all the books in the world

Random screenshot from my Goodreads reading challenge page

When I was checking-in on my Goodreads page the other day, I noticed that I am miles ahead of schedule for my reading challenge. I like setting myself goals but I don't like not achieving those goals, a perennial source of annoyance. Alas, I read way more than I had hoped I might find time for. When I say reading I do mean listening to, most of the books I enjoyed this year were audiobooks and most of these I listened to while doing other stuff, like chores and walking the dog. Listening to a captivating story while doing chores makes those chores so much less tedious. 

I worked my way through a number of crime series. Most notably, the DCI Mathilda Clarke series by Michael Wood, which I rather enjoyed even though no single police woman can possibly encounter that much gruesome crime during a single career in one city (Sheffield) and have that many members of her team killed on duty. 

I also plowed my way through the DS Washington Poe series by M.W. Craven, which is also set in Northern England, Cumbria mostly. 

I caught up with a few series that I have been listening to for years, for example the latest instalment of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series, set in Three Pines in rural Quebec. Not a place I'd be keen to visit, all things considering. 

All things considered, I probably prefer crime fiction that does not revolve around a maverick detective but this seems to be a rare feature of crime fiction (and definitely not reflected in my reading). I do like William Wisting, a perfectly normal, possibly somewhat boring detective with the Norwegian Police. This series, if I remember correctly are authored by Jørn Lier Horst.

I have been revisiting 1960s science fiction, by Arthur C Clarke and Stanislaw Lem. I rather enjoyed Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke and the first two books in the Rama series. I liked the two final instalments less but was very keen to find out who the Ramans were and persevered. I still don't know. I like science fiction from this time period, it is incongruous both with the 1960s and also the future portrayed in the stories. A bit like the original Star Trek series, I suppose. I didn't like Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, too much fluff around the story, which was interesting enough. 

I discovered spooky stories (aka gothic fiction?), not a genre I have previously explored much. I really liked C.J. Cooke's The Lighthouse Witches and The Ghost Woods. I also really liked The Whistling by Rebecca Netley. Neither were books that I could listen to quickly, they were the kind of stories that make you look over your shoulder nervously to check who is there. Coincidentally, all were set in Scotland.

What about favourite books? In no particular order

Forever Home by Graham Norton - narrated by Graham Norton himself. My British readers will probably be familiar with Graham Norton from his television career but maybe less familiar with his writing. This book was witty, funny and tragic. 

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. This a favourite author of mine, has been for a long time. Unfortunately for me, she is not a prolific writer but what she publishes is just wonderful and not to be missed. 

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. Another favourite author of mine. I have yet to read a book by her that I don't like. This book taught me so much about Cyprus and its socio political history, none of which I knew in any detail. 

Songbirds by Christine Lefteri. Also set in Cyprus but with a different focus, here on foreign domestic workers. 

Eversion by Alastair Reynolds. Science fiction with historic twist. I loved that one, maybe best described as an adventure through space and time.

The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier. I am not sure how to best describe it. Science fiction set in the current year? I was hooked. There is a Doppleganger theme going here as well. 

Still Life by Sarah Winman. Claude, the parrot, what can I say? I loved the human characters as well and I enjoyed exploring Florence with them.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Women in the 1950s didn't have it easy, that much is clear. Particularly those that didn't conform to societal norms. 

Last but not least, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. One of the main protagonist is an ageing giant Pacific octopus named Marcus. A light but not shallow read. 

As an audio listener, I also have favourite narrators but more on those another day. A narrator makes or breaks a story. 

Do you have any favourite books that I should read? You can find me on Goodreads if you like to see what else I have been reading.

In other news, our Christmas was pleasant and I am at this moment getting ready for a small Hogmanay party in our house. 

Happy New Year to you all 🥂