From the upstairs room where I am writing this I have glimpses between the houses opposite of the sea at Chesil Beach. This extraordinary 18 mile stretch of “storm driven barrier” was the inspiration for Ian McEwan’s tale of doomed love (2007) and JM Falkner’s classic adventure tale “Moonfleet” (1898) and its unique attraction has been celebrated by poets, including Sarah Acton, the author of this non-fiction work.
The fact that this is somewhere special impresses on every visit. For an eight-mile section within 10 minutes walk from my house it can only be accessed by crossing the Fleet Lagoon, in past times, flat-bottomed boasts known as “trows” helped with this.
As well as being a place of great geological interest (I visited here on a school Geography field trip as it was part of my O Level syllabus) for many, many generations it provided a source of income for Dorset people. A method of catching the mackerel which at certain points of the year swarmed into the shallows was developed using nets, thrown most often from a specially designed boat, a “lerret”. This now almost lost form of fishing, “seining”, is the subject of Sarah Acton’s book subtitled “Voices From A Dorset Fishing Community.”
I have never fished and like most omnivores have no real understanding of how the food we eat reaches our plate, neither in the present nor the past but there was something very captivating about Sarah Acton’s study. It helps that she is a poet and can talk about the Beach as it “roars and stings, silver shoals of memory dart beneath the sea surface like fragments of mirrors, as memory triggers memory”, finding every opportunity to reinforce the uniqueness of this location but she has also produced an oral history, reminiscences of the last generations who attempted to support themselves financially in this way. These are men and women who lived their lives according to the sea, men who missed the upbringing of their children, youngsters who skipped school, the elderly who chose to spend much of their retirement on the shingle, all hypnotised by the thrill of the catch and the ebb and flow of the sea.
These were people who did not always do things by the book, large catches were unpredictable, the mystique of smuggling had always touched these coastline families and their ancestors. They spent their hours in the water yet many could not swim. They talk of individuals whose achievements have become the stuff of legends, of the most successful families, of crafts and activities which are pretty much redundant. The same experiences are given a viewpoint from different individuals with the repetition in this case enhancing the sense of the oral tradition. As the demand for mackerel declined their earnings became more sporadic but they lived with one eye on the waters. There is a perhaps apocryphal story of pall-bearers who abandoned their fisherman friend’s coffin as they got the call of the sea.
It is all a bit of a fish-stew this book as the author is supported by contributions by different writers on the geology, on boat building and the history of the Fleet Lagoon and this all adds to the layering of this location which is very much brought to life here. I’ve lived in Dorset just over a year and have barely dipped my toe into local history since I’ve been here (see “The Village That Died For England” by Patrick Wright and I have read the very successful 2022 debut novel by Joanna Quinn, “The Whalebone Theatre”). There is still a huge amount to discover about my local environment and Sarah Acton here makes the history of this particular location very memorable.
Seining Along Chesil was published in the UK in 2022 by Little Toller Books.
Damien Lewis is the celebrated author, documentary film-maker and historian who is most famous for writing a number of best-selling non-fiction books (as well as a couple of fictional thrillers) about the SAS. I haven’t read any of his books prior to this and it was his subject matter here which got me interested- the extraordinary performer Josephine Baker. This book is titled “Agent Josephine” in the US and I wonder why the UK has gone with this less satisfactory title- I hope it wasn’t a commercial decision in case it put off what is probably a large male readership for this author’s work. In both editions the same subtitle adds a little more information – “American Beauty. French Hero. British Spy.”
Josephine Baker (1906-75) is a twentieth century great. Born in St. Louis, Missouri where her talent for performing helped her escape a life of poverty. Her career limited by racism she moved to France where she became a sensation, her vibrancy, often risqué costumes, dancing and singing talent as well as her beauty led to her becoming one of the most famous and most photographed women in 1920s/30s Europe. Her love for her adopted homeland and its acceptance of her was compromised by the rise of the Nazis and the fall of France.
After World War II Josephine was awarded, amongst other acknowledgements, the Legion D’Honneur, France’s highest service medal. In succeeding years it has gradually been publicly recognised that hers was a vital role in supporting the Allies through Secret Service work. On researching her life the author has uncovered just how important this work was, how long she managed to escape enemy attention and how team, partnered and solo missions had a significant impact on events of the war years.
Before war broke out her pilot’s licence saw her flying in aid and support and when Paris fell she refused to perform in Nazi occupied France but demand for her unique brand of morale boosting celebrity elsewhere enabled her to smuggle intelligence, information and documents within the trappings of costumes, music scores etc. In the early years she was often accompanied by her menagerie of adored animals which added more chaos to her travels and actually helped her to carry out intelligence undertakings in plain sight.
Damien Lewis does well to bring the story alive of this extraordinary woman and her colleagues but even so, the secret nature of this work suggests that perhaps there is much more that she achieved which will never be uncovered. His focus is very much on her war work and I think I do need to read a general biography to flesh out her many other achievements and to provide a greater context for these activities. Recognition of just how unique this woman was, as a performer, as a member of the Resistance and as a British spy has begun to build up slowly over the decades. In 2021 she became the 6th woman and 4th person of colour accepted for interment in the crypt of the Pantheon, alongside French greats such as Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo. I’m not convinced that she has gained the level of recognition her achievements demanded in her homeland and in the UK but hopefully this book will shine a light on this woman whose glamorous depiction of celebrity masked sheer bravery, determination and adherence to her beliefs. Hers is a tale of extraordinary missions, invisible ink, microdots, secreted documents alongside her desire for peace and uncompromising insistence on equality. This is a trail-blazer whose story demands to be known.
