by Rene Karabash
Written by a Bulgarian woman this is an absorbing tale about Bekija(or Matija) who becomes a sworn virgin hours before she was due to be married. This whole set up is alien and governed by the laws of the Kanun.
The voices are all mixed together which can be confusing at times but this adds to the tension as we gradually discover what actually happened on that night in the dairy. I really enjoyed this. 9/10
by Lina Munar Guevara
Set in Columbia, this is a tale narrated by 18 year old Melissa as she looks to graduate and deal with the demons from her adolescent years. Her mother has come to visit her but this is far from straightforward! An interesting book but not altogether my cup of tea. 7/10
by Ford Madox Ford
I am not sure how I came across this book but I am glad that I did.
It tells us the story of Christopher Tietjens and his life before,during and after the first world war. It is also the story of his wife Sylvia who is so obnoxious at times to verge on the unbelievable with out quite falling over. At times the language and classical references left me totally baffled but the style of writing kept me hanging on. Definitely a good read to start the year. 9/10
by Georges Simenon
A retired diplomat is found dead in his apartment and suspicion falls on various old friends, lovers and his housekeeper-the relations between whom are unusual. Maigret gets rather frustrated dealing with them but it was an enjoyable tale and not least because I solved it before Maigret! 8/10
by Colm Toibin
A novella first published in a collection called Mothers and Sons in 2006(?) this is set in the Pyrenees as winter starts to set in. A family that for historic reasons is disliked by the rest of the small isolated village has to come to terms with the mother going missing in a snow storm as she walks out one day having argued with her husband and son regarding her drinking. Sombre and bleak it was a good read which I undertook as storm Goretti battered the south west of England. Very appropriate! 8/10
by Charles Dickens
My Christmas book for this year. Every time I reread a Dickens I enjoy it more I think.
This one was no different as Arthur Clennam returns from China after his father's death, to be confronted with his cold domineering mother and a whole host of intertwined mysteries. One of these, of course, involves our eponymous heroine and her father who is imprisoned in the Marshalsea-a debtors prison.
Full of humour and biting satire this is a long but enjoyable feel good read. 9/10
So, I started the year with a Dickens and as I write this I am reading another one both of which are good festive reads.
The rest of the year has included twelve Maigret's -he is still drinking a lot and still enjoyable.
The Booker list was ok this year with my favourites being The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny and from the longlist Endling. I also enjoyed Seascraper.
Elsewhere I read Midnight's Children which I enjoyed and the Magic Mountain followed by the Empusium which was inspired by it.
In terms of my favourite book this year it would have to be shared between The Magic Mountain, Going to the Dogs and The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.
by Roger Martin du Gard
Not a well known author in the UK but winner of the nobel prize for literature in 1937. This book was written in 1910-1913 and is part novel and part musings on the battle between scientific reasoning and religion, in particular the Catholic Church.
It gets a bit bogged down at times but I enjoyed it and could recognise similar battles in myself over the years. The end is left beautifully questioning the reader as to where Jean Barois ended up in his thought process and which side he fell on. 8/10
