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Original poster

The best books you read in 2005 ...

37 replies

spacedonkey · 04/01/2006 11:49

Along the lines of the book choices that appear in all the papers at the end of the year, what were the best books you've read in the last year (old and new)?

My top picks are:

We Need To Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver (stunning, gripping, thought-provoking)

The Reader - Bernhard Schlink (moving, beautifully written spare prose, thought-provoking)

The Brothers - Bernice Rubens (epic family saga, now revisiting as many of her books as possible)

An Intimate History of Humanity - Theodore Zeldin (original, brilliant)

Toast - Nigel Slater (made me cry, unputdownable)

Cooking with Fernet Branca - James Hamilton-Paterson (funny, quirky)

The Diary of a Nobody - George and Weedon Grossmith (but I read that every year)

Is it just me or is everything shit? - Lowe/MacArthur (excellent next-to-the-toilet curmudgeonliness)

OP posts:
Original poster
spacedonkey · 04/01/2006 11:54

oh and I did enjoy the new Harry Potter ...

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 04/01/2006 11:58

I liked Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince .

A Year in the Merde

Is It Just Me or Is EVerything Shit?

Fleshmarket Close

The Chronicles of Narnia

Water, Carry Me

Bel Canto

The Music of the Spheres

PrincessPeaHead · 04/01/2006 11:59

Kite runner. excellent

Original poster
spacedonkey · 04/01/2006 12:00

ooh I enjoyed Bel Canto too

OP posts:
robinpud · 04/01/2006 12:07

similar to space donkey's list.
Once in a house on fire - Andrea Ashworth
Small island - Andrea Levy
Hens Dancing- Raffaella Barker- I re read annually as my parenting manual!

anything by Isabel Allende City of Beasts

LionBoy-Zizou Corder
Because of Winn dixie- Kate di Camillo- both excellent children's books!

orangina · 04/01/2006 12:08

saturday by ian mcewan.....

sevensuzyswongsaswimming · 04/01/2006 12:32

ooooh is there a new ian macewan?
I"ve just finished Amsterdam and I must haver more!

Mine has to be Case Histories and Never Let Me Go

Original poster
spacedonkey · 04/01/2006 12:57

I'm waiting for Saturday and Never Let Me Go to come out in paperback - really looking forward to reading them

OP posts:
saltire · 04/01/2006 13:11

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Fleshmarket Clos- Ian Rankin

The Number 1 ladies detective agency - Alexander McCall Smith

and loads of others that i've read tons of times before

ItllBeLonelymumThisChristmas · 04/01/2006 13:18

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (plus HP books 3,4 and 5 which I also read for the first time this year).

Harry Thompson's This Thing of darkness

Robert Goddard's Into The Blue

Didn't think so much of Captain Corelli's Mandolin though.

Can't remember what else I read!

stitch · 05/01/2006 20:25

time travellors wife!

mummytosteven · 05/01/2006 20:28

Small Island by Andrea Levy
Oranges are not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson.
Both books by Fred Vargas (french thrillers)
Never let her go by Kazuo Ishiguro

mummytosteven · 05/01/2006 20:30

And the Sixth Lamentation by William Broderick

tamum · 05/01/2006 20:32

Case Histories, definitely. Found Saturday very disappointing. I really enjoyed State of the Nation by Douglas Kennedy- not really deep, but very believable.

Caribbeanqueen · 05/01/2006 20:33

Kite Runner - brilliant

Salsa · 05/01/2006 20:40

Harry Potter (JKR)
100 years of solitude (Gabrielle Garcia MArquez)
Cry the Beloved Country
The Take ( I like Martina Cole)
Blindness

Off hand can't remember the authors.
I will try to think of more, I read about 5-6 per month.

Any recommendations very welcome. Will be back in UK for a few days next week and can stock up.

going4potty · 05/01/2006 21:09

mourning ruby, cant remember author

tiredemma · 05/01/2006 21:15

loved case histories, thought it was a fantastic book.

sobernow · 05/01/2006 21:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mercy · 05/01/2006 21:24

Hidden Lives - Margaret Forster

Must add - I love Diary of a Nobody and Oranges are not the Only Fruit

Lesul · 05/01/2006 21:34

One of the best books I read this year was The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud - by Ben Sherwood, if you liked the Lovely Bones you will also like this book. I have found some of the books recommended in Richard & Judy's book club to be good reads - there are a few of this year's choices in the shops just now and I have bought a few of them as they do look very interesting. If you go to this website you can see all of the 04 and 05 winners and the new recommendations for 06. www.richardandjudybookclub.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?langId=100&storeId=10101&catalogId=15201&categoryId=15551&top=Y

Nightynight · 05/01/2006 21:38

the Tortilla Curtain by T C Boyle - heart rending, but a must read.

the Harry Potter books - they really are good.

Anna Karenina - yes, I only just got round to reading it, worth the wait though!

The Reader by Bernard Schink

Marina · 09/01/2006 09:53

Case Histories for me - welcome return to form from Ms Atkinson.
On the light and silly front, I enjoyed Jenny Eclair's book about a dire holiday, Having a Lovely Time.
Finally succeeded with Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon, a book I enjoyed but kept getting tugged away from.
Re-read all my Jonathan Coes as usual and my Robertson Davies

cod · 09/01/2006 09:56

Message withdrawn

bakedpotato · 09/01/2006 09:59

Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty