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Original poster

What's the best books you've read in the last 12 months?

231 replies

lizkt · 03/09/2021 00:07

American Dirt really stands out for me.

Looking for some new books to read so would love to hear any ideas.

OP posts:
FritataPatate · 12/12/2021 20:14

Alongside Hamnet, Small Pleasures and The Girl with The Louding Voice, I'm really enjoying Shuggie Bain!

Crapoldwardrobe · 11/12/2021 22:34

Jessie cave - Sunset

Yorkshire44 · 11/12/2021 22:01

Antwork by Anders Drachen. Teaches economics and technology to children/tweens/teens and is a pretty good read too.

Scarby9 · 11/12/2021 21:58

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Fireworksatforty · 11/12/2021 21:53

The watchmaker of filigree street. Didn't realise it was written years ago and can't believe I missed it until now. On the sequel at the moment.

madamehooch · 11/12/2021 21:44

How to Kill Your Family
The Appeal

WarblingWith · 11/12/2021 16:25

I'm really enjoying Mythos by Stephen Fry at the moment
I also loved Wintering by Katherine May
And I've read three of Michael Gayle's novels this year and enjoyed them all

BillinaTheChickenQueen · 11/12/2021 16:18

I couldn’t finish Snuggie Bain either. I wanted to love it but found it dragged.

BillinaTheChickenQueen · 11/12/2021 16:16

Really loved American Dirt, despite the controversy.
Where The Crawdads Sing
A Man Called Ove (Late to the party I know)
Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Both Thursday Murder Club books.
Girl, Woman,Other.
The Midnight Library.

HunterGatherer · 10/12/2021 23:51

@jobsagudden

Not a new book but I Am Pilgrim, the best book I've ever read.
Completely agree. Although in my case its joint number one with A town like Alice.
evtheria · 10/12/2021 22:35

Pachinko
Humankind: A Hopeful History
both the Richard Osman books, oddly comforting!
Slow Horses
The Inheritors
China (Rutherfurd)

PanicBuyingSprouts · 10/12/2021 19:45

How did I forget Hamnet!

PanicBuyingSprouts · 10/12/2021 19:44

David Copperfield closely followed by Fight Club although neither are perhaps as recent as you are after Smile

user1487194234 · 10/12/2021 19:24

Hamnet ,Mayflies,
Loved both

3wheels · 10/12/2021 08:27

I loved American Dirt and still keep thinking about it.
Where the Crawdads sing
Should we fall behind - beautiful book
The fine art of invisible detection

Newmum738 · 10/12/2021 07:12

Pachinko - Min Jin Lee
Betty - Tiffany McDaniel
The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah
The House at Riverton - Kate Morton
Memorial - Bryan Washington
Crawdads
American Dirt
The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett
The Bee Keepers Promise - Fiona Valpy

So many amazing books this year!

Hallelujah2020 · 10/12/2021 06:57

I’m just reading The coward by Jarred McGinnis. It was one of the books reviewed on Between the covers and sounded brilliant. So far it’s living up to the reviews

willy9 · 09/12/2021 11:44

I'm reading books mostly related to psychology, spirituality, self esteem emotional intelligence and life coaching. I think these topics are not too much covered in our life and despite they are very important for our lives. Life coaching can assist you to deal with your life problems, with the help of life coaching and counselling we can create empathy in people to help others by feeling their pain and sorrows.

tearinghairout · 01/12/2021 20:00

The Star of the Sea. It's a murder mystery set in around 1840 on a ship going from Ireland to the US, with people escaping the potato famine. It includes a lot of contemporary newspaper articles, songs, etc and so works on different levels. It's far and away the best book I've read recently. I loved A Gentleman In Moscow too.

Am struggling with Hamnet. Beautifully written yes, but toooo muuuch description. Also I'm a third of the way through and we still haven't got the doctor to sick Judith yet (from right at the beginning). To keep readers dangling like that is unforgivable, I think.

EmmaStone · 30/11/2021 15:47

My 5* reviews so far this read are for:

Piranesi - I thought this was absolutely beautiful, and so original.
Trio - I love most William Boyd
American Dirt - couldn't put it down, was in a constant state of anxiety.

Currently reading Shuggie Bain - so harrowing, but I'm completely engulfed in it.

YourenutsmiLord · 29/11/2021 08:24

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz on audiobook read by Roy Kinnear was a good lighthearted (relatively for a murder) listen.

TheShadoutCrepes · 29/11/2021 07:17

I enjoyed Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir so much that the moment I finished the audiobook I restarted from the beginning again.
Similar in tone to The Martian “I’m going to have to science the shit out of this” but even more exciting. It’s such a warm, positive and optimistic book. Just what I needed in my life given everything else we are living through at the moment.
I’ve already bought two copies to give away as presents.

Needsomethingtoread · 29/11/2021 07:04

I’ve just finished reading The killing fields after watching the film.

whitehorsesdonotlie · 29/11/2021 06:58

The once and future witches - Alix Harrow

Amazing writing.

YourenutsmiLord · 29/11/2021 06:50

I'm Scottish and older than most posters - I didn't finish Shuggie Bain, found it quite harrowing, shocking and in the very recent past. I'm surprised at people saying it's a 'great read' when it's v sad imv and based on fact not fiction.

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