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The BCF Book Awards 2014


Kylie

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I've got The Rosie Effect on Kindle, but I haven't got very far through yet, I haven't been doing much reading, what with one thing and another :blush2:  But what I've read so far is equally as good as The Rosie Project. 

 

I'm glad to hear it's been just as good as the first novel. I cannot wait to get to the book! :smile2: I hope things settle down for you and you can focus on the book :)

 

 

The Mapp and Lucia series and The Diary of a Provincial Lady are quite old-fashioned books, but very funny in an often acidly witty way. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I loved them :D

I know they are not the contemporary type of haha books, but I'm wanting to give them a go despite the fact, and because of the fact :D I know I don't sometimes respond well to a certain type of British wit, and some things go over my head, but I don't care: I won't know if I 'get' the book if I don't try reading it :smile2:

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Raven, I loved The Rook and characters as well!  I must have read it last year..... :)

 

 

That was my favourite too from last year - especially that scene with the duck !

 

I read it over Christmas 2013/New Year 2014, so you probably did (I'm usually late to the party!).

 

The sequel, Stiletto, is due out in July 2015, I believe. 

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I read it over Christmas 2013/New Year 2014, so you probably did (I'm usually late to the party!).

 

The sequel, Stiletto, is due out in July 2015, I believe. 

 

I pre-ordered my copy some time ago, but so far it has been back three times, so it's anyone's guess as to when it will actually appear.   

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I haven't participated much on here over the last few months but I have been reading so here are my favourites..

 

Your favourite read of the year?  

Like most of you it is too hard to choose just one so I will have to say,

Paper Towns - John Green

The Memory Book - Rowan Coleman

Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks

Jellybird - Lezanne Clannachan

Dear Thing - Julie Cohen

 

Your favourite author of the year?

Hard but I will go with Rowan Coleman for having the ability to get truly into my heart with her writing in The Memory Book.


Your most read author of the year?

Diane Chamberlain


Your favourite book cover of the year?

Paper Towns - John Green


The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)?

I don't keep records of books abandoned and do my best to forget them!
 

The book that most disappointed you?

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes, sadly one of my authors fell short for me this time.


The funniest book of the year?

I haven't read a truly funny book.. not usually my thing but may try one this year.


Your favourite literary character this year?

I've chosen two, and they are poles apart in character and everything else, Melanie from The Girl with all the Gifts and Anna from Year of Wonders.

 

Your favourite children's book this year?

It's YA but The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. Totally different to anything Ihave read before and very refreshing.


Your favourite classic of the year?

None


Your favourite non-fiction book this year?

Grain Brain by Dr David Perlmutter who has set me on a healthier course with far less headaches and migraine and much more energy!!


Your favourite biography this year?

Night - Elie Wiesel, a remarkable holocaust true story.


Your favourite collection of short stories this year?

None


Your favourite poetry collection this year?

None


Your favourite illustrated book of the year?

Hollow City - Ransom Riggs


Your favourite publisher of the year?

I don't take any notice of publishers, but any that published my top five books!!


Your favourite audiobook of the year?

None


Your favourite re-read of the year?

None

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Hi NB, great to see you too, I must look at your blog as I always used to get lots of great recommendations from you! :)  I wouldn't have read Paper Towns as I really didn't get on with Looking for Alaska but a friend bought it for my birthday.. I was very pleasantly surprised! Would highly recommend it. :)

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Your favourite read of the year?
I gave quite a few books 5/5 but on reflection they weren’t all as good as each other!  The stand-outs for me were:
 
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier
On the Beach by Nevil Shute
A Very Long Engagement by Sébastien Japrisot
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
A Christmas Carol and Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
Winnie-the-Pooh by A A Milne
 
Your favourite author of the year?
Erm, probably my favourite of my 5/5 books (A Christmas Carol aside – that’s one of my favourite books ever but as I read it every year it would always win!) was My Cousin Rachel so I’ll have to say Daphne Du Maurier
 
Your most read author of the year?
H E Bates – I read 5 books by him
 
Your favourite book cover of the year?
Frost Hollow Hall by Emma Carroll
 
055-2014-December-27-FrostHollowHall_zps
 
The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)?
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
 
The book that most disappointed you?
The Dinner by Herman Koch – 2/5
Longbourn by Jo Baker – 2/5
 
The funniest book of the year?
I didn’t read any side-splittingly hilarious books this year, but for its gentle humour I would choose Buster’s Diaries as told to Roy Hattersley

 

Your favourite literary character this year?
Nicholas Nickleby
 
Your favourite children's book this year?
Winnie-the-Pooh by A A Milne or The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
 
Your favourite classic of the year?
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
 
Your favourite non-fiction book this year?
Murder at Wrotham Hill by Diana Souhami
 
Your favourite biography this year?
Green Mountain Doctor by Colin Smith
 
Your favourite collection of short stories this year?
n/a
 

Your favourite poetry collection this year?
n/a
 
Your favourite illustrated book of the year?
Winnie-the-Pooh by A A Milne
 
Your favourite publisher of the year?
I read more Penguin books that any other publisher’s books, so Penguin, with Vintage a close second. :)
 
Your favourite audiobook of the year?
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
 
I did a LOT of walking in 2014 and I listened to this on my iPod whilst doing so – it was simply the perfect story to walk by – and it was narrated by Jim Broadbent to whom I could listen to quite happily for hours… and did so! 
 
