Your Favourite Book of 2016

[Paul Whybrow]

Thankfully, we've passed through the period when newspapers summarise the year just gone with 'best of' lists. I have a rather jaundiced view of articles in which journalists, celebrities and authors choose their favourite books of the year. Their choices are often represented by their own literary agency or publisher. Like literary awards, such lists can be a form of marketing.

I like to hear of new books that a friend enjoyed, and I always pass on titles I relished. My own favourite read of 2016 came in the last week of the year, almost as compensation for having ploughed through some overrated best-sellers.

I've long admired the novels of Alice Hoffman. Her The Dovekeepers, set at the Siege of Masada, is one of the finest novels I know. Three weeks ago, I read The Museum of Extraordinary Things and was immersed in early 20th century New York freak shows and gang life, with believable heroes and villains and shady characters whose motivations left you wondering....

What was your favourite read of 2016?

 

[Marc Joan]

Fingers in the Sparkle Jar -- Chris Packham's autobiographical memoir. Just finished reading it, but I bought it last year, so I hope it still counts. A painful, touching, occasionally harrowing read. Not just for Springwatch/Autumnwatch fans. Might not translate too well to US audiences -- some Brit-specific cultural references.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

No favourites these year, as in, no new release I would particularly want to read a second time however I might have rated them. The Loney, Andrew Michael Hurley, The Stopped Heart, Julie Myerson, Himself, Jess Kidd.

 

[Bluma Bezbroda]

Not as in "published in 2016", but my great discovery of the year was 16-century Chinese novel Chin P'ing Mei (the discovery of which happened in a quite amusing way that I described here ). I'm not done with it yet cause it spans for 5 volumes, 500 pages each, but it was the first book ever to make me think "I will write a screenplay to make a series out of that. Dat shit deserves to be on TV."

Except that, mostly disappointments, starting with the latest John Irving book.

 

[Haydn Jones]

Thankfully, we've passed through the period when newspapers summarise the year just gone with 'best of' lists. I have a rather jaundiced view of articles in which journalists, celebrities and authors choose their favourite books of the year. Their choices are often represented by their own literary agency or publisher. Like literary awards, such lists can be a form of marketing.

I like to hear of new books that a friend enjoyed, and I always pass on titles I relished. My own favourite read of 2016 came in the last week of the year, almost as compensation for having ploughed through some overrated best-sellers.

I've long admired the novels of Alice Hoffman. Her The Dovekeepers, set at the Siege of Masada, is one of the finest novels I know. Three weeks ago, I read The Museum of Extraordinary Things and was immersed in early 20th century New York freak shows and gang life, with believable heroes and villains and shady characters whose motivations left you wondering....

What was your favourite read of 2016?

Paul, my favourite book was I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Gruesome at times but fast paced and gripping.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Not as in "published in 2016", but my great discovery of the year was 16-century Chinese novel Chin P'ing Mei (the discovery of which happened in a quite amusing way that I described here ). I'm not done with it yet cause it spans for 5 volumes, 500 pages each, but it was the first book ever to make me think "I will write a screenplay to make a series out of that. Dat shit deserves to be on TV."

Except that, mostly disappointments, starting with the latest John Irving book.

Bluma, you and I love John Irving, but I've been feeling for a long time that he's past his best. This happens with some authors whose creative powers wane in old age. I found Last Night In Twisted River hard to finish. So-so reviews of his latest Avenue of Mysteries have prevented me from requesting it from the library. Life's too short to waste it reading books that are tiresome.

The Cider House Rules remains one of my favourite novels—and they even made a decent film adaptation of it.

 

[Bluma Bezbroda]

@Paul Whybrow hmmm I would say that his prose is uneven—you never know whether you will get a gem, a "meh" ora total waste of time. I do not trust the reviews in the case of this particular author, