The other day I was looking over my reading list for this year, and then I started looking at the lists from previous years.
I don’t know where my impulse to record my reading comes from, but I have had it ever since I was a child. I used to keep notebooks to record my reading. I remember for a time I also rated the books I was reading. If I’m not mistaken it was a five-star system, with five stars for the most enjoyable/best books. I wish I could look at one of those old notebooks, but alas they were discarded long ago.
I still maintain the habit of making a note of what I’ve read in my paper diary. When I started blogging in 2005 I also got into the habit of publishing a list of the year’s reading – entirely aided by and based on this paper listing. This public list hasn’t made me change my reading habits, or prompted me to read more “intellectual” books. Would it be a good thing if it did? I learn a lot from reading: language and words and how to express myself. How writers do their art. Stuff about other countries. Stuff about other people.It’s all good.
Anyway, looking at the lists made me wonder what the best, most memorable books I’ve read have been over the last 5 years or so. What counts as “best”? Most enjoyable? Something that teaches me something? Something with a good “message”? Anyway. These ten jumped out at me, for various reasons. If I was rating them, they would each get five stars.
- Stoner by John Williams. Simply superb. Several book blogs recommended it, and I thought I’d see for myself. A story about a man’s life, basically, but so, so well done. I’ll stop gushing now.
- Union St by Pat Barker. Want to read more of her work.
- Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth. For the language and the detail and the scope of the story.
- Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie. The story spanned across many years, many cultures and many big themes and managed to be A Jolly Good Read all at once.
- Glasshouse by Charles Stross. I am a Stross fan. The theme of gender and gender roles very well done in this one.
- Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Love the language in this one.
- A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Amazing depiction of India.
- Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. Amazing world.
- The Broken Shore by Peter Temple. Superb characterisation and dialogue. Am definitely a fan of Peter Temple. (He’s also the only author I have ever received a book from, directly, which makes him special to me.)
- Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge. Ideas, ideas, ideas. Might be time to re-read his work.
All paper books. It will be interesting to see how this changes (I’m assuming it will) over the next five years.
What were the Best Books you’ve read over the last four or five years?
10 Comments
Union Street is brilliant, the Ghost Road trilogy is even better.
Lately I’ve been enjoying British writers of the 1930s-1950s for some reason; Anthony Powell, Evelyn Waugh, Angus Wilson, George Orwell, LP Hartley. Waugh’s the best place to start if you’re interested, Vile Bodies or Brideshead Revisited.
Quick comment- A Fine Balance is one of my top 10 all time fave books.
For the past 12 months I can’t seem to get over bitlit! My bookclub friends are horrified since I’m considered the most highbrow literati among them. These are a few outside that genre that I’ve enjoyed for various reasons.
Wake in Fright – Kenneth Cook
Watership down – Richard Adams
The Road – Cormac McCarthy
The Stone Gods – Jeanette Winterson
BTW: I’m taking up the challenge #blogeverydayofjune. Might post my own list a fave books!
I need to read more Vinge, A Fire Upon the Deep was fantastic and still echoes in my head occasionally. Recently finished Girl With Dragon Tattoo and reading through the latest Pratchett – though I’ve forgotten to note them.
This is so thoughtful of you. On Monday night this week I started my first bookgroup. Now we need to identify books to read and you have provided great ideas : – )
thanks, Ruth
ooo tough. have to say the Potato Peel society was up there. Also the Steig Larsson series, Khaled Hosseini ones. Gabaldon of course.
I was inspired by your gratitude list & have written a 5 point gratitude list myself. Your book lists and reviews amaze me, do you know how many books you’ve read since 2000?
Hmm, best books… I’m not good at keeping track, but Lios McMaster Bujold’s fantasy series (Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, The Hallowed Hunt) is what jumps out at me. They have everything that is awesome: great characters, detailed and vivid worlds, great stories, re-readability, wisdom. Her other books have these things too, but for some reason I really really enjoy these ones. Love them to bits (literally – my copy of Curse of Chalion is fixed with sports tape where the cover started tearing, and I’m careful with my books).
Tom, the Ghost Road trilogy’s been in my To Read list for a time. Must get to it.
Kate, I’ve also enjoyed Mistry’s Family Matters, but yep A Fine Balance is superb.
Misssophiemac, what’s “bitlit”?
Ruth, a bookclub? More topics for blogging 😉
Penny, you remind me that I haven’t been doing any reading circle reading!!
Geomancer I’d have to dig out my paper diaries 2000 – 2004 to work out the number of books I’ve read in total… maybe a project for a rainy afternoon?
Akkadis I still havent read Lois McMaster Bujold. Another for the list…
Oooh, the last four or five years. Must look at my lists, but off the top of my head:
Carpentaria – Alexis Wright
The Blue Flower – Penelope Fitzgerald
Patrick White, A Life – David Marr
House Of Exile – Evelyn Juers
The Master – Colm Toibin
And most of Dorothy Porter’s poetry
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
And The Land I Came Through Last – Robert Gray
That will do for now. You’ve reminded me once more NOT TO FORGET to read Barry Unsworth and Pat Barker. Thank you 🙂