Your favourite re-read of the year?
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and Winnie-the-Pooh by A A Milne

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I loved this, and later read A Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh (it's a children's book) on the same subject. Fascinating, and what brave people the villagers were. :)

 

 

It was astonishing wasn't it? It just felt so real too, I know it was based on fact but it isn't a given thing that the author can make it feel real to the reader, I felt so many emotions whilst reading it. 

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I have A Very Long Engagment and The Handmaid's Tale on my shelves so will look forward to them even more now, and I must read another Daphne Du Maurier, (I have one somewhere but too lazy to get up and see which one!) Rebecca was one of my favourite books of all time and I am a little worried that I may have started with her best book and none of the others will live up to that! 

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Hey Chaliepud!

 

I have The Accidental Mother by Rowan Coleman on my TBR. Did you know she's written several books under a different name as well, Scarlett Bailey? I've read all three of them (unless there's been a new one out), and I liked those.

 

Which Diane Chamberlain books did you read in 2014?

 

I hope to read Paper Towns this year.

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Hi Athena, I looked up her other books but none of them appeal, The Memory Book, whilst light in its writing style was a much deeper in content and much more my type of book.. I will definitely keep an eye on anything else of hers that is published though.

 

Paper Towns was excellent, I'll keep an eye on what you're reading so I can read your thoughts on it when you do.

 

From Diane Chamberlain I read The Bay at Midnight, Secret Lives, Reflection and Before the Storm, all 4 star reads except Before the Storm which was a 3. I have also read The Midwife's Confession and The Good Father, both also 4 star books.

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I pre-ordered my copy some time ago, but so far it has been back three times, so it's anyone's guess as to when it will actually appear.   

 

Thanks, very much, for posting this.  I didn't realize we could pre-order it already.  Just done. :D  They say June 30.

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I must read another Daphne Du Maurier, (I have one somewhere but too lazy to get up and see which one!) Rebecca was one of my favourite books of all time and I am a little worried that I may have started with her best book and none of the others will live up to that!

 

that worried me too, but both Jamaica Inn and My Cousin Rachel were excellent. :)

 

I've also (many years ago) read Rule Britannia which I remember enjoying although from memory it was very different. I think it was her last novel.

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that worried me too, but both Jamaica Inn and My Cousin Rachel were excellent. :)

 

I've also (many years ago) read Rule Britannia which I remember enjoying although from memory it was very different. I think it was her last novel.

 

 

I've just checked and it is Jamica Inn I have so that's positive. I have moved in to the front of the shelf so hopefully I will get to it sooner rather than later. :)

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Your favourite read of the year? Always difficult to narrow it down to just one. I love a book that makes me laugh so in that respect the best were Beyond the Great Indoors by Ingvar Ambjørnsen and Love Nina by Nina Stibbe and then for powerful storytelling The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt and The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer. 

Your favourite author of the year? All of the above.
Your most read author of the year? I don't think I read more than one book per author all year but I read a lot of Daphne du Maurier's short stories so I'll say her.

Your favourite book cover of the year? Loved these ..

unrequitedlove.jpg  scarletletter.jpg  rabbitback.jpg
The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? I didn't abandon a book .. AGAIN!! Blast it! The one I liked least was The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp by Eva Rice. I should have abandoned Ronnie Wood's biography (Ronnie) as anything worth reading in it came early.
The book that most disappointed you? Well, the above obviously but also The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness as it started off so magically but didn't hold my interest. 

The funniest book of the year? I'll split this between three  :blush2: Love Nina by Nina Stibbe, Beyond the Great Indoors by Ingvar Ambjørnsen and How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran.The last two in particular made me howl with laughter. 

Your favourite literary character this year? Probably Thursday Next .. again :) 
Your favourite children's book this year? I loved Frost Hollow Hall by Emma Carroll.
Your favourite classic of the year? The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne .. not the easiest of reads but very rewarding.
Your favourite non-fiction book this year? Oh dear .. that'd be Love Nina again  :blush2: 
Your favourite biography this year? Bedsit Disco Queen by Tracey Thorn. 
Your favourite collection of short stories this year? Daphne du Maurier's The Birds and other Stories. A mixed bunch but some very, very, good stories in there.
Your favourite poetry collection this year? To my shame .. once again I didn't read any.  
Your favourite illustrated book of the year?
 Didn't read many illustrated books but enjoyed Pippi Longstocking.

Your favourite publisher of the year? Penguin .. especially for their Classics Deluxe editions .. glorious.
Your favourite audiobook of the year? Think this was probably How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran which was most entertainingly read by Louise Brealey. Also The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker read by George Guidall and Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes read by Julian Rhind-Tutt.
Your favourite re-read of the year? It's always A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens though this year I wasn't in the best headspace when I re-read it. I really enjoyed re-reading The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend earlier in the year.

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