The Flame Of Resistance was published in the UK in 2022 by Quercus.
As I was reading this it was announced that Louise Kennedy has made the shortlist for the 2023 Women’s Fiction Prize alongside Jacqueline Crooks whose “Fire Rush” I have already read and rated five stars. On the evidence of these two books this particular judging panel seem to know how to spot a gem. I think this novel is outstanding and a serious contender for my Book Of The Year (yes, I know it’s only May!)
It caught my attention when it won Novel Of The Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards beating Donal Ryan, whose book I’d loved. It was also a title which popped up when I was “Looking Around” at what other bloggers had loved at the end of 2022 and Cathy at 746 Books and Karen at Booker Talk and my friend Louise’s recommendations were enough to push this up my To Be Read List.
Set in Northern Ireland in 1974 it is ostensibly a tale of a problematic relationship between a Catholic Primary School teacher who works part-time in her family’s pub and a customer, an older Protestant barrister. But it is so much more as with a lot of attention to domestic detail the author humanises a world which seemed so alien to those of us who were around then watching the horrors of daily news bulletins in the UK at the height of The Troubles. As a child then it seemed impossible to me that life could go on as normal there through the barricades, searches, explosions and retaliations but Louise Kennedy brings this time to life. I recall enough to know that this is subject matter that I would not actively seek out but the author has convinced me otherwise in skilfully recreating this time and location.
Characterisation is great. Main protagonist Cushla’s mother copes with the effects The Troubles have had on her family through alcohol and some wonderful one-liners. Her class favourite, seven year old Danny is such a strong illustration of the resilience of children, her colleague Gerry is a valuable support and there’s a very scary parish priest.
Perhaps the hardest thing to come to terms with was what Cushla sees in barrister Michael Agnew and whether it is worth the trouble it will cause but the author does not romanticise this attachment. We see it in its warts-and-all reality but accept that Cushla is experiencing something different.
I felt my involvement which started off very strong deepened more and more as I progressed through this excellent book. There really has been some exceptional writing coming out of Ireland the last decade or so and this, dealing with very difficult issues and a very difficult time in the country’s history is amongst the very best.
January is the month for self-help books. “It’s February now!” I hear you cry, “we don’t have to bother with any of that New Year’s Resolution stuff! ” but indulge me a while. Firstly, I read this in January and more importantly, as we all suspect, the first month of the year is not the best for lasting, positive change. On a recent health-check a very astute nurse said weight-loss plans are probably not best begun at this time of year when there are unopened Christmas treats lurking and that three quarters full bottle of Baileys calling out to you on the cold January nights so I’m pleased to tell you that Christopher Bradbury’s inspiring self-help book is not just for January and that Magnificent You can be unleashed the whole year round!
There’s no doubt the author’s an optimist- just look at that cover promising us a “Gazillion ways to turbocharge your life”. I didn’t count up to verify but certainly any of even the smallest changes suggested has the potential to transform lives.
What is provided here is an overview in short snappy chapters full of pearls of wisdom. There’s little new in the world of self-help, the reason why some succeed more than others is the way in which help is presented and how it is taken on board by the individual. I like this general overview approach. It starts by getting the reader to examine personal values, identifying the most important for you as an individual and encouraging thought on ways to stick to them. Potential is unleashed when these values are combined with your vision and Christopher Bradbury is on hand to help with this.
He does so in 60 sections and 380 (in the hardback edition) motivational pages. He suggests we can pick and choose the sections which feel most appropriate- I’d say don’t do that, find time to read the whole thing. I’m not a parent so I might have decided to skip the parenting section, for example, but there’s so much good advice therein which I could apply to other situations that I would be missing out.
I made notes and I’m glad I did as I now have a little personalised handbook on areas such as kindness and compassion, fear, flexibility, thoughts and emotions, worry, gratitude – the list goes on. He’s practical as well and there’s the odd good statistic to back things up, which makes me happy. Here are my Top 3:
Only 10% of what we worry about actually happens- therefore 90% is wasted energy.
Only 3% of people write down their goals and these people achieve 5-10 times as much as the other 97%
And one to stop you in your tracks:
The average smartphone user checks their phone 63 times a day, 70% within 5 minutes of waking up.
I also want to add a couple of sayings to help with everyday life. Take a bow the one beloved by “Love Island” participants, “It is what it is”- but then it really is and taking this on board would remove much stress over what you cannot control and slightly cheesy but none the less effective for that is “Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift, so enjoy it before its gone.”
There will inevitably be moments when the author’s whistlestop tour approach will have you wanting more detail and I for one would welcome a bibliography or further reading suggestions linked to the areas raised but he does always provide enough information to start you well onto your road for change.
As a general self-help book this is strong and the emphasis and linking to personal core values (if you only do one exercise make sure it is the one that starts the book which encourages you to identify these) makes it stronger and seem more relevant. Go on, get that Magnificent You unleashed!
Unleash The Magnificent You is published by Lightning Source and is available to purchase on Amazon. Many thanks to the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Here’s a book from my “What I Should Have Read in 2022” list. Its focus is 1970’s pop music. Looking back from our 21st Century position when we think of the 1970’s we probably give greater importance to punk, glam rock and disco which certainly made a lasting impression in terms of visual style but did not last that long as a market force. The music with the most longevity throughout the decade can be classed as singalong pop.
