What is your book of the year so far?

[Sadik]

One only, no cheating with multiples (And I am totally asking this for Christmas present purposes)

Mine is Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer. It's not the best written book I've read this year (objectively it has lots of faults), but it's the stand out for me because of the world-building, endless ideas to think about, and good characters.

My Cousin Rachel for me too. I have seldom been so on the edge of my seat with a book.

Failed to finish The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Pachinko was one of my favourite reads this year. Also Educated, and The Dry and The Fifth Season (science /fantasy)

My most anticipated read this year is Winter - dh is getting for me for Christmas. I adored Autumn, it was my book of the year last year.

impostersyndrome, yes, and the deftness of Chabon's structuring each character a comic book archetype. His touch is so light that what could be cliché is brilliance.

It's not a new book, but I read it this year.
The last days of Rabbit Hayes.

It's not about a Rabbit.
Amazing book

Mine was Educated so great to see it mentioned a few times.

Milkman, by Anna Burns. Or Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights.

A song for issy Bradley

Just beautiful

The Lido

I'm still sticking with "Heart's Invisible Furies" as my number 1, but have just read Kate Morton's new book "The Clockmaker's Daughter" that will be my number 2 I loved it.

you took the last book home by Brian Bilston for poetry.
The Witches of Cambridge by Menna von praag for fiction
Empty cradles by Margaret Humphreys for non-fiction

^bus not book!

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. It's about an unknown everyday hero in WWII in Italy, who works as a spy in the Nazi regime. Brilliant story with over 21,000 reviews on amazon. I think its going to be made into a film for TV.

Vanity Fair. Best book I’ve read this decade.

Tara Westover's Educated was great and led to the best book club discussion we've had yet.

A Gentleman in Moscow
All the Light We Cannot See

@scribblygum, what was so good about VF? I’d like to read it, but I have the concentration span of a gnat. Sell it to me!

@AgentProvocateur

Vanity Fair! Vanity Fair! Well for a start I read it twice (well listened on audiobook first, then bought the book and read it). I can’t remember the last time I did that, let alone with a book that's nearly 900 pages long. Not that it feels that long though, you get started and the Thackeray whisks you away with a fabulous plot and sparkling prose.

It’s funny. Laugh out loud funny in places, biting satirising wit in others. None of the characters are likeable, Becky in particular who is probably a psychopath but bloody hell she is a brilliant character. You sort of end up rooting for her, against your will because she is utterly ruthless and focused on getting what she wants, which given the time frame (Waterloo happens bang smack in the middle of it) is interesting given how women at that time were expected to behave.
Amelia, her counterpart makes you want to scream she's such a bloody martyr but Thackeray is very clever with what he does with her character too. They’re all complex and well written despite being used like puppets by the author to illuminate the different faults in human behaviour.

The narrator is fabulous, totally giving you the side eye/ raised eyebrow in different scenes to show his contempt for what the characters are all up to.

It’s clever, it’s funny, it’s completely engrossing. I bloody loved it. Totally smashed everything else I read this year out of the ball park. The tv version was a bloody outrage it was so shit compared to the book.
There’s every chance I'll read it again next year.

The Witchfinders’ Sister

If you are on Audible the version narrated by John Castle is excellent. He does sarcasm and contempt so well. I'm sure listening to it first helped me ‘get’ the humour in the book.

@scribblygum, sold. I’ve just ordered a copy for my mum to bring out when she visits me in February (the kindle version comes with a warning of typos, so I’d rather read the book). Thanks.

The signature of all things - Elizabeth Gilbert

The Selection (series) by Kiera Cass. Not groundbreaking and a bit young really for me, but I couldn't put them down so will have to go for them!

Hadn't thought of listening to Vanity Fair - was thinking I'd like to re-read it, but it'd get me through a LOT of washing up as an audiobook!

Just checked and I can even have it (all 31 hours) for free from the library online :)

I thought The Power was brilliant, really thought provoking.

Also loved Standard Deviation, one of those books where nothing much happens but it’s so funny