willoyd Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 Shamelessly copied from Raven's post heading last year's thread (including all the exclamation marks!), and I apologise if I've trodden on any toes by posting this, please find below what is one of my favourite threads in any year, the Book Club Forum awards. This is a chance for you to tell everybody what you enjoyed most about your reading over the past (chaotic!) year. Listed below are just the 'standard' awards - please feel free to add any others that you want (I put in a couple last year), and equally feel free to ignore any that aren't relevant to you (I didn't listen to a single audio book this year). So - Members of the Forum - without further ado, please tell us: Yes, I did buy it for the cover, but I stayed for the reading! Your favourite book cover of 2022! They print the words I like to read! Your favourite publisher of 2022! They sell me the words I like to read! Your favourite book shop/retailer of 2022! It was like when I was little, and Mummy used to read to me! Your audiobook recommendation of 2022! I even found one of their shopping lists! Your most read author of 2022! Stop me if you've heard this one before! Your recommended re-read of 2022! I'd rather be on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! Your book that wasn't worth bothering with in 2022! I don't know where this year has gone! The book you most wanted to read in 2022, but didn't get too award! I'm sorry it wasn't a unicorn! Your biggest literary let-down of 2022! Think: Spot the Dog, BUT BETTER! Your favourite illustrated book of 2022! It's like living in Never-never Land! Your children's book recommendation of 2022! Most people pretend they have read this, but I actually did! Your recommended classic of 2022! Compact and bijou, Mostyn! Compact and bijou! Your favourite short story (or collection of short stories) of 2022! He made Mr Darcy look like Kermit the Frog! Your favourite literary character of 2022! Me talk pretty one day! Your poetry recommendation of 2022! I like things to be in boxes, nicely ordered boxes! Your favourite genre of 2022! I laughed so much, people moved away from me on the train! The funniest book you read in 2022! After three years of COVID I have no life of my own anymore, so I just read about others! Your favourite biography of 2022! No, this really happened, yes it really did, I'm not making it up! Your non-fiction recommendation of 2022! Sounds like stuff someone made up! Your fiction book of the year, 2022! They've taken out a restraining order! Your author of the year, 2022! I'll read it again, I'll tell ya! Your overall book of the year, 2022! The small print (some repetition here!): Don't just make this a list, explain your choices! Tell us what you really think about the books you have read! If there is a section you don't have a reply for, just skip it! Books don't have to have been published in 2020 to make it onto your list, you just have to have read them this year! Feel free to add your own categories, if you feel something has been missed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunababymoonchild Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) I enjoyed this last year so here's mine. Yes, I did buy it for the cover, but I stayed for the reading! Your favourite book cover of 2022! Changed this because I misunderstood the question. My favourite book cover of 2022 is Katherin Arden's Empty Smiles. Which sums up the story beautifully and you don't know that until you read it. Very clever and very scary (for a child) They print the words I like to read! Your favourite publisher of 2022! I have no idea! They sell me the words I like to read! Your favourite book shop/retailer of 2022! Amazon. Get most of my print books from them and most of my e-books. They deliver and I usually know when. It was like when I was little, and Mummy used to read to me! Your audiobook recommendation of 2022! Didn't listen to audiobooks this year, and I should I even found one of their shopping lists! Your most read author of 2022! Ian Rankin - he finished The Dark Remains that William McIlvanney started, The new Rebus, 24, A Heart Full of Headstones and Splodges bonus short story in A Heart Full of Headstones Stop me if you've heard this one before! Your recommended re-read of 2022! No re-reads for me this year I'd rather be on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! Your book that wasn't worth bothering with in 2022! Darren McGarvey, The Social Distance Between Us. Read his first one Poverty Safari and was blown away by it but this one ............ meh. I don't know where this year has gone! The book you most wanted to read in 2022, but didn't get to award! Dorothy M Richardson. She has a thirteen part stream of consciousness work that I now have all the parts of and I've read the first five parts. Keep meaning to get around to the sixth part and haven't made it, for some reason. I'm sorry it wasn't a unicorn! Your biggest literary let-down of 2022! The aforementioned The Social Distance Between Us, Darren McGarvey. I got to within 60 pages of the end and was determined to read it all but just could not face it. Bitterly disappointed. Too much whining about social injustice (the fact that it's true doesn't help) and middle-class bashing and not enough suggestions as to how to improve the situation. Darren seems to think that if you are middle class you will never have signed on and therefore you know nothing. He asks the question in the book. Think: Spot the Dog, BUT BETTER! Your favourite illustrated book of 2022! Thomas Bernhard, Viktor Halfwit. A short story that came in a large(coffee table size) hardback that was beautifully illustrated. It's like living in Never-never Land! Your children's book recommendation of 2022! Katherine Arden, Empty Smiles. The last in a quartet that I wasn't going to read because part three was disappointing. And the other parts were not up to the standard of her Winternight Trilogy Most people pretend they have read this, but I actually did! Your recommended classic of 2022! Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop. Well worth reading, everybody knows why. Compact and bijou, Mostyn! Compact and bijou! Your favourite short story (or collection of short stories) of 2022! John Steinbeck, Pastures of Heaven. It was a toss-up between this and Georges Simenon, A Maigret Christmas. Steinbeck narrowly makes it because Simenon's Maigrets are all short and superb whereas Steinbeck writes long and short and they are all superb, and he surprised me more. He made Mr Darcy look like Kermit the Frog! Your favourite literary character of 2022! Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Read the whole poem this year and it was 217 pages long. It rhymed, it had rythmn and it told the story of Hiawatha's life. Fantastic! Me talk pretty one day! Your poetry recommendation of 2022! Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I like things to be in boxes, nicely ordered boxes! Your favourite genre of 2022! I'm not sure that it's an actual genre but I read a great many short stories this year and enjoyed them all. I laughed so much, people moved away from me on the train! The funniest book you read in 2022! RuPaul Charles, Workin' It! He was wittier than I expected and so much fun After three years of COVID I have no life of my own anymore, so I just read about others! Your favourite biography of 2022! Rebecca Scloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Incredible. "Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. Born a poor black tobacco farmer, her cancer cells – taken without her knowledge – became a multimillion-dollar industry and one of the most important tools in medicine." No, this really happened, yes it really did, I'm not making it up! Your non-fiction recommendation of 2022! Malcolm Gaskill, The Ruin of All Witches - "The Ruin of All Witches tells the dark, real-life folktale of witch-hunting in a remote Massachusetts plantation." in 1651. Absolutely fascinating. Sounds like stuff someone made up! Your fiction book of the year, 2022! William Faulkner, Intruder In the Dust. "An elderly, proud black farmer, Lucas Beauchamp, is wrongfully arrested for the murder of a white man. The lynch mob are baying for his blood. His sole hope lies with a young white boy, bent on repaying an old favour, who with the help of Lucas's cynical lawyer will work to find the truth and hatch a risky plot to prove his innocence." I just can't get past Faulkner. They've taken out a restraining order! Your author of the year, 2022! Hands down, William Faulkner. There is just nobody else. And there were a few contenders. Namely, Thomas Bernhard, László Krasznahorkai, Dostoevsky I'll read it again, I'll tell ya! Your overall book of the year, 2022! William Faulkner, Intruder In the Dust. ETA : Well who would have thought it? Your Most Surprising Book of the year 2022! Lee Child, Killing Floor (Jack Reacher 1). I read this to accompany my father. He reads Reacher all the time and loves it so recommended it to me. I assumed it would be utterly awful and it wasn't. I was pleasantly surprised and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm not sure that I'll read the rest of them but I am glad that I read that one. Edited December 30, 2022 by lunababymoonchild Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted December 30, 2022 Author Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) Willoyd's Book Awards For 2022 Book cover of the year: Home Country by Richard Mabey (see photo below) This was not an amazing year for book covers amongst those I actually read, so I've included here the cover of a book I bought. I love the design work done on (and the content of!) Little Toller's Nature Classics series, and this is one I bought during the year. The artwork on the front cover is a detail from Paul Nash's Wood On The Downs. An added plus is the fact that they include French flaps, which to my mind vastly improve a paperback cover. Favourite publisher: Penguin Modern Classics More an imprint than a publisher. PMC has been an invaluable, and the most productive, source of reading for my Read Around the World project - including some of the best reads of the year. This year's titles include Michel the Giant, Closely Watched Trains, Snow Country, The Vegetarian, A Grain of Wheat. Favourite book shop/retailer: Bookshop on the Square, Otley