31) Black Water Lilies by Michel Bussi This book came weighted with a lot of chat on the front cover: "Ends with one of the most reverberating shocks in modern fiction" says the Sunday Times. "A dazzling, unexpected and haunting masterpiece" says the Daily Mail. It's a bit unfair, really, on both the book and… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 31: Black Water Lilies
Category: Year 2
Year 2 reviews
Year 2 / Book 30: White Sands
30) White Sands by Geoff Dyer Geoff Dyer is recognised for being a bit uncategorisable, which makes describing his books a little tricky to say the least. Suffice to say that he is one of my favourite writers and that he walks along the tightrope between non-fiction and fiction in his books. This collection, his… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 30: White Sands
Year 2 / Book 29: The Ballad of Peckham Rye
29) The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark My experience of Muriel Spark had been limited to the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie before this, so thanks to Gen for sending this little gem through. It's a slim, sharp novel featuring a mischievous Scotsman, Dougal Douglas (or possibly Douglas Dougal) causing havoc amongst the… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 29: The Ballad of Peckham Rye
Year 2 / Book 28: Dead at Daybreak
28) Dead At Daybreak by Deon Meyer Deon Meyer is a great South African thriller writer: one of those who consistently rises above the 'genre' of police procedural and standard crime thriller to create memorable, involving characters, complex plots and insight to the country they are based in. In this instance, Dead At Daybreak doesn't feature… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 28: Dead at Daybreak
Year 2 / Book 27: Late Fragments
27) Late Fragments by Kate Gross The subtitle to this book is 'Everything I Want To Tell You (About This Magnificent Life)', which gives you an indication of what it is about. It's a memoir written by a high-flying woman who gets diagnosed with terminal colon cancer when she is 34 and who dies two… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 27: Late Fragments
Year 2 / Book 26: Hillbilly Elegy
26) Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance Hillbilly Elegy is a memoir written by someone from a poor white family in the middle of America, who 'got out' and made a success of themselves (going to a prestigious university and ending up at a venture capital firm. It became a bestseller in the US and has… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 26: Hillbilly Elegy
Year 2 / Book 25: Hostage
25) Hostage by Kristina Ohlsson I've read the first three novels by Kristina Ohlsson, and they've all been pretty gripping - with a nice central double act of Alex & Fredrika as the grizzled / talented detectives solving a variety of grisly crimes. In this novel, Ohlsson moves beyond the bleak Scandinavian tundra into a… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 25: Hostage
Year 2 / Book 24: Rupture
24) Rupture by Ragnar Jonasson It continues to feel like a time to escape from the reality, to turn the rolling news and speculation off and pick up a book you can lose yourself in. So that's what I've been doing, continuing on the thriller treadmill with some authors I know and trust. In this instance,… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 24: Rupture
Year 2 / Book 23: The Wrong Side of Goodbye
23) The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly Another week, another long-running series of crime novels. I've lost count of how many Michael Connelly novels I've read, featuring either Harry Bosch or Mickey Haller...but Wikipedia says it would be around 23. Connelly's a hugely reliable writer, with a great ear for dialogue, believable plots… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 23: The Wrong Side of Goodbye
Year 2 / Book 22: Cold Earth
22) Cold Earth by Ann Cleeves I've never been to Shetland, so most of my knowledge about it has been gleaned from Ann Cleeves' series of police procedurals set on the island. They all feature Jimmy Perez, and this is the seventh in the series (apparently there is one more to come) - and I… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 22: Cold Earth
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 