Will Hodgkinson studies an era where the first number one of 1971 was Clive Dunn’s “Grandad” and rounding things off so helpfully 10 years later was St. Winifred’s School Choir and “There’s No-One Quite Like Grandma”. So did nothing change during the 1970s? Still celebrating grandparents! Why did singalong pop exert such mass appeal for the whole of the decade. The author explores this and basically it is because Britain was so grim during this time that we needed pop music to lift the spirits!
Perhaps the inspiration for much of this came from an American song from the late 1960s, “Sugar Sugar”. This was marketed as being by a cartoon group, recorded by anonymous session singers and was disposable bubblegum music at its finest and importantly, was a massive worldwide hit. For a time, the song became more important than the artists. The UK responded to this by session musicians recording singles and then considering the formation of a group to perform afterwards – take a bow Edison Lighthouse, Brotherhood Of Man, Bay City Rollers, the whole range of singles put out by Jonathan King, or 10CC in embryonic form. One session singer Tony Burrows famously appeared in three (some say four) different acts on the same episode of “Top Of The Pops”.
And then came glam- stomping, singalong music geared towards and enjoyed by a younger audience- led by Marc Bolan, whose innovative influence on British pop has now been somewhat lost followed swiftly by Slade, Wizzard, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Sweet et al, with an even younger audience being feted by Messrs Osmond, Cassidy and Jackson. Will Hodgkinson explores and analyses all this with interviews, contemporary views and what was going on at the time. A sudden powercut plunging British homes into darkness could be enlivened by a family singsong of “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep.”
This is a phenomenon mainly but not exclusively British and also had something to do with huge audiences for TV light entertainment shows, TV advertising jingles and theme tunes and pop music as a regular feature of children’s TV but mainly a country that ricocheted between Heath, Wilson and then Callaghan as Prime Ministers in a time of strikes, inflation, high unemployment needed something to feel cheered up by.
Given all that can we expect a New Seekers, Boney M, Tony Orlando and Dawn revival in 2023?!! Just nobody mention Gary Glitter….
In Perfect Harmony was published by Nine Eight Books in 2022.
For my last retrospective post I like to have a look around the blogosphere and see the books which have impressed other bloggers during the last twelve months. I always expect that there is going to be a modicum of consensus and that there would be the odd book which appears on Best Of the Year lists time after time, but this is rarely the case and it certainly is not so for this year when there’s a wide range of books being recommended but not often the same book in more than one list.
I follow around 70 blog sites and one trend I am seeing is that fewer and fewer bloggers seem to want to do this kind of end-of-year retrospective. Personally, I love it and think it’s important to look back before cracking on with the new year. So, I am very thankful to those who have reflected and singled out their best reads, despite reluctance to put them into any order.
I would like to think I could find one of my Top 10 books in another blogger’s list but for the second year running I have not been successful in discovering this. (No “Young Mungo”? I’m staggered!). In fact, many of the authors I was expecting to see were absent from other lists. I couldn’t find mentions of these notables who put book out this year- Monica Ali, Hannah Kent, Kamila Shamsie, Ian McEwan, Donal Ryan, Jess Kidd, amazed to see no mentions of Joanna Quinn, whose debut novel “The Whalebone Theatre” felt such a great crowd-pleaser.
Obviously, with so many books being published each year and bloggers having their own likes, contacts with publishers, different methods of getting the books they reviewed there are just too many great reads out there to provide much overlap. However, there were three books which I did see cropping up.
One was from an author I did have in my Top 10, so we will start with her, Janice Hallett. I really loved “The Appeal” but realise I was a bit late out of the blocks with this one and it was her 2022 publication “The Twyford Code” which was getting the nods (although Andrea at Andrea Is Reading did give “The Appeal” an honourable mention.) Jen at Books on 7.47 did well to sum up the appeal of this author and her “devilishly clever plot that won me over. A murder mystery that never stops throwing curve balls while giving nostalgic nods throughout.” Fi at Fi’s Bibliofiles says of it; “It manages to hide so many clues in plain sight and is incredibly subtle in its complexity.” I think both these very well encompass Janice Hallett and I feel that what this author does to her readers is actually quite difficult to put into words. Like me, Books On 7.47 has the new novel “The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels” on her must read for 2023 list and Fi already had it as one of her favourite books she read in 2022, saving her review until the publication date in January.
Another title which impressed was the winner of the Novel Of The Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards “Trespasses” by Louise Kennedy which conquered over one of my Top 10 Books and previous winner of this award Donal Ryan. Cathy at 746 Books describes it as being about “a woman caught between allegiance to community and a dangerous passion with an older man.” Karen at Booker Talk describes this debut as “an intense, engrossing tale of how small acts of kindness assume great political significance and put lives at risk.” The third of these titles which kept popping up I had never heard of. Australian blogger Kim at Reading Matters singled out “Limberlost” by Robbie Arnott as a tale of “kindness loss, love and family”. Set in rural Tasmania in World War II, Cathy at 746 Books felt the need to give it a special mention even though she had not finished it at time of writing. In what seems like an excellent recommendation she said “In a week where I have a lot to do all I wanted to do is read “Limberlost.” That’s good enough for me to put this book on my Want To Read list. Cathy cannily has three lists of end of year recommendations, one from her To Be Read Pile, one of Irish authors and one of new reads. Within her new reads picks there is one that I highlighted in my Books I Should Have Read in 2022 post, The Booker shortlisted “The Trees” By Percival Everett, which she feels should have won the Prize as well as “Trust” by Hernan Diaz which was the book that topped the number of US recommendations in Literary Hub’s round up of end of year lists alongside “Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin which was a favourite of Andrea Is Reading. (Andrea also singles out “Happy Go Lucky” by David Sedaris which has a sublimely creepy cover and reminds me yet again that this year should be the year I really crack on with this author’s work.)
