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Find reading inspiration on our Book of the Month forum.

MNHQ have commented on this thread

Find reading inspiration on our Book of the Month forum.

MNHQ have commented on this thread

Book of the month

Bookclub: Book of the month 2013 - which was your favourite?

25 replies

RachelMumsnet · 12/12/2013 23:01

Bookclub 2013 was a vintage year: We laughed, we cried, our jaws dropped as plots twisted, we reflected over beautiful prose and we enjoyed flirty banter with Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Above all we read some cracking good books and had the chance to meet the authors and chat about their work. But which was YOUR FAVOURITE Mumsnet book club book of 2013?

Once you've made your choice, cast your vote. Everyone who votes in our poll will be entered into a draw to win the entire backlist of Bookclub 2013 books - a whopping 10 fantastic novels. VOTE NOW.

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IamHuman · 13/12/2013 21:31

Sad that my favourite writer, Khaled Hosseini's book 'And the mountains echoed' didn't even feature on the MN book club. One helluva book!! Read it, girls, it will not disappoint you.

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DuchessofMalfi · 14/12/2013 08:58

Human - according to the Bookclub newsletter, it's coming up in May next year, so you'll get your wish then :). I'm reading A Thousand Splendid Suns next month for another bookclub I belong to - looking forward to it.

I struggled to narrow it down to one book, but I think The Innocents by Francesca Segal was probably the best one for me, although I didn't read all of them. Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell came a very close second - enjoyed it very much.

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SunshinePanda · 14/12/2013 14:01

So excited when Maggie O'Farrell was on the list as I love her books. After careful thought though, I think because it was so gripping, I'm voting for Gone Girl. Like Duchess, it is a very close second. Not read The Innocents - think I perhaps should. Thanks MN book club - looking forward to more new literary discoveries next year!

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mindingalongtime · 14/12/2013 15:04

I found Gone Girl a little disappointing at the end, almost as though the author had run out of time to write anymore, it doesn't get my vote.

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AliceMumsnet · 16/12/2013 10:03

Thanks for joining in the discussion. Remember to be in with a chance of winning all of this year's book club choices make sure you cast your vote in our poll linked in the original post. Good luck!
MNHQ x

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RachelMumsnet · 16/12/2013 10:04

@IamHuman

Sad that my favourite writer, Khaled Hosseini's book 'And the mountains echoed' didn't even feature on the MN book club. One helluva book!! Read it, girls, it will not disappoint you.

We're very happy to tell you that And the Mountains Echoed is book of the month in May 2014 (we always feature the books as they come out in paperback) and Khaled will be joining us for an online chat at the end of May (date tbc). Here's a list of the other books we have lined up for 2014

Jan 2014: Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty
Feb 2014: Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld
Mar 2014: Harvest by Jim Crace
Apr 2014: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
May 2014: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

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HanneHolm · 16/12/2013 10:08

the yellow birds thing was a VERY odd choice.
i find the book club choices are always a bit behind the Zeitgeist - i have read three of next years' already

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HanneHolm · 16/12/2013 10:08

maggie farrell book was SO bad

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DuchessofMalfi · 16/12/2013 18:12

I didn't read The Yellow Birds with the bookclub but borrowed it from the library several months later. I thought it was an incredible novel. Not at all what I was expecting - brutal, honest, it made me cry.

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mum2jakie · 16/12/2013 21:16

I've voted for A M Holmes.

Would love to read 'And the mountains echoed' next year.

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Belo · 16/12/2013 23:09

I've voted... But, only managed to read about half of the books this year. So, maybe my vote should be reduced to half a vote!

I'm wondering if in years to come the Mumsnet Book of the Year will equal the Booker in stature!

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MummyBtothree · 17/12/2013 20:06

Alfie's Christmas by Shirley Hughes. Its a beautiful book, all-round.

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tully67 · 17/12/2013 20:13

So many books, so little time. Close call between Harold Fry and Prisoner of Heaven for me.

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HanneHolm · 18/12/2013 07:42

Er.. Mummytothree we are on adult books?!

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RachelMumsnet · 19/12/2013 10:04

Still time to cast your votes. Voting will close on Sunday midnight and we'll announce the winner on Monday morning.

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RachelMumsnet · 19/12/2013 10:12

@HanneHolm

the yellow birds thing was a VERY odd choice.
i find the book club choices are always a bit behind the Zeitgeist - i have read three of next years' already

Behind the Zeitgeist

We have considered choosing books when they're first out but decided it;s more inclusive if we choose books when they're first published in paperback. We think it works well like this but we're happy to reconsider - anyone else any thoughts on this?

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AlaskaNebraska · 19/12/2013 11:31

Ah that's why then. I'm a kindle merchant

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DuchessofMalfi · 19/12/2013 12:59

I'd prefer it if books were available at a reasonable price in paperback or on kindle, so I could join in if not lucky enough to get one of the free ones.

If they were only available in hardback, I'd have to rely on the library being able to supply one in time. I don't mind being behind the zeitgeist :o. A good book's good whenever you get to read it.

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sassolino · 19/12/2013 13:25

I haven't been a part of the Book Club but have read about half of the listed titles. Voted for The Prisoner of Heaven, for me it's an obvious winner.
And the worst book of the year that I read was Where'd you go, Bernadette? It was just awful, I regret the time wasted on it. I didn't care to find out what happened to Bernadette, good riddance to her, all I can say.

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AlaskaNebraska · 19/12/2013 16:48

oh i loved bernadette

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Ruby6918 · 21/12/2013 19:14

Instructions for a heatwave is not to be missed, its a suburban story written brilliantly. with mystery and suspense and you really get to know the characters and can almost feel the heat, as the story unfolds, i loved it, maggie o'farrell never ever fails, id recommend it to anyone!

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AlaskaNebraska · 21/12/2013 22:09

I fancied it. Ignored the terrible reviews on amazon. Liked the first few chapters then YAWN

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AliceMumsnet · 23/12/2013 15:03

Hello!

Thanks to everyone who voted in our poll for your favourite Mumsnet book club novel of 2013.

Congratulations to Belo who has won all of the 10 books in our book club list this year! We will pm you with details on how to claim your prize. We are excited to start our book club for 2014, kicking off with Louise Doughty's Apple Tree Yard. So please feel free to get yourself a copy and join in the discussion here

Happy Reading and Merry Christmas!
MNHQ x

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RachelMumsnet · 24/12/2013 08:32

...And the Mumsnet book club favourite book of 2013 is: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Followed in joint second place by Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell and Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

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Belo · 09/01/2014 15:46

Thank you so much mumsnet for the books. They arrived today. I've been playing with them like a child, arranging them out in order of how I'm goign to read/re-read them! DH won't be seeing me for a while!

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