My nominee for 2021 as well. A new book group was set up by the shop owner this year, and this has simply added to the lustre, getting off to a fabulous start this autumn. Just love having such a good shop so close to home. Favourite audio book: none I just don't listen to audiobooks very often nowadays. If I am listening, it's usually to a podcast - quite often one about books although there aren't actually many literary podcasts I enjoy. Favourite is Book Club Review - which covers a hugely eclectic range, with some really interesting commentary and discussion. Most read author: Ann Morgan I've only read one book by Ann Morgan this year, but that's been supplemented by constant reading of posts and lists on her website A Year Of Reading Around The World. These have really opened my eyes to global literature, a whole new ball (reading?) game for me. She's probably had more influence on me than any other writer this year. Otherwise, the most books I've read from any author is two: David Fairer (see below) and Anthony Powell. Recommended re-read: A Maigret Christmas by Georges Simenon Three short stories, just one about Maigret, all excellent, although the second (non-Maigret) was the best for me, real edge of the seat stuff, especially as I'd forgotten the plot. A contender for best short stories too. Worst book: The Department of Sensitive Crimes by Alexander McCall Smith Read for a book group. I wouldn't touch another McCall Smith with a barge pole unless I had to - I've tried a few times and none have been anything but awful. This was worse than most. Let's move on. Book you didn't get around to: Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens and Ulysses by James Joyce Barnaby Rudge won this award last year - I still haven't got around to it in spite of aiming to read Charles Dickens all the way through. I also wanted to tackle Ulysses this year in its 100th year, but sadly not. Maybe in its 101st. Favourite illustrated book: The Chimes by Charles Dickens A reread for Christmas. The Dickens editions I've got are illustrated by Charles Keeping, to my mind the perfect illustrator for these books. Favourite children's book: More About Paddington by Michael Bond I don't read much children's literature, especially since retiring as a (primary) teacher, but I can go back to Paddington any time. For laugh out loud humour, a winner of any 'funny' book award too! Favourite classic: The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Lush, elegiac, stunningly beautiful writing, my Read Around The World book for Italy. One that I will return to in the near future. Your favourite short story (or short story collection): Cottongrass Summer by Roy Dennis OK, a bit of a cheat here, but, as last year, I'm going to go for the non-fiction version of the short story, the essay (but see above for some actual short stories!). And Cottongrass Summer is a superb collection of essays. Roy Dennis is the doyen of ecological restorers (or rewilders in modern lingo), with decades of experience and knowledge behind him, heavily involved with the reintroduction of the likes of red kites, ospreys and sea eagles. These largely very short essays draw on that experience, and cover a huge amount of fascinating ground in a remarkably short space (less than 200 pages), facilitated by Dennis's elegant stucturing and clear, lucid and to the point prose. I'm really looking forward to the follow-up, Mistletoe Winter, but in the meantime this was a straight 6-star read, and a strong challenger for book of the year. Favourite literary character: Samuel Johnson I know this is probably intended to be for a fictional character, but there were none this year that I quite warmed to as much, or became as interested in, as the subject of the biography by Jon Wain. This was compounded by a visit to Dr Johnson's house in Gough Square in London in September, including a very pleasant conversation on a quiet day with the caretaker/curator there (who recommended this biography to me!). Anyway you can't get much more 'literary' than Samuel Johnson! Poetry recommendation: The Odyssey by Homer I read the Everyman edition, with translation by Robert Fitzgerald, which reads as a piece of engrossing narrative poetry. Just loved it. Favourite genre: African literature I don't know whether this counts as a specific genre, but I had my eyes tweaked open last year with a couple of books discussed in book groups, and have followed up this year with more from around the continent, mainly as part of my global reading. Probably too broad and varied to be classed as a 'genre', but too good and too enjoyable not to find some way of acknowledging their impact! Books included A Grain of Wheat, The Promise, Michel the Giant, The United States of Africa. Funniest book: The Abbess of Crewe by Muriel Spark Not laugh out loud (see my children's book for that!), but for sharpness of wit and comic satire, it's hard to beat Muriel Spark, and this was, for me, one of her best. You probably had to live through Watergate to really appreciate it though, although the themes of corruption and entitlement are all too topical. Sister Gertrude, the Henry Kissinger to Sister Alexandra's Richard Nixon, is simply