I like older titles being incorporated in the lists. The aforementioned Cathy reminded me of a book I really loved when I read it decades ago- William Trevor’s “Children Of Dynmouth” and I now want to re-read this as well as the copy of his short stories I have on my bookshelves. There’s also an acknowledgement of the greatness of Larry McMurty’s “Lonesome Dove” which is described as “violent, frightening, funny, heartbreaking and transcends the genre” and which if a certain someone is reading this who has recommended this book to me so many times will no doubt tell me “See, I told you it was good!”
Lynne at Fictionphile picks four titles which all seem highly readable to me – “The Keeper Of Stories”- Sally Pope, “Mrs England”- Stacey Halls, “A Quiet Life” – Ethan Joella and “The Winners” – Frederick Backman. Matthew at My Mashed Up Life goes for three – the critically acclaimed “Lessons In Chemistry” by Bonnie Garman (I knew I’d find this somewhere), French novel “Heatwave” by Victor Jestin (a tale of tormented adolescence and I do love these) and “How To Kill Your Family” by Bella Mackie, which I have sitting on my Kindle waiting to be read.
I do love it when people can pick their absolute favourite because their enthusiasm does make me want to read it, even if it wouldn’t normally be on my radar. Linda at Linda’s Book Bag plumps for “Echoes Of Love” by Jenny Ashcroft which she says “encompasses so many forms of love- and hatred- is authentic in time and place and has such relevance for what is happening in today’s world that I couldn’t fault it” and FictionFan’s Book Reviews ( a site which has given me so much pleasure since before I started reviewsrevues nearly 8 years ago) is so enthusiastic about sixteenth century Scottish set “Rose Nicolson” by Andrew Greig describing it as “one of the outstanding books of my long lifetime of reading” that I don’t know how anyone can avoid putting that onto a must-seek-out-list.
Anyway, I think that’s enough of looking back to 2022 and start to get on with the reading joys 2023 has in store. Just want to thank these other bloggers for keeping up the good work. Long may it continue!
This is my end of year report, looking back at the 10 titles I had eagerly anticipated last year and seeing how many of them I actually got around to reading as well as picking ten more choices for 2023. In 2021 I got round to reading eight out of the ten titles. Let’s see if I can top that in 2022 and whether they turned out to be the big-hitters of the year .
The Heretic – Liam McIllvanney(Harper Collins)
Read and rated it four stars in January. Second in the series which began with the Scottish Crime Book Of The Year “The Quaker“. Time moved six years on from the previous book giving it a mid 70’s Glasgow setting and this was more quality writing. At over 500 pages it was quite a lengthy crime novel which allowed richness of detail in its depiction of two warring gangs, one Protestant, one Catholic. Good characterisation of a Serious Crime Squad, all of whom are outsiders which brought interesting dynamics into play.
Devotion – Hannah Kent(Picador)
Another four star read for me in January which was certainly on a par with her first two novels. I thought this very much a book of three parts with distinct tonal shifts between them. This turns into a nineteenth century love story which I described as “touching, often heart-breaking and effectively conveyed throughout.”
Love Marriage – Monica Ali (Virago)
I read this in February and this is a book which made it onto a number of “Best Of” round-ups. I rated it four stars. Her 5th novel, I thought characterisation was especially strong within the supporting cast with a delicious lightness of touch. I don’t think many readers would place this over Monica Ali’s 2004 “Brick Lane” but it provided a highly satisfactory reading experience.
Flicker In The Dark – Stacy Willingham (Harper Collins)
Debut thriller which livened up January for me when I read and rated it four stars. I said of it “It reads well, the Louisiana setting effectively makes its presence known and I am not surprised that options for a TV adaptation have reputedly been picked up.” It created enough impression on me to have made her next book one of my highlights for the coming year.
A Good Day To Die – Amen Alonge (Quercus Books)
A big-buzz debut which I read in February and ranked three stars which I found a little underwhelming. I think that might have been because the publishers were keen to compare this to the superbly written and crafted US TV series “The Wire”. The odd cartoonish violent scene jarred and I wasn’t convinced by the first person/third person narrative switches. It did feel fresh and vibrant but perhaps did not live up to the expectations I had for it when I highlighted it as a title I wanted to read last year
Mother’s Boy – Patrick Gale (Tinder Press)
Haven’t read this yet, but I do have a copy sitting waiting on my Kindle. I’m not sure it made the impression so far some of his titles have on the book-publishing world, but I would imagine that the paperback which is published in February will be a strong seller.
Mouth To Mouth- Antoine Wilson (Atlantic Books)
An American debut with a lot of pre-publication fanfare which did get me seeking it out in February but once again I think maybe I was taken in by the hype. I thought it had a brave narrative style, as it is a recounting of a tale told second hand. I said of it “I can see why some readers would really like this book and I can see also why it might leave some unconvinced. Unusually for me, I’m somewhat stuck in the middle.” That will explain the three star rating then.
Memphis – Tara M Stringfellow (John Murray)
A debut I read in March and a four star read. I said of the author; “There’s a voluptuousness to her words, a richness in description, an over-ripeness which beautifully conveys Memphis, Tennessee.” Tara M Stringfellow certainly left me wanting more with this strong contemporary saga.
