In time-honoured tradition, I’m not going to keep this list up to date, so by the end of the year it will look like I read just 3 books.
- The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby. Eerie coming of age story. Well done but no surprises.
- His Redemption by Quirky Quinn. Werewolf love story, in which abused werewolf orphan girl escapes and builds a life for herself (career and friends), before being tracked down by her abuser, falling in love with him, being kidnapped by another abuser, and being grateful for being rescued by the first abuser. Astonishing.
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Heartwarmingly beautiful book about our gratitude for life.
- The Last Bear by Hannah Gold – technically a children’s book, read with my son – beautiful eco-aware story of a lonely girl and a bear on a remote Nordic island.
- Girl A by Abigail Dean, story of abused, imprisoned siblings. Felt like well-written fiction until I read the Turpin case, now feels like fictionalised voyeurism.
- Love of Fat Men by Helen Dunmore. Excellent short collection; observant and disturbing insights on the interactions between humans, reads like a jigsaw puzzle.
- Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. Just starting, gritty.
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