superb, even if barely present. Favourite biography: The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf Samuel Johnson may have been my favourite subject, but this was an outstanding biography of an absolutely fascinating person, one of the most important scientists of the Enlightenment - it has to be outstanding to beat the Jon Wain biography to this nomination. See below for more! Favourite non-fiction: The Astronomer and the Witch by Ulinka Rublack As if biography is not non-fiction...However it's good to separate the two categories apart as it gives room for another outstanding book. This was read as a follow-up to a mildly disappointing book group choice Everyone Knows Your Mother Is A Witch, fiction centred around the prosecution of Johannes Kepler's mother for witchcraft, and his involvement in it. The novel was based on this book, and whilst the former wasn't so great, I was still interested enough to get hold a copy. I'm so glad I did, as this was a complete contrast: it's a model of micro-history illuminating bigger themes, mostly around the role and treatment of women (especially older women) in early modern Europe. This was particularly relevant given topical discussions on the role and treatment of women in Qatar and Iran whilst reading this. Favourite fiction: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner @lunababymoonchild was blown away by William Faulkner, and so was I. I've not read any before, and was rather daunted going into this given its reputation as a difficult read, but it wasn't - it was utterly involving, beautifully put together, and totally unputdownable. More please! Author of the year: David Fairer Who?! Well, he's the author of two books I read this year, Chocolate House Treason and The Devil's Cathedral, the first two volumes in a murder/crime trilogy set in Queen Anne London. They're chunky, but for me brought the city of that time alive in a way that so few historical fiction writers manage. His talk for the Ilkley Literature Festival on his research into the language to ensure authenticity was fascinating, the geography is meticulous, the stories well crafted, all of which puts many far better known writers to shame. He should know his stuff too, as he's Professor Emeritus for 18th century poetry at Leeds University. The scandal is that publishers won't look at writers like him, as he's not got an agent (and hasn't been able to). More fool them. So these books are effectively self-published (with the advantage that production values are better than average paperbacks). However, they are well worth digging out. I'm about to read and am looking forward to the third which came out in the autumn: Captain Hazard's Game. Overall Book Of the Year: aaaaagggghhhh! A horrible decision. The two leading contenders,are both superb in their own ways. As a piece of writing, the Faulkner can't be beaten, one of the best i've read at any time, and I will read and reread it. However, the Wulf, whilst it might not be in the same league as a piece of prose, is an outstanding book in its own right, and has a particular resonance for me as a geographer, and as someone fascinated by that period of history. It's just so interesting! I go for one, then I go for the other..... And my conclusion is that, unlike the World Cup, I don't need to artificially create a way of splitting these books, or indeed even have to compare them. They are so different, and both absolutely brilliant in their own right. They are my two favourite books of the year, and for once I'm not going to try and choose between them. Therefor, joint winners: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner and The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf. And what about other categories? I'm going to have just one this year (but two winners...again!) as I've read quite a lot of that ilk. Favourite book in translation: One Moonlit Night by Caradog Prichard (translated from Welsh) and Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann (translated from German). Both cracking, very different, novels. The former is the story of a child growing up in a North Welsh village - very dark, but also much humour and 'light', with a megatwist that I just didn't see coming; it's lyrical, almost poetic, as one would expect from a book described by many as the greatest novel ever written in Welsh. The latter is historical fiction based around the lives of Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Gauss (which inspired me to read the Wulf biography); unlike much Geman literature it doesn't take itself too seriously, and Kehlmann writes with a lightness of touch that adds much to the readability and interest. Edited December 30, 2022 by willoyd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hux Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) Too many categories so I'll just say... Favourite Book Cover - Madonna in a Fur Coat (closely followed by both Tarjei Vesaas books 'The Birds' and 'The Ice Palace'). Retailer - pretty much exclusively Amazon. Most Read Author - Moravia Worst Book - The Blind Owl Favourite Literary Character - Cecilia (Boredom). Non-Fiction - Journal of a Disappointed Man by Barbellion. Overall Book of The Year - My Friends (Bove) and Boredom (Moravia) with serval hounrable mentions. Edited December 30, 2022 by Hux Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
France Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Favourite book cover The Feast by Margaret Kennedy, I saw this in a bookshop in Paris and had to have it. The book was as good as the cover. Picture below Favourite book shop/retailer Galignani , one, if not the, oldest English bookshops on the continent and a browsing delight. My go-to every time I'm in Paris. Audiobook La Belle Sauvage by Phillip Pullman, read by Michael Sheen. The narration is so sublime that the audio is almost better than the book. . Most read author Surprisingly Akbir Mukajee's detective novels set in 1920's Calcutta. My husband had the set and I discovered them. Recommended re-read I didn't re-read any books as such though I did read a couple of books that I'd listened to on audio first, I'll be re-reading Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo, definitely. Not worth bothering with The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, it sounded absolutely my cup of tea, but the writing was clumsy, the plot ditto and the homosexual element was thrust at you (incidentally that's not a homophobic issue, I dislike banging on about heterosexual themes just as strongly). Really disappointing The book I most wanted to read in 2022, but didn't I've managed to beg, borrow or buy most of the books I really wanted to read this year but not Amongst Our Weapons bu Ben Aaronovitch. Ah well, it's coming out in paperback soon. Biggest literary let-down of 2022! Probably The Magician by Colm Toibin, by no means the worst book of the year but I generally love anything by Toibin, not this one though. It was a slog, far too long and it seemed as if Toibin was stuck between knowing whether to write a biography or a novel and ending up with a lot of the disadvantages of both. Your recommended classic of 2022! I'm ashamed to admit I don't appear to have read any classics this year! Favourite literary character of 2022! Not sure he's my favourite but the most memorable is definitely Barrington (Barry) Walker from Bernadine Evaristo's Mr Loverman. I chose this for my bookgroup who normally like rather soft books and they were all transfixed, if rather appalled by the gay cruising. I used to live by Clapham Common so I barely noticed that part! Favourite genre of 2022! Not exactly a genre but I discovered that I'd gravitated towards reading a lot of books by Black authors, Bernadine Evaristo, N K Jemisin, Octavia Butler and Brit Bennet among others. The funniest book in 2022! Probably Jodi Taylor's Time Police series (I don't like St Mary's anything as much). Jane and Grint's date makes me giggle every time I think of it. Favourite biography of 2022! Elizabeth of the German Garden by Jennifer Walker which I originally got simply because I was presenting Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim to my book club and wanted background material. She was a fascinating woman, very forward thinking and highly intelligent. Non-fiction recommendation of 2022! A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coultard, how the modern world has been shaped by sheep and their wool (did you know that Viking sails were made of wool or that the earliest woolen garment discovered is a cloak dating back to 6000BC?) Informative, amusing and full of the sort of facts you can't wait to pass on. Fiction book of the year, 2022 Girl, Woman, Other. Just brilliant. Author of the year, 2022 Bernadine Evaristo. Mr Loverman isn't quite as brilliant as Girl, Woman, Other but even so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KEV67 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Fiction book of the year, 2022 Clarissa, or the History of a Young Lady, by Samuel Richardson. This was the stand out book for me this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted January 1, 2023 Share Posted January 1, 2023 I don't think I read any outstanding books last year. No 10 out of 10s and I don't think there were any 9 out of 10s either, oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Your favourite book cover of 2022! None really jumped out at me this year but if I had to choose one to put on the wall it would be The Leopard edition by Vintage. Click here to see Your favourite publisher of 2022! I've probably read more books published by Vintage than anyone else so it's only fair I mention them. I do really love Penguin Classics though so they get my vote. My collection of them grows a little every year. Your favourite book shop/retailer of 2022! My local used bookshop The Eagle Bookshop. I have spent hours in there browsing the vast shelves. It's my go-to place to find anything unusual or out of print and the staff are fantastic. Your audiobook recommendation of 2022! Living Better by Alastair Campbell. This book is about Campbell's experiences with depression and is narrated by him. Not only is he completely open about how depression has driven him to the edge of suicide a few times but he also talks about family who have also suffered. Your most read author of 2022! John Gardner. I have continued to read through all of the James Bond books this year and this mean I have read a lot of Gardner's Bond. Sometimes he does a decent job but in truth most of his Bond books have been disappointing to me. Your recommended re-read of 2022! Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This is my third time reading it and this was the book that convinced me that I am capable of enjoying the classics and that they are often worth the effort. I have taken my time on the third read and actually made notes in the margins or a book for the first time. Your book that wasn't worth bothering with in 2022! No absolute stinkers this year but Brokenclaw by John Gardner stands out. It contains all the worst Bond tropes from the movies and leans heavily into using a bad guy who is a foreigner with a disability. It reads just like a book written for the money and nothing else. The book you most wanted to read in 2022, but didn't get too award! There are plenty of books that I could give as an asnwer but I think I will opt for The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. I tried to be quite deliberate with my reading choices in 2022 and pick longer books and book I had been putting off. I think I did pretty well in that respect but this book remained on the shelf. Maybe I'll get to it this year? Your biggest literary let-down of 2022! A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion. I'm not sure how this ended up in my ever growing wishlist but it did and so I bought it at some point. I found the story pretty incoherent and I really hated the characters. Some of the prose was pretty nice but not nice enough to save my opinion of the book. Your favourite illustrated book of 2022! I'm not sure if it really counts as it's not a graphic novel but I'll go for the Folio Society edition of Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. The illustrations in this edition are by Jo Breese, AKA Vector That Fox. The style of illustration works really well with the book and I wouldn't mind getting a few prints for my home office walls. Your children's book recommendation of 2022! N/A Your recommended classic of 2022! To avoid chosing the same book twice (Crime and Punishment) I will chose The Lord of the Rings. This was the first time I had read the trilogy and although I didn't think it was perfect I did really enjoy it. I think it helped that I didn't remember much from the movies so although I had a general idea of the plot it felt pretty fresh to me. Your favourite short story (or collection of short stories) of 2022! I didn't read any short stories in 2022. Your favourite literary character of 2022! Only one literary character really jumps out at me for this question, Sherlock Holmes. I started to work my way through Conan Doyle's work in 2022 and read The Sign of Four and I'm almost finished with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I am impressed that Holmes can be portrayed as a sleuthing genius but still not come across as a smart-arse. Your poetry recommendation of 2022! N/A. Your favourite genre of 2022! Whenever I want to read something I'm almost certain I'll enjoy I reach for crime fiction. Some are obviously better than others but even the poorer ones usually have enough to keep me entertained. I was tempted to go back an re-read the Wallander series by Henning Mankell in 2022 but instead I started to read more of Val McDermid's work. I think this paid off as she is a fantastic crime writer as long as you aren't too squeamish. The funniest book you read in 2022! I don't think I read a single thing that made me laugh in 2022. I'll have to change this in 2023. Your favourite biography of 2022! The remarkable Churchill by Andrew Roberts. Superbly researched, really well paced, and well written without feeling like a plod is quite an achievement given it's length. I worried that this might just turn into a boring book filled with facts and figures and pointless minutiae but it was far from this. There have been plenty of books written about Churchill over the years but I can't imagine any would be better than this one. Your non-fiction recommendation of 2022! As above, Churchill by Andrew Roberts. Your fiction book of the year, 2022! The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carre. This is the third book in the George Smiley series and although I thought the first two were ok I wasn't expecting much from this. I was disappointed that there is little in the way of espionage in the first two books but this one finally gets there. Strangely, Smiley isn't the main character and instead we follow Alec Leamas as he attempts to bring down the head of East German intelligence. The way le Carre slowly but steadily ratchets up the tension is masterful. Having read it, I can see why it is held in such wide acclaim. Your author of the year, 2022! I have no answer for this one as I can't say that any have really jumped out at me above any of the others. Your overall book of the year, 2022! I will be a bit cheeky here and name two books, one fiction, one non-fiction. The non-fiction one is probably pretty obvious by now, Churchill by Andrew Roberts. For the fiction book I am going to pick something that wasn't