Young Mungo – Douglas Stuart (Picador)
I was itching to read this book and when I finished it in April I was so taken aback that I loved it even more than the Booker Prize winning debut which was my 2021 Book Of The Year and by the end of 2022 I still hadn’t read anything to top it and so Douglas Stuart was the author of my favourite book for two years running. Don’t know why it wasn’t Booker shortlisted but The Guardian, Telegraph, Time Magazine showed much taste in having it on their end of year highlights list. Outstanding.
Theatre Of Marvels – Lianne Dillsworth (Penguin)
This proved to be another four star debut and one which could also generate some very healthy sales when the paperback arrives in March. Set in 1840s London with Crillick’s Variety Theatre as a central location. It felt very commercial, an ideal reading group choice which would generate much discussion about the issues involved and appreciation for the author’s story-telling skills.
That’s 9 out of 10 of this read which is my best score ever. Here are ten more titles which have attracted my attention pre-publication which I hope to be getting around to in 2023. I wonder, as last year, whether my ultimate Book Of The Year is lurking amongst these books.
Devil’s Way- Robert Bryndza (Raven Street Publishing) (Due out on 12th January)
Book number 4 in what has so far been a very strong crime series featuring Devon based Private Detective Kate Marshall. There has been a different feel to each book from the really quite harrowing series opener “Nine Elms” to the much gentler whodunnit feel of “Darkness Falls”. Who knows what direction Robert Bryndza will take with this but I am expecting high quality writing and further developments in the working relationship between his very effective lead characters – Kate and her younger gay male partner Tristan.
The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels – Janice Hallett (Viper Books) (due out on 19th January)
Third book for the author who made #4 in my current Books Of The Year list with her so impressive debut. Second novel not quite as good but did not disappoint so I’m fascinated to see where she goes with this. The Sunday Times described her as “The Queen Of Tricksy Crime” which seems appropriate for her cleverly structured misdirecting fiction. We’ve had e-mails and phone communications in the debut, audio files in “The Twyford Code”. Here it seems to be research for a true crime work found in a safe which forms the basis for the plot.
My Father’s House – Joseph O’Connor (Vintage Books) (due out on 26th January)
The one Joseph O’Connor novel I have read 2019’s “Shadowplay” ended up at number 4 in that year’s Books Of The Year list. This is a historical thriller based on a true story and set in Nazi occupied Rome of 1943. Last time around I praised the quality of the writing. I said “O’Connor is good with multi-sensory lists which build such evocative pictures of the time.” I will be looking forward to more of this.
All The Dangerous Things – Stacy Willingham (Harper Collins) (due out on 2nd February)
I rated Stacy Willingham’s debut four stars and this is the second year in a row she has appeared in my anticipated list. The cover has me interested with its “What if the past is best left unburied” teaser. It’s been heralded a one-sitting read, but I actually can’t remember when I last did that. I will prefer to take my time to let what Karin Slaughter calls its “palpable tension” to really get its grip.
Hungry Ghosts- Kevin Jared Hosein (Bloomsbury Publishing) (due out on 16th February)
A debut with a big pre-publication buzz. The BBC news website described is as “One of the most talked about forthcoming books in literary circles.” Well, add me to that circle as I’m telling you about it here. Bernardine Evaristo has described it as “astonishing” and the late Hilary Mantel found it “deeply impressive” so I would imagine it has great depth. It is a saga of two families in 1940s Trinidad which promises violence, religion, family and class.
Fire Rush – Jacqueline Crooks (Vintage Books) (due out on 2nd March)
This is another debut novel from a young author, who, her publishers say, escaped involvement with a gang underworld through writing and music. Her short stories have received critical acclaim and here we have something which is being heralded as “about dub reggae, love, loss and freedom. Fire Rush is an electrifying state-of-the-nation novel and an unforgettable portrait of Black Womanhood.”
The Sun Walks Down -Fiona McFarlane (Sceptre) (Due out on 9th March)
Here’s an epic tale, this time, according to the publishers, featuring “unsettlement, history, myth, love and art.”. Set in the late nineteenth century Australian outback and featuring a child who goes missing. Anne Patchett has already described it as “marvellous”. I haven’t read this Australian author’s previous work which includes an award-winning novel and short-story collection. This seems a good place to start.
Death Under A Little Sky – Stig Abell (Harper Collins) (due out on 13th April)
Stig Abell has been editor of The Times Literary Supplement and managing editor of The Sun. He currently co- hosts the breakfast show on Times Radio. He has been a member of the Press Complaints Commission and has already written two fascinating sounding non-fiction works one of which examines “How Britain Really Works” and one a study on reading “Things I Learned On The 6.28”. What has been missing from his CV so far is fiction, and here he is with a debut crime novel – a British countryside set whodunnit. Expect high quality literary writing.
Arthur And Teddy Are Coming Out – Ryan Love (HQ Books) (due out on 13th April)
The publishers are calling this the feel-good read of 2023 and by April we might all be needing some light relief. This is the tale of a 79 year old grandfather and his grandson who are simultaneously coming to terms with their sexuality. The cover claims “It’s never too late to be you”. This is another debut which is promising much from a Northern Ireland born writer who has worked in public relations in the music industry, is a former Showbiz editor for Digital Spy and an advocate for mental health.
The Making Of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece – Tom Hanks (Penguin Random House) (due out on 9th May)
Yes, it’s that Tom Hanks and this is his first full-length novel and I’m not normally a sucker for Hollywood A-lister celebrity authors but this certainly sounds ambitious as it spans 80 years of American history and is about the production of a superhero movie. I’m getting John Irving/Michael Chabon vibes. This will get a lot of publicity and could very well be one of the big titles of the year.
