One of my favourite bookish activities each year is going back through my list of books read and choosing my top 10. This sometimes spills over into 12 (…or 15) but I’ve been strict with myself this year – even if it means leaving out quite a few brilliant books. This year, I ended up putting my list together around 1.30am, when I couldn’t sleep. Not ideal, but the list still reflected my thoughts in the morning!
My usual rules apply – no re-reads, only one book by any one author, and they are numbered because I love a numbered list! These rankings might shift on another day, but not too much. The title links through to the review in each case. Ok, from #10 to #1…
10.) The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1979) by Milan Kundera
Nobody but Kundera could have written this novel – a patchwork of seemingly disparate events in Czech people’s lives, from fantasy narratives about angels to being stalked by government agents. Its held together by his astonishing ability to draw parallels, and that wonderful writing (translated by Aaron Asher).
9.) Buttercups and Daisies (1931) by Compton Mackenzie
I’ve only read two novels by Mackenzie, and both have ended up on my Best Books of the Year lists for their respective years, so I’m definitely going to have to read more. In this one, idealistic Mr Waterall drags his long-suffering family off on an ill-fated attempt to get back to nature.
8.) Two Lives (2007) by Janet Malcolm
I read this hoping to find out more about Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas – the ‘two lives’ of the title. I did that, but more importantly it introduced me to the odd, innovative, and bold world of Malcolm’s writing. I read two other books by her this year, after Two Lives, but the one that introduced me to her remains my favourite.
7.) A Lost Lady (1923) by Willa Cather
My 25 Books in 25 Days project was great fun, and introduced me to this spectacular novella – a portrait of Mrs Forrester from the vantage of a younger man, whose idolisation of her falters when he realises she has feet of clay. Beautifully written.
6.) Pigs in Heaven (1993) by Barbara Kingsolver
I might never have taken this off my shelf if A Century of Books hadn’t come along, and 1993 hadn’t proved so difficult to fill. Thank goodness I did – this sequel to The Bean Trees looks at the effects of an adoption of a Native American child – as a Native American lawyer seeks to return that child to her community.
5.) The Gipsy in the Parlour (1954) by Margery Sharp
I’ve read a few Sharp novels this year, but this was the most immersive and wonderful. Not at all comic, as some of her books are, it looks at how the arrival of a new bride to a close-knit family can totally and insidiously transform it – all from the perspective of a young relative who is an occasional visitor. Melancholic and extraordinary.
4.) This Little Art (2017) by Kate Briggs
Who’d have thought a non-fiction book about translation could sustain such momentum, have so much intrigue, and be so endlessly fascinating? Quirkily structured, it feels both stream of consciousness and meticulously planned – you won’t read anything else quite like it.
3.) Cassandra at the Wedding (1962) by Dorothy Baker
I’d read one Baker novel previously (and another that turned out to be by a different Dorothy Baker), but I wasn’t prepared for how brilliant this is. Beautifully written, Baker gradually unfolds the lives of Cassandra and Judith – twins alienated and now reunited for the latter’s wedding. It is now top of my list of authors writing about twins, which she does with astonishing understanding for an only child.
2.) The Devil’s Candy (1992) by Julie Salamon
Proof that reading outside your comfort zone is a good idea sometimes – I couldn’t have imagined I’d love a book about the making of The Bonfire of the Vanities movie so much, particularly since I’ve never seen the film. Salamon’s book is so brilliant because of the even pacing and total immersion in the world she reports.
1.) The Sweet and Twenties (1958) by Beverley Nichols
For the second year in a row, my favourite book of the year was by Beverley Nichols! This time, it’s his retrospective of the 1920s that Karen and I discussed when she was a guest on ‘Tea or Books?’. From the Thompson/Bywaters case to the fashions of the period, it’s historically rich and fascinating, as well as being soaked in Nichols’ inimitable style. A total delight!
This list will test my resolve to restrain my book purchasing this year.
Haha! Sorry!
Me too!
My ” must read these books” list just had 10 additions as I haven’t read any of these titles and you make them sound so interesting. I will try my local library first but I expect that I will have to buy most of them, thank goodness for the availability of used books on the Internet. Thank you for all your book news and comment, keep up the good work, wishing you a Happy New Year.
Good luck finding them, and thank you for your kind wishes!
