20.) The North Water, by Ian McGuire After leaving the army in disgrace, Patrick Sumner joins the crew of a whaling ship, and there clashes with the monstrous harpooner and murderer Henry Drax. Absolutely loved this. It's brutal, dark, and compelling and I loved the gritty sensory descriptions. It reminded me a little of Dan Simmon's The Terror some similar themes. Definitely one I will be rereading, but not for the faint-hearted.
21.) The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters -- Another reread. A doctor inveigles his way into the lives of a family living in a dilapidated country house which may or may not be haunted. Part ambiguous ghost story, part study of the post-war shift in social attitudes. They've filmed it apparently, to be released this summer.
22.) A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters -- Medieval murder mystery, and the first in the Brother Cadfael series. Picked this up after starting to watch the Derek Jacobi series, and thoroughly enjoyed the first one. Brother Cadfael is sent with a contingent of monks to Wales to retrieve the bones of a saint for the Abbey's altar. Once there, the nobleman opposing their quest is found murdered. Really, really enjoyed this: very readable, with a wry touch of humour, and Brother Cadfael is immensely likeable (although I'm not sure how much of that is Derek Jacobi's fault). I particularly loved how completely rooted in the Medieval world the ending is.
Hmm, I feel like I've missed one. I'll have a think and see if I can figure it out. In the meantime, I'm reading a book of short stories called Rogues, edited by George RR Martin. Struggling a little. It's the problem I usually have with books of short stories, which is that few of the stories really grab me.