. There are five of these that I would give five stars to, all of them quite different: Gavin Extence; The Universe versus Alex Woods The Beach: Alex Garland I Remember You: Yrsa Sigurdardottir The Buddha of Suburbia: Hanif Kureshi Do They Hear You When They Cry: Layli Miller Bashir/Fauziya Kassinga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 The Night Circus - Erin Morgensternx I have this book on my shelf, glad to hear you like it! I'm not entirely sure what it's about (other than what the back of the book says), but maybe that's a good thing, I might be more surprised by the plot that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I had little idea of what to expect when I read The Night Circus, and I ended up really loving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I have just finished my 44th book of the year. There are five of these that I would give five stars to, all of them quite different: Gavin Extence; The Universe versus Alex Woods I bought this two days ago, so great to see it appear on your list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 It's a brilliant book that tackles many subjects - you'll love it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Great to see quite a few books on here that are already on my shelves & i've added another few to my wishlist after reading other peoples choices. I went back to check my log & have altered a few of my ratings(is that cheating?) as my feelings about some of my books have changed. It's not that i've gone from loving them to hating them but some of the stories have really stayed with me & left their mark where as others, although enjoyed, haven't left as much of an impression. The two books which are the leading lights If Not Now When? Primo Levi Bring Up The Bodies Hilary Mantel followed very closely by two books which i actually only gave 4 stars too but i find myself thinking about all the time A Time To Dance Melvyn Bragg Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel and the best of the rest The Siege Helen Dunmore Salem Chapel Mrs Oliphant Still Missing Beth Gutcheon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 I just finished reading Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and would like to add this book to my list of best books so far in 2013. Currently writing a review for it. It was amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 I've been looking back over my Reading Blog and have only given two books 5/6 (and none 6/6): Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets - David Simon The Crimson Petal and the White - Michel Faber I think that's pretty fair actually, as I can't think of any really outstanding ones that have really got under my skin. It's a shame, really. Hopefully I'll read something truly brilliant before the year is up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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