This is the third novel from a British author I had not read before and what story-telling! I found this tale of a drowned girl who comes back to life in the 1880s and its setting of a stretch of the Thames between Cricklade and Oxford absolutely captivating. I said; “It is beautifully rich, imaginative, involving and operates on the thin line between myth and dark reality. I was spellbound by this book.” Looking forward to reading more by this author in 2023.
I knew I had missed out on something good when I put this book in my “What I Should Have Read in 2021” post. I had felt it calling me from a table of new titles at Waterstones. I liked the look of this book, even though it’s not the kind of book I read regularly. At that time I decided not to merely judge it by its cover but when I saw it in the library in January this year I snapped it up. It’s clever, funny, and so well structured. In my review I said “If we are considering this debut in the “Cosy Crime” genre then this is the best “Cosy Crime” book I have ever read.” Her follow-up “The Twyford Code” appeared this year and was good but did not blow me away like this did. Her new novel “The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels” is out in January.
A re-read but I had left it probably over 40 years. The plot of this novel feels like it has been with me for the whole of my life, both from the book and film adaptations (apart from the ending which I always have trouble remembering). In sections this is the best book I have ever read in my life but then there are sections that fall flat making it an uneven gem, but it is still a gem. Perhaps it is a casualty of the way in which Dickens’ novels first appeared with a certain amount of padding mid-way through to keep the issues coming. I feel that it should be Dickens’ best work- but it isn’t, but it is up there amongst his very best. Pip, Miss Havisham, Estella, Joe, Magwitch – what characters!
Two books with the same title in my Top 10. What are the chances? Luckily, both have subtitles and this one explores “The Birth Of Pop” and it is my non-fiction pick for this year (I think I have to go back to 2010 and Vince Aletti’s “The Disco Files” to find a non-fiction work I have enjoyed as much). This is a real labour of love and involved so much research for music journalist, founding member of Saint Etienne and DJ Bob Stanley. Thousands of books have been published about the music industry post-Beatles (the author published a very thorough, critically acclaimed one “Yeah Yeah Yeah” himself about decade earlier – which I am currently reading) but this charts the development of popular music from its very origins to the point where Beatlemania came in. Pop music is seen as transient and temporary but these developments inform everything that has come afterwards and so is a very important, totally fascinating history. Beginning with Ragtime and Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” the first million selling sheet music from 1899 he explores the major musical shifts and the major players with insight, humour and with love. This book had me seeking out all sorts of artists on Spotify. I felt Bob really knew what he was writing about and was able to convey his views so well and this for me was a real treat. The Telegraph had this book at number 8 in their Books Of The Year list.
Well, this is unprecedented. I’ve never given my Book Of The Year to the same author before and here is Scottish writer Douglas Stuart doing it two years in a row with his first two novels. “Shuggie Bain” – a Booker Prizewinner (and this would be a serious contender for best ever Booker winner ever in my view) blew away all the competition for me last year and I do believe that “Young Mungo” is even better. It’s the best book I have read for 5 years. It wasn’t Booker shortlisted and it didn’t get as much critical approval because some saw it as more of the same, but I really don’t understand that this is a criticism. Some did get it- It is appearing in a healthy selection of Books Of The Year list – The Telegraph had it at number 34. Emily Temple at Literary Hub produces an Ultimate Best Books list which counts the number of times books make the end of year lists in American publications and this makes it onto six lists, which earns it an Ultimate nod (the highest 14 was achieved by two novels Hernan Diaz’s “Trust” and Gabrielle Zevin’s ubiquitous “Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow”). I said “I never thought I’d feel more sympathy towards a character than Shuggie, but Mungo, with his facial tics, unsuitable attire and devotion to a mother whose actions are consistently poorly-judged tops it.” I also felt “I did finish this feeling emotionally purged finding moments that I did not really want to read on from but ultimately being totally unable to take my eyes off the book.” That for me represents an ultimate reading experience. Congratulations to Picador for publishing my ultimate favourite two years in a row. Over at Bookshop.org you can find Douglas Stuart’s list of the books which inspired him during the writing of this novel
So, Douglas Stuart makes it onto my Hall of Fame for the second time. Just for some context here are my other top titles going back to 2008
I read 61 books this year which is a bit down on the last couple of years and short of my Good Reads goal of 70. I retired from paid employment in 2022 and I thought that would mean I would have more time for reading – that obviously hasn’t proved to be the case. Out of these 61 books, 15 got five star ratings which I think is the highest figure for top ratings I’ve ever given, which made picking the Top 10 from these very worthy books very difficult. As always, if I’ve read it this year it is included, even if it was published in a previous year, or in the case of one of the titles below, due to be published in 2023. There are 3 books on the list which were published in 2022, which seems to be the typical figure in these Top 10s.
So, 61 books, 15 five star ratings, 31 four star reads and also 15 three stars. 59 of these have already been reviewed on the site and they can be found by scrolling through or using one of the two indexes – two titles, including one of the top 10 have not yet had their full reviews appear as I am holding out to nearer to the publication date in January 2023. I spent quite a considerable time thinking about the books I’d read this year in forming my Top 10 and once I had assigned positions I felt a little uneasy. Last year I had a diverse list with a 50-50 gender split, 40% black authors and 30% identifying as LGBT+. Although the latter figure stays the same there is a drop in both female and black writers (and no black female writers). In fact, I thought the gender imbalance was unprecedented but this list matches my 2014 choices with which I launched reviewsrevues.com. I’m not sure whether this is just a blip this year, I must admit some of the big female authored titles did not appeal to me, for example Bonnie Garmus’ “Lessons In Chemistry” was a title I’d had recommended to me and I know it’s one which will feature in many end of year lists but I couldn’t get beyond the very female orientated cover (nor the title actually). I like to read a balance of books, fiction, non-fiction, newly published and backlisted titles written by a diverse range of authors and this will continue in 2023. Three of the Top 10 are non-fiction and there are two debut novels and a chunky 50% of the authors have previously featured in my end of year best of lists, which may illustrate that in a year when I have had a lot of upheaval, moving house, relocating to a new area and leaving work I have been more likely to choose authors who have impressed me in the past.
Here is the first part of the list 10-6. Don’t be too shocked by the lack of female authors, there is more of a balance in the Top 5. If you would like to read the full review (and I hope you do as these are the books I want to clamber onto rooftops and shout about) just click on the title.
This is Irish author Donal Ryan’s second appearance in my Top 10. His debut “The Spinning Heart” was my runner-up in 2013. He has a real skill with characterisation. In both the books of his which have blown me away he brings a whole community to life. He is able to establish rich characters in a short space of time and he certainly does this here with his tale of four generations of a family from rural Tipperary. It is set in the same location and with some of the same characters as “Strange Flowers” which won the Novel Of The Year Awards at the Irish Book Awards. This was also shortlisted for the same award in 2022 but lost to “Trespasses” by Louise Kennedy. I think it is a superior companion piece to “Strange Flowers” (and also works fine as a stand-alone).
This is also British writer’s Hari Kunzru’s second appearance in my end of year Top 10, with his 2004 novel “Transmission” making it to number 3 in 2010. This was perhaps my biggest reading surprise as I wouldn’t have thought this tale of radicalism in late 60’s/ early 70’s England would have appealed. I was totally captivated by the story-telling and thought it was so rich a novel. It skipped around in time, which I know some readers do not like but I think it worked really well here and each time-frame was as interesting as the others. I described it as a book which explores “fighting for what you believe in and how easily idealism can become tainted so that the brave new world once thought possible goes increasingly out of reach.” In terms of scope I felt echoes of Ian McEwan’s 2022 publication “Lessons” but I think this is the stronger novel.
The authorised biography of Victoria Wood- this is a big book which I knew I was going to like, enough to get me forking out for a hardback edition. Rees gets the split between the private and public person across so well and this was a big thing for Victoria, who privately was far removed from the bubbly confidence of perhaps the greatest British comedian of all time. Rees celebrates her as a pioneer, which she undoubtedly was. I described this as “the definitive biography of Victoria Wood, no one else need bother.”
And talking of big books, this was my only 1000+ page read of the year, so thank goodness I loved it. I suspected I was onto a winner as Ackroyd is my third most read author of all time and has made 6 previous appearances on my End of Year list (although not since 2010). In fact, I had read this before in an edited edition but this full account of the life of Dickens is the real deal and made a greater impression. It is just so thorough and really got me wanting to revisit the work of Dickens (as well as more Ackroyd). It’s not actually the author’s best book- I’ll still give that to “London: The Biography” which was my book of the year in 2002 but it is extremely impressive and in the lengthy time it will take you to read this book (five weeks for me) you will be in the hands of a master biographer.
6. The New Life – Tom Crewe (Chatto & Windus 2023)
(Read in December. To be reviewed)
Advance warning for this outstanding debut which will be published in the UK on 12th January. The author is a former editor of the London Review Of Books and he puts his literary awareness into play with this Victorian set novel which is described as “a daring new novel about desire and the search for freedom in Victorian England.” My full review of this will follow in the New Year. Expect comparisons to “The Crimson Petal & The White” and “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”- two of my all-time favourites.
I hope this has whetted your appetite for my next post – The Top 5
It’s time for the annual namecheck for 10 books which I didn’t get round to reading in 2022 but I think I should. Perhaps they are books I’ve intended to read since publication or titles that passed me by and which I’ve only found out about recently in end of year lists. Since publishing last year’s list I’ve got round to reading 30% of them, which is a lot lower than I would have expected. I do have 5 of them on my bookshelves or on my Kindle so hopefully I will get round to them in 2023. Here are the ten titles in alphabetical order of author’s surname.
Too Much – Tom Allen (Hodder Studio)
This is the second time comedian and TV presenter Tom has made this list. I did read his debut autobiography “No Shame” (2020) early on in 2021 which I described as “well-written, funny, significant”. This second work has his response to the death of his father as the central theme. Graham Norton’s three words to describe this are “Funny, candid and measured.” It’s a very British thing to process feelings about grief through humour and it is something which fascinates me. I look forward to seeing how Tom has achieved this.
A Tidy Ending – Joanna Cannon (Borough Press)
When am I going to get round to reading this author? I don’t know how many times I have had “The Trouble With Goats And Sheep” recommended to me and I have had it on my shelves for years. I’m not sure I fancy “Three Things About Elsie” but this 2022 novel seems up my street and I have bought a Kindle copy. It’s described as “dark comedy” which is something I approve of. The Mail On Sunday said “Cannon’s shrewd characterisation, sparky observations and subtly menacing plot makes this a darkly funny and delightfully sinister read.” Whereas I rarely believe what The Mail On Sunday say I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one because reviews are consistently good. It made the Times Thrillers Of The Year list. Right, next year is going to be the year I catch up with Joanna Cannon.
