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Original poster

What's your 'Book of the Decade'?

117 replies

toomuchsplother · 27/12/2019 21:22

Someone has just asked me this! Such a hard one and obviously everyone is going to have a totally different idea.
I am going with 'Lincoln in the Bardo' by George Saunders, which I know is a 'marmite book' but blew me away when I read it.
I have reread it at least 3 times, gifted and recommended it lots too.
Watching with interest to see other people's choices..

OP posts:
Mozartinmyfanjo · 01/01/2020 22:39

I am going to add:
The Heart's Invisible Furies
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
Tin Man
I second: Home fires, God in Ruins and many other already mentioned.
Adding Lincoln and little life to my 20s read list Xmas Smile

RozHuntleysStump · 01/01/2020 22:32

The Goldfinch. God I loved that book.

Welshwabbit · 01/01/2020 22:24

If we are going for books published this decade, I would also have Life After Life and A God In Ruins (never really got the fuss about Atkinson before those two), but also Faithful Place, Broken Harbour and The Secret Place from Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. I think French is brilliant, and those three are my favourites.

I am sure there are others I've forgotten.

Original poster
toomuchsplother · 01/01/2020 20:12

Really interesting looking over some of these choices . However... time is flying faster than we think because when I looked up the publication dates on some of these I was shocked-

Behind the scenes at the museum 1995
Miss Smillas feeling for snow 1992
Hunger games - only the last was written in 2010
American wife - 2008
A thousand splendid suns - 2008

OP posts:
MandalaYogaTapestry · 01/01/2020 19:08

I didn't enjoy All the light we cannot see either and was struggling to finish it

In terms of the most prominent book, it's a hard one to call as there have been many

I was absolutely overwhelmed by The Good Samaritan by John Marrs, it was the first time ever that I felt compelled to look up the author's social media page and leave a message saying how just how much it struck me

bohemia14 · 01/01/2020 18:47

The Goldfinch. I read a lot but this was the one that instantly came to mind.

mamaduckbone · 01/01/2020 18:40

A Little Life was exhausting but I did feel a sense of achievement after finishing it.

mamaduckbone · 01/01/2020 18:38

Too many...
The Goldfinch maybe, A Man Called Ove, Eleanor Oliphant is up there...but in terms of books that I absolutely couldn't put down the Hunger Games trilogy takes some beating.
I seem to be the only person on the planet who found All the lights we cannot see really hard work.

JustMyName · 01/01/2020 18:22

Hmm ...

Eleanor Oliphant
Life after life
Behind the scenes at the museum
The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold fry
Perfect
The girl on the train
Before I go to sleep
Miss Smillas feeling for snow
A man called Ove

SatsukiKusakabe · 01/01/2020 15:46

I’ve read and enjoyed a lot of the books mentioned, and could make a case for a few if I thought about it, and sure I’ve forgotten some great ones, but going to go with what immediately sprang to mind - Milkman by Anna Burns. Had such an extraordinary, rewarding experience reading it and has one of my favourite narrators ever.

Effiedg · 01/01/2020 04:00

The Girl on the Train.

Nikki360 · 01/01/2020 03:11

Where the Crawdads sing I just loved it. Beautiful story highly recommend it

MaJoady · 01/01/2020 02:56

Hard one, but given inspiration from earlier pp suggestions, The Narrow Road to the Deep North has to be a very strong contender. There are moments in that book which will never leave me.

I'm part way through A Little Life though so we shall see. It's good, but hasn't pulled me in just yet.

Badassmama · 01/01/2020 01:02

Gotta be the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch

Ryslady · 31/12/2019 12:29

Place marking for later!

Deecaff · 31/12/2019 12:18

Life After Life
American Wife
All the Light we Cannot see.

Like a pp I feel I got more out of books and reading in the decade 1990 - 2000. More time..too many distractions these days.

Grinchly · 30/12/2019 19:13

Life after life and a God in ruins for me too.
Fabulous.

MrsPatterson2014 · 30/12/2019 18:46

Bring up the Bodies
The Luminaries
All the Light We Cannot See
The Goldfinch
A Little Life

AllTheWhoresOfMalta · 30/12/2019 17:06

I’m not sure what my answer is. Potentially How Not to be a Boy by Robert Webb if we are allowed non-fiction.

Clawdy · 30/12/2019 16:49

It's very uplifting in its own strange way, and the child death has some heartbreaking moments, but in no way harrowing, and the the little boy is not a very young child.

paintedfences · 30/12/2019 15:10

I'm so tempted to read Lincoln in the Bardo but since I had my baby ds anything about people's children dying goes through me like a knife, I don't know if i could cope with it! Could anyone give me an idea of exactly how much weeping it would likely cause? Is it at all hopeful?

Pinkarsedfly · 30/12/2019 09:06

Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

There have been some stunning books published so far this century.

lunasunshine · 30/12/2019 09:06

A Thousand Splendid Suns. That book definitely made the biggest impression on me this decade.

workffs · 30/12/2019 09:04

Placemark to come back too later...

maidenover · 30/12/2019 09:02

I haven’t read as many books as I would have liked this decade, but in fiction my favourite has to be Life after Life.

In non-fiction I really enjoyed ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lack’ it was fascinating both in terms of her story and also the story of how medical science has moved from the pursuit of discovery to the pursuit of cash. I also think ‘Invisible Women’ by Caroline Criado Perez should be read by everyone.

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