I always look forward to your best of list Simon. I have only read three of them, but I do have that Beverly Nichols tbr. I remember your review of Buttercups and Daisies, and I really will have to go in search of a copy. I’m supposed to not buy any books in January (I managed it last year) so maybe I should do that now.
Thanks Ali! I’m trying to severely limit the number of books I buy in 2019, which hopefully will mean exploring some of the unread gems on my shelves. So yes, I too should be spending today stockpiling!
Like you I read A Lost Lady for a daily book challenge this year and really enjoyed it. I also read Cassandra at the Wedding this year and thought it was wonderful. You & Karen have definitely inspired me to hunt down Beverley Nichols in 2019. Happy New Year Simon!
We are in sync this year! I think I might do the daily book challenge again at some point this year – thanks for the inspiration!
Wonderful list! I have just read what I think might be one of my top 10 though I have to check through, so not posting until tomorrow as usual (in a bumper post including my book haul!).
Oo always good to wait until the last moment for these lists, for that very reason! I remember making sure I finished The Lark by E Nesbit in January rather than December, because I’d already made my list and I knew it deserved to be there.
I’m very keen to read This Little Art – and it’s surprising and pleasing to see books like this and the Salamon in your best of list. Happy New Year, Simon!
Yes, I can be more eclectic than I first seem! I guess it’s that the things off the beaten path are often the most memorable.
Some fascinating titles on your list for me to watch out for! Happy New Year!
And to you, Karen!
Always my favourite end-of-year list! I’ve only read one of these (A Lost Lady) so everything else is going straight on to my to-read list – even the Beverley Nichols. Your continued enthusiasm for him is slowly but surely encouraging me to give him another chance. I’m less conflicted about Buttercups and Daisies – that sounds like a book I’d love so I’ll put it on the top of my list to track down in 2019.
It looks like I’ll be visiting London in late May/early June (I’ll email once dates are confirmed) so hopefully we’ll have a chance to get together and finally see each other in person again. Yet another reason to be excited about 2019!
And yours is always mine! I don’t know why I’ve not forced you to read Compton Mackenzie before, because I’m pretty sure you’d love both the ones I’ve read so far.
And that’s very exciting! I think my diary is relatively clear around then, so fingers crossed.
Hurrah! Beverley is certainly tops. I don’t think I mentioned him in my write up of the year, but I can never have enough of his books. And I really *must* read the Briggs in 2019. Happy new year! :)
You absolutely must! Though I worry that I will develop a Fitzcarraldo addiction at this rate…
Happy New Year, Simon! Buttercups & Daisies sounds irresistible so that`s the book I`m adding straight to my wish list.
Good luck, hope you find a copy! I must read more by him (may test my resolve not to buy lots of books this year…)
Such a great list. I liked Cassandra at the Wedding as well. I think I’ve git tgat Kundera somewhere, so I’m glad you liked it. The Beverly Nichols book sounds very tempting.
I think Immortality is still my favourite Kundera, but this one is probably second :) And thanks!
Great list! I do like how you read books from so many decades and across so many subjects. I’m catholic that way myself. And a BN fan.
My list goes up this morning.
I was pleased to see that they spread so far and evenly across the century!
Great list, Simon! A Lost Lady & The Book of Laughter and Forgetting are also favourites of mine. I have Cassandra at the Wedding & Two Lives on my TBR, and now I am curious about This Little Art… :) Happy New Year!
Thanks Juliana! Glad to have a fellow fan of those two quite different books. And I’m pretty sure you’d like the other three you mention!
I’m really interested in the Buttercups and Daisies, and The Sweet and Twenties. Thank you.
Thanks Nan! Hope you find and enjoy them :)
So glad you put a reminder about this on Twitter, as I had indeed missed it, and what a great list! I am often wary of end of year lists as they consist solely of newly published books, and I rarely read those – yours is so much more interesting. I’ve read Cassandra and absolutely loved it. The Compton Mackenzie I’ve read is Extraordinary Women, which I enjoyed – Buttercups and Daisies sounds quite different and I will look out for it. The Margery Sharp sounds very interesting too. I first read Beverley Nichols as a schoolgirl, when I found Down the Garden Path in the local library, where I spent most of my summer holidays hiding from ‘good fresh air’. Thanks for reminding me about him. Best wishes for 2019.
That’s so nice, thanks Rosemary! And what lovely memories of Beverley – I feel like 2019 is likely to be my third year of Beverley.