Book Review of the Year 2011

It is that time of year when I do my ten best reads of the year blog post.  These blog posts are very useful on the days when you have done things like taken your children to Build A Bear Workshop due to a malfunctioning penguin, and you need to blot out the horror.

When I get to this point I often think that I haven’t read enough ‘good’ books, and what will I recommend?  This is the time that reviewing every book I read on Amazon in an anally retentive way comes in very handy.  It turns out that I have actually read more than ten very good books this year and there are some that may have to merely get an honourable mention.

Which is nice.

I shall not pick my ten worst reads.  That list was very, very long indeed.

Let’s just look at the highlights.

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen was something I started the year reading. It is a wonderful book about a boy obsessed by maps who sets off on a grand journey across the USA.  It is a kind of odyssey and fantasy and adventure story all in one. It is wise and sad and funny and wonderful.  The biggest joy of the book is its unorthodox layout and unconventional style.  The maps that T.S. Spivet creates litter the book and are ingenious, clever and add real richness and texture to the book.

Tracey Emin: My Life in a Column is exactly what it says:  Tracey Emin’s collection of weekly columns from her time as a guest columnist for The Independent newspaper.  Emin is a fascinating character. I love the way she thinks about art and life and everything.

You’re A Bad Man Mr. Gum by Andy Stanton.  This is one of the funniest books I’ve read all year, about an evil man called Mr. Gum who lives in a place called Lamonic Bibber.  Andy Stanton writes for children, but in such a far out, creative and unusual way it is totally accessible to readers of all ages.  His style is fresh and utterly fabulous.  The books are a quick read, but if you want an hour or two of unconfined joy I recommend them whole heartedly. I laughed until I cried at some of this.  I was reading it out loud to the children, and there were times we all had to stop, laugh uproariously and then recover ourselves before going on.  Top tip. If you get this from Amazon in the next few days and you own a Kindle, you can download it for 99p.  It is the best 99p you will spend on books in the year to come.

Mary Ann in Autumn by Armistead Maupin.  I am a die hard fan of Armistead Maupin.  His Tales of the City novels are an absolute joy to read and they are one of the few sets of books I own that I would consider taking with me on Desert Island Discs.  The characters are wonderful and I hold a special place for them in my heart, as if they were real friends instead of characters in a book.  This is the latest one in the series and it is stupendous. If you haven’t read them I recommend starting with the first one, which is surprisingly called Tales of the City.  You won’t regret the investment.  You will know how much I rate them when I say that I often think about how I wish I was reading them all for the very first time all over again.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.  Gaiman is a genius author.  He has a wonderful way with words that makes you burst out laughing one moment and then burst into tears the next, all executed with a wonderful lightness of touch.  The Graveyard Book is one of his books for children, but do not let that put you off.  It is not childish in any way, and like all the best books of any genre or for any age range it is just universally wonderful and touching.  It is a dark fantasy adventure about a young foundling who lives in a graveyard among the ghosts.  What is even better about this recommendation is that it was recommended to me by Tilly.  I love it when my children can actually start recommending things to me that I genuinely want to read.

Wait for Me by Deborah Devonshire.  These are the memoirs of the youngest Mitford sister, Debo.  You know how much I love the Mitfords.  I really, really love them, and this is my favourite of all the books I have read about them.  Deborah is a legend, quietly poddling along in the background loving Elvis and saving Chatsworth and obsessing over chickens while her sisters steal all the glory. She is my absolute favourite.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaranovitch. I think this has been my very best favourite book of the year.  Ben Aaranovitch deserves to be HUGE in my humble opinion.  This is kind of the Sweeney meets fantasy fiction with the added bonus of being set in, and kind of a love song to London.  It reminds me of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, but with detectives.  What finer recommendation could you need? Even better news is that it is one of a series and you can already get the second one: Moon over Soho, if you fall for this as hard as I have.

The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal.  This was one of the sensations of the last year, and rightly so.  It is a wonderful book by the ceramicist Edmund de Waal, which traces his family history through his inheritance of some beautiful Japanese netsuke.  De Waal writes with the eye of someone who is used to working with his hands and eyes and it makes for a whole new reading experience that is immersive and beautiful.

The Milkman in the Night by Andrey Kurkov.  I’ve never read anything by Kurkov before, but I will definitely be excavating his back catalogue after reading this.  It is a surreal story set in Kiev, that wavers on the borders of the supernatural and which is a constant surprise and delight to read.  Kurkov reminds me of a Russian version of Haruki Murakami.  How can that be bad?

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.  I didn’t really know what to expect with this book, but having just finished it I am so glad I can just slip it into my top ten of the year.  It is a kind of elegaic journey through post 9/11 America told through the eyes of countless characters whose stories bob and weave and interlap.  It is sad and funny and clever and wise and gnomic.  I loved it.

Honourable mentions this year go to:

How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran for making me laugh till I wanted to wee, and for making me think a lot.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, beautiful and haunting and the best thing of his I’ve read so far. (this is available on Kindle for £1.99 for the next few days).

Rabbit Run by John Updike – a terribly bleak book but written with aching intensity and real beauty.

The things I am looking forward to reading in 2012 already include

Snuff by Terry Pratchett – I am an unashamedly huge fan of Terry Pratchett and have been reading his work since the very beginning.

IQ84 by Haruki Murakami – I love his work. It always throws a curve ball. I am truly excited about reading this book.  There are three volumes of this book to read and I waited until they were all out before I bought them so I wouldn’t have to wait to find out what happens.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski – I read about this book years ago and meant to read it. Then I forgot all about it.  My parents bought it me for Christmas, so it is definitely on my to read list for the coming year. I feel it will be one of those marmite books. I will either love it, or hate it.  I certainly won’t be bored by it.