Without Warning And Only Sometimes – Kit De Waal (Tinder Press)
I haven’t read anything by Kit De Waal’s, although “My Name Is Leon” has been on my radar since publication and there is no reason why I would not get round to this, especially once I have read this memoir which made it to number 39 on the Telegraph Books Of The Year list. The only book in her house when growing up was a Bible, the possession of her Irish, Jehovah’s Witness mother. Of her childhood in 1960’s/70’s Birmingham, Kit has said; “We were the only black children at the Irish Community Centre and the only ones with a white mother at the West Indian Social Club.” Cathy Rentzenbrink has said of it “I loved it and couldn’t put it down. Both joyous and heart-breaking, it captures an era and is also a beautiful tribute to sibling love, and a completely compelling story of how one girl became a reader.” This just sounds like the perfect memoir to me.
Exit Stage Left- Nick Duerden (Headline)
I’m fascinated by the subject of this non-fiction work. Fame in the entertainment business can be intense and also fleeting. This book looks at what happens when the adulation disappears. Nick Duerden interviews a whole range of artist across the music business in a book which featured on Sunday Times, Guardian & Telegraph best books of the year list and according to Surrey Life Magazine “… is a candid and at times, laugh-out-loud look at the curious afterlife of pop stars.”
The Trees – Percival Everett (Influx Press)
It was only a few years ago that I made a determined effort with the Booker Prize to read as many as the shortlisted titles as possible before the winner was announced. In order to fit them in I had to actually read from the longlist trying to make an educated guess as to what would stay in the running. This has dwindled over the last couple of years to just reading the winner. This year I didn’t even fancy that but this was the title from the shortlist which piqued my interest. I already have an unread Percival Everett title on my bookshelves “Erasure” from 2001 but this new title promises much. The Telegraph called it “grotesquely entertaining” and the NY Times applauded its combination of “unspeakable terror and knock out comedy”. It deals with racism and police violence and yet it is funny. I’m fascinated to see how the author pulls this off. I think it would be a powerful impressive read.
In Perfect Harmony – Will Hodgkinson (Nine Eight Books)
Another music-based non-fiction title this time examining how in the grimy industrial strife of the 1970s we became awash with sunshiny pop music. Punk, disco and reggae may have been more cool but it was this more mainstream music which dominated record sales and radio playlists. This promises to be both a social and popular cultural history which appeals in the same way that Bob Stanley’s “Let’s Do It” did this year. It also made a number of best of lists in the British press. Suzi Quatro describes it as “A colourful picture of the entire 70s in Great Britain” which sounds right up my street.
Vladimir – Julia May Jonas (Picador)
This American debut fiction title made it to number 40 in the Telegraph Books Of The Year and caused quite a stir on publication. It’s a tale of obsession and has been talked about as “Lolita” in reverse as a female academic in her 50s falls for a young male novelist. The Boston Globe described it thus; “Vladimir goes into such outrageous territory that my jaw literally dropped at moments while I was reading it. There’s a rare blend here of depth of character, mesmerizing prose, and fast-paced action.” I think this is a book which sounds like it will cause a much greater impact in the UK when the paperback arrives (scheduled for Feb 2023). It sounds like a page-turning and head-turning debut.
Mercury Pictures Presents – Anthony Marra (John Murray)
This historical novel also attracted plaudits this year and was a Book Of The Year in both the Sunday Times and The Observer. It’s a tale of a woman who moves from Italy under Mussolini to Hollywood where she becomes an associate producer at a movie studio. The blurb describes it as “an epic story of love, deceit and reinvention”. Ann Patchett says it is “full of history, comedy and horror. It’s a great literary read.” Sounds good enough to me. I don’t know of American author Marra but he has been compared to literary greats such as George Orwell, Nabokov and Kafka, which does seem a very broad comparison but suggests that there’s a bit of a genius at work.
The Guncle- Stephen Rowley (GP Putnam’s)
I’ve got a bit confused by this book as to its availability over the year. I just wasn’t seeing it around like I had expected to. It looks like it was published in the UK in April but I’m sure I knew about it long before then. I’m assuming that this was because it was a big American title which gained a lot of attention in the US in 2021, reaching the shortlist in the reader chosen Goodreads awards but took a while to appear over here. I think when I was looking for it only a US edition was available. It’s a feel-good, funny novel and we can all do with some of those this winter about a once-famous gay sitcom star having to take over the care of his niece and nephew (hence the title). Author Timothy Schaffert describes it as “Delightful, sharp, and very funny. The Guncle is the cocktail equivalent of the fourth sip of your martini while you sit poolside at sunset.” We might have to swap that for a cup of tea and sitting with a blanket over your knees deciding whether to put the heating on but I think you’ll get his point!
Portable Magic – Emma Smith (Penguin)
Subtitled “A History Of Books and their Readers” from the critical appreciation being heaped on this non-fiction work it looks like Emma Smith has done what she set out to do. Colin Burrow in The Guardian described it as “Thought-provoking …fizzing with jokes…Smith does it all with such a light touch you barely notice how much you’re learning.” Lynne Truss says “Emma Smith’s terrifically knowledgeable and thoughtful Portable Magic helps us understand every aspect of what our beloved books stand for. I for one am very grateful. What a delight this book is.” Books about books, I’m know I’m probably preaching to the converted if you are reading this but I’m sure you will agree with me that this is worth seeking out.
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