What's the best books you've read in the last 12 months?

[lizkt]

American Dirt really stands out for me.

Looking for some new books to read so would love to hear any ideas.

I've read 70 this year and have only given 2 of them 5 stars on Goodreads:

The Underground Railroad and The Night Circus.

I'm currently reading A Little Life which might be up there too.

Bit of a disappointing year for me. My favourites were:
Weather by Jenny Offill
Here is the beehive by Sarah Crossan
The gigantic beard that was evil by Stephen Collins

Another vote for American Dirt.

First Day of Spring was amazing, really surprised at the lack of publicity for this book.

The Sineater.

The End Of The World is Flat by Simon Edge
Hamnet
Singled Out: How Two Million Women Survived without Men After the First World War
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

(Also hated Crawdads but read that in 2020)

It was a good reading year for me. I loved Shuggie Bain, The Pull of the Stars and A Town called Solace. I also really enjoyed If I Had your Face by Frances Cha, Doxology by Nell Zink, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and Home Stretch by Graham Norton. I thought the Graham Norton one would be a light read but I found it really moving.
I bought Hamnet and Rules of Civility months ago but kept them for Christmas so I can't 100% pick my book of the year just yet.

A pleasure and a calling by Phil Hogan. Here's a brief intro to it ... trust me, you'll like it!

'You won’t remember Mr Heming. He showed you round your comfortable home, suggested a sustainable financial package, negotiated a price with the owner and called you with the good news. The less good news is that, all these years later, he still has the key.'

The book that has stayed with me most this year is The Expendable Man by Dorothy B Hughes which was recommended by Harriet Gilbert on a Good Read Radio 4 on 6th July
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000xlv2www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000xlv2
It is about a black intern crossing Arizona by car, published in 1963. Dorothy Hughes is a white woman writing from the point of view of a black man which some might be comfortable with.
I got an old copy but it is republished now by Persphone books.
Gives a sketch of the race problem in the US.

should be - some might not be comfortable with

The Sunken Road by Ciaran McMenamin (also if you like audiobooks, it's particularly good as Ciaran is an actor and brilliant narrator)
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

These books stood out a mile to me this year, they all happened to be historical fiction.... also a reread of Excession by Iain M Banks. Non fiction - Educated by Tara Westover

I haven't been reading much contemporary fiction but I loved Louize Erdritch The Night Watchman. It's based on the struggle of previous generations of her family to win rights for indigenous tribes in America. It's got some wonderful characters.

I also loved All the Light We Cannot See but slightly not wanting to because I found the story a bit contrived.

Another vote for My Dark Vanessa.

Unnatural Causes: The Life and Many Deaths of Britain's Top Forensic Pathologist by Richard Shepherd was my favourite non-fiction book of 2021.

Special mention to Bel Canto by Anne Patchett.

Where the Crawdads sing
My Dark Vanessa
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Vanishing Half
Shuggie Bain
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Thursday Murder Club/The Man Who Died Twice.

I found Shuggie Bain to be unrelentingly grim and I say that as someone who grew up on a similar council estate to the author!

My favourite books of last year were:

American Dirt
The Underground Railroad (this haunted me for weeks)
Such a Fun Age

Crow Lake by Mary Lawson.

I found Shuggie Bain to be unrelentingly grim and I say that as someone who grew up on a similar council estate to the author!
I didn't finish it. I'm old enough to remember the time it's set in. I'm always a bit shocked at comments like 'I really enjoyed Shuggy Bain' - I mean it's working class lives. Ok druggy and drinking but still. Just miserable.......you could hardly sink any lower.

Favourite Audiobooks -
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Promise by Damon Galgut
The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau by Graeme McRae Burnet (not a recent publication)
Piranesi by Susanna Clark

Just starting Shuggie Bain. Strong start and I think the author comes across really well in radio interviews. ( the soft Scottish accent probably helps). A bit concerned to read the reviews on here. It’s true some things can be just too relentlessly grim.

Hamnet

The Cult - Abby Davies - just read this. Absolutely superb. Definitely one of my top books in recent months.

See you in September
A new wilderness
Moths

Still Life by Sarah Winman was wonderful (as was Tin Man).
I've also really enjoyed Town called Solace. Great Circle was brilliant (though long!)
I read Laurie Lee's trilogy too and would highly recommend :)

@burritofan loved both of those ❤️

If you like suspense The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean was rivetting.
I have also enjoyed Mad About You (witty rom com)
and Love, Anthony by Lisa Genova
Non-fiction- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I HATED The Keeper of Lost Things, if anyone is interested!