What's your 'Book of the Decade'?

[toomuchsplother]

Someone has just asked me this! Such a hard one and obviously everyone is going to have a totally different idea.
I am going with 'Lincoln in the Bardo' by George Saunders, which I know is a 'marmite book' but blew me away when I read it.
I have reread it at least 3 times, gifted and recommended it lots too.
Watching with interest to see other people's choices..

If we are going for the decade I guess we have to talk about books from 2010 onwards? Maybe 2009 at a push ...

My one feels really young and childish compared to yours, but I love the Butterfly Cove series by Sarah Bennett. I don't know whether it's because of the happy memories associated with them, but I find them really touching without meaning to be.

It looks like the Goldfinch is the mumsnet book of the decade, closely followed by the Kate Atkinsons.
I had a feeling a thousand splendid suns and the kite runner were older.

I suppose when I listed my best reads, I was thinking more of what I'd read in the last decade rather than when those books were actually published.

The A Song of Ice and Fire series (technically only a Dance With Dragons published this decade, but I came to the series late).

Has given me in my 30s and 40s what The Lord of the Rings gave me in my teens and twenties; a whole immersive world to escape into from this one. Hours and hours of reading and listening pleasure, and now even more hours of enjoyment listening to podcasts of other folk talking about the books.

Please, please George would you finish this wonderful thing you’ve created. This decade would be great if at all possible.

While I loved and enjoyed The Goldfinch and Bring up the Bodies, my book of the decade would be East West Street by Philippe Sands. It’s about the development of the concepts of genocide and human rights leading up to the trials at the end of World War II. Written almost as a detective story, following the lives of the the two lawyers whose brilliant minds and family backgrounds forged these theories.

For me it was 'all the light you cannot see', such a beautiful book.

ada that sounds great have shortlisted it to read.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies.

For me it's life after life, station 11 and the name of the wind.

I loved all 3 of those books. Brilliant thread OP lots more books added to my want to read list.

Sorry another utterly predictable vote for a Life after Life.

I am going to add 3 more, now l had time to check when they were published. These are in my top books of all times:

1. The Thousands Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
2. The White Tiger
3. Apple tree yard

Lots of great suggestions on the thread!

It's hard to imagine how old some books are when you love them so much! I had to google to make sure I was sticking to the last decade!

Mine would be:

The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Room by Emma Donoghue
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Thing About December by Donal Ryan
Milkman by Anna Burns
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

Looking forward to some wonderful reads in this coming decade

The Vagina Bible by Dr Jen Gunter. Would honestly recommend it to all, and I do!!

Straight Jacket by Matthew Todd, a book has never ever made so much sense.

Reservoir 13
Home Fire
The Sellout
The Bone Clocks
The Essex Serpent

Anything but The Goldfinch!

I finished this book yesterday and started re reading today to see the book in a new light, now I know the fate of the characters. I have NEVER done that before.

The God of Small Things.

Written in 2007 I think but read by me starting in 2019 😊

I have put loads of these books on my wish list now, thank you Mumsnet

Wow, White Tiger! How could I forget that one?

Another vote for Middlesex.
Also The Poisonwood Bible.
And The Bone Clocks by David Mittchell.

Enjoying hearing all these.

Another vote for Elanor Oliphant.
I absolutely loved it

The Hare with Amber Eyes

4. The Offing by Benjamin Myers set just after WW2. In the summer between school and work a coal miners son sets out to walk. He ends up in Robin Hoods Bay and meets an eccentric and intelligent women , Dulce Piper . She opens his eyes to the world of literature and poetry and demands that he thinks more of himself. He in return offers her practical help and helps her come to terms with grief. A short but quiet beautiful book with some stunning nature writing .
This quote - a short poem - I found especially beautiful-
"Fortified by laughter,
Galvanised by love
I am forever
In your atoms.”

Would recommend

@cakemonger at last someone who shares my love for this book! Probably the most moving, eloquent family history I’ve ever read. I also learnt so much from it.

Sorry wrong flipping thread!!!