Hello dear Off-Topicers, I know favourite books of the year lists usually appear in December, but I’m never ready for declaring mine that early as I often read a lot in that wonderful week of nothingness between Christmas and New Year. And I was wise to wait, as some wonders did pip their way to the post (although not in a way where their pipping actually displaced anything - there was just a much larger gathering there).
THANK you for your recommendations! My TBR pile is getting higher and higher but I am delighted! I am not sure you'd be happy with more, but I had to think of two things while reading your newsletter: 1. It is definitely trigger warning material, but I really really really loved the theater version of A little life by ITA which now runs in cinemas (a play by a book in the cinema! - https://alittlelifeplay.com/) and 2. I was blown away by the book The song of the stork and the dromedary by Anjet Daanje (https://www.letterenfonds.nl/en/book/1532/the-song-of-the-stork-and-the-dromedary#:~:text=This%20masterful%20novel%20spans%20two,May%2C%20modeled%20after%20Emily%20Bront%C3%AB.) which is loosely based on the life of the Bronte sisters but is so brilliantly done. Also pretty dark, but it totally fits the bill. I think you would appreciate it.
I think what you’ve written about A Little Life is fair; I still think about the book often but feel I’d be wary of recommending it to anyone who wasn’t in a strong emotional state - I think it should have trigger warnings on it!
I can see my TBR pile is about to get taller. Like you, I LOVED both Big Swiss and Romantic Comedy, but I’ve found they’re quite marmite choices. I have In Memoriam waiting to be read and have been wavering over A Little Life - for reasons you touch on, but one friend of mine adored it and wept her way through (her mark of a good book). I’m looking forward to The List of Suspicious Things and am now intrigued by all the other titles on your list - I haven’t heard of several of the authors, so I’m looking forward to discovering some new (to me) voices. Thank you! And happy new year. Cx
THANK you for your recommendations! My TBR pile is getting higher and higher but I am delighted! I am not sure you'd be happy with more, but I had to think of two things while reading your newsletter: 1. It is definitely trigger warning material, but I really really really loved the theater version of A little life by ITA which now runs in cinemas (a play by a book in the cinema! - https://alittlelifeplay.com/) and 2. I was blown away by the book The song of the stork and the dromedary by Anjet Daanje (https://www.letterenfonds.nl/en/book/1532/the-song-of-the-stork-and-the-dromedary#:~:text=This%20masterful%20novel%20spans%20two,May%2C%20modeled%20after%20Emily%20Bront%C3%AB.) which is loosely based on the life of the Bronte sisters but is so brilliantly done. Also pretty dark, but it totally fits the bill. I think you would appreciate it.
I think what you’ve written about A Little Life is fair; I still think about the book often but feel I’d be wary of recommending it to anyone who wasn’t in a strong emotional state - I think it should have trigger warnings on it!
I can see my TBR pile is about to get taller. Like you, I LOVED both Big Swiss and Romantic Comedy, but I’ve found they’re quite marmite choices. I have In Memoriam waiting to be read and have been wavering over A Little Life - for reasons you touch on, but one friend of mine adored it and wept her way through (her mark of a good book). I’m looking forward to The List of Suspicious Things and am now intrigued by all the other titles on your list - I haven’t heard of several of the authors, so I’m looking forward to discovering some new (to me) voices. Thank you! And happy new year. Cx
I see that Tom Lake is in the photo but not in the text. I really liked it (can’t say I loved it, but maybe I did). What did you think?