Best book you read this year?

The Book Thief is one of the few books I've read twice.

I haven't had the pleasure of reading Demon Copperhead yet, but have read Lessons in Chemistry, and enjoyed it.

However, the book that has pipped the post so far this year is Remarkably Bright Creatures. It is wonderful. Don't let the fact that an octopus is one of the main characters put you off.

Urmstongran This morning I downloaded ‘Tom Ford’ the very latest novel by Anne Patchett and I can’t put it down. (Actually I don’t have to). Patchett's writing style is warm, poetic, rich and thoughtful. She is very perceptive.

Did you mean "Tom Lake" or has she written "Tom Ford" as well? (Both are watery titles )

Ladyleftfieldlover

Piranesi by Susannah Clarke. This was the book my book group loved the most in recent times.

I’m just reading that book. Very unusual, gets you thinking !

I need to update.
Just finished In Memoriam by Alice Winn. This is now my favourite book of the year

I did enjoy Demon Copperhead, but in a lighter read The Humans by Matt Haig is clever and funny and enjoyable.

Thanks for the reference to Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake. I’ll get it on my kindle as I’m going away - otherwise I’d get the book. I still much prefer the feel of a book as I read.

I’m half way through Demon Copperhead. Two things to celebrate, one is starting a ‘proper ‘ novel after the fug brain over such a tough time. Secondly - what a book ! It’s such a great gripping read, Dickens in the 21st century

Oops! Yes - I did mean ‘Tom Lake’ Sparklefizz! . I have brain fog too just lately, like you Iam.

Has anyone read this one? I noticed it sat on my bookcase earlier this evening. I only ever keep a few of my most favourites. I read it years ago. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2011 Deeply funny, moving, idiosyncratic and unforgettable, I can highly recommend it.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is my current favourite read of this year. It is about a New York ‘Death Doula’, Clover, who is still mourning her grandfather eleven years after his death. It’s a gently humorous story of secrets, regrets and life lessons.

Since i was ill, I have found it difficult to get back into reading but I really loved A Terrible Kindness.

As for my top read this year, it's "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. This enchanting tale of a magical competition held within a mysterious circus is beautifully written. Morgenstern's descriptive prose and the way she weaves the story together are truly mesmerizing. It's one of those books that transport you to a different world, and I found myself captivated from the first page to the last.
If you're looking for something a bit different and enjoy a blend of fantasy and romance, "The Night Circus" might be your next great read. And if you ever decide to explore some contemporary fiction and romance, do check out bookwormera.com/emily-henry-books/

I've yet to read Demon Copperhead - so many different opinions about it. A marmite book?

Although I loved Lessons in Chemistry, my favourite book during 2023 was easily Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt.

I particularly enjoyed " Remarkably Bright Creatures". It centers around the relationship between a senior woman and an octopus at the aquarium where she works. It was so unexpectedly touching and brilliant. I highly recommend it.
As others have noted. "Demon Copperhead" was fantastic.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Genuinely loved reading this book

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Just about to start Tom Lake!

I have no views on this matter but do have views on Katie Hopkins- none of them pleasant. She holds strong views on the shortcomings of many, and does not hesitate to share them. Rarely do her writings offer joy or enlightenment. She wrote an unpleasantly critical article about the names chosen by the underclass for their children, with particular derision for naming a child after a place. Her daughter is called India. When challenged on this , her reply was that India is not a place, it is just a lovely name for a child..

Sorry all - wrong place!

Really enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry and also Cloud Cuckoo. Land. So many books this year I will have to look at my bookcase to remind myself. Will get back on here later on.

Mrs Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce - loosely based on a true story.

A Terrible Kindness - Jo Browning Roe. Better than I expected. About a young embalmer who volunteers to help at Aberfan. I wasn't sure about the author using Aberfan in a novel as it is still quite recent history. However, the story is sensitively told and is about his life rather than just Aberfan.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

Recently I came across a book I read as a child - "The wide wide world". I was shocked when I read it again, it is the clearest example of grooming a young person you could see, and it was represented as a good thing.
So I tried some others," Little Women" and its sequels. I found the stories not too bad, but the prosy religious tone was really annoying.
So I went for a third choice "What Katy Did" and the sequels. This had stood the time, the characters were real, the stories were god, and the writing, especially descriptions of environment, was excellent.

I'm reading The Zealot's Bones by DM Mark and Victim Without A Face by Stefan Ahnhem.

I can't put either of them down!

The Warden by Anthony Trollope.
Never read Trollope before. So funny and so percipient.