even my highest rated fiction book of 2022. I am going to choose The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu. It's been a long time since a fiction book had me thinking so much about it's ideas. I didn't expect it to engage me as much as it did and I really couldn't put it down. An honourable mention also need to go to Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. For a large part of 2022 I really struggled to fall in love with anything I read. While I didn't fall in love with this book it did spark something in me which re-started my reading mojo. I honestly think that had I not read this when I did I would have struggled with my reading for the rest of the year. Your Most Surprising Book of the year 2022! The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu for the reasons stated above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 5, 2023 Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 (edited) On 12/31/2022 at 5:49 PM, France said: Favourite book cover The Feast by Margaret Kennedy, I saw this in a bookshop in Paris and had to have it. The book was as good as the cover. Picture below A great read - and a great cover too. She's a writer I want to read more of, and managed to pick up nice copies of The Ladies of Lyndon and Where Stands A Winged Sentry (her WW2 memoirs) in our local Oxfam bookshop - an early read for 2023! On 12/31/2022 at 5:49 PM, France said: Favourite literary character of 2022! Not sure he's my favourite but the most memorable is definitely Barrington (Barry) Walker from Bernadine Evaristo's Mr Loverman. I chose this for my bookgroup who normally like rather soft books and they were all transfixed, if rather appalled by the gay cruising. I used to live by Clapham Common so I barely noticed that part! Fiction book of the year, 2022 Girl, Woman, Other. Just brilliant. Author of the year, 2022 Bernadine Evaristo. Mr Loverman isn't quite as brilliant as Girl, Woman, Other but even so... Can only agree! Absolutely loved Girl, Woman, Other, which was my book of the year in 2019, with Mr Loverman not far removed in 2020, although agree it doesn't quite match GWO. Edited January 5, 2023 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 5, 2023 Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 On 1/3/2023 at 3:47 PM, Brian. said: Y The book you most wanted to read in 2022, but didn't get too award! There are plenty of books that I could give as an asnwer but I think I will opt for The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. I tried to be quite deliberate with my reading choices in 2022 and pick longer books and book I had been putting off. I think I did pretty well in that respect but this book remained on the shelf. Maybe I'll get to it this year? I can recommend it - it had me well engaged! I suppose it depends on whether you like George Eliot - it's pretty classically her! On 1/3/2023 at 3:47 PM, Brian. said: Your favourite biography of 2022! The remarkable Churchill by Andrew Roberts. Superbly researched, really well paced, and well written without feeling like a plod is quite an achievement given it's length. I worried that this might just turn into a boring book filled with facts and figures and pointless minutiae but it was far from this. There have been plenty of books written about Churchill over the years but I can't imagine any would be better than this one. I've got this one on my TBR shelf, having read Roy Jenkins's biography a couple of years ago. That was well-written, and avoided those traps that you outline, but the Roberts book has had some pretty impressive reviews. I'm always wary of his politics, but he is eminently readable! On 1/3/2023 at 3:47 PM, Brian. said: Your Most Surprising Book of the year 2022! The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu for the reasons stated above. That appeals - on to my TBR wishlist! We'll have to agree to disagree on Where the Crawdads Sing though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 5 hours ago, willoyd said: I can recommend it - it had me well engaged! I suppose it depends on whether you like George Eliot - it's pretty classically her! I read Silas Marner about 3 years ago and I really enjoyed it but for some reason never got round to picking up The Mill on the Floss. 5 hours ago, willoyd said: I've got this one on my TBR shelf, having read Roy Jenkins's biography a couple of years ago. That was well-written, and avoided those traps that you outline, but the Roberts book has had some pretty impressive reviews. I'm always wary of his politics, but he is eminently readable! I had no idea about his political opinions and having just read his Wikipedia page I can safely say that I would disagree with most of his politics. It does explain why he gives Churchill a bit of a free ride when it comes to the more controversial things he did earlier in his political life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KEV67 Posted January 7, 2023 Share Posted January 7, 2023 Come to think of it, Ubik by Phillip K Dick was a hell of a book. It was sort of science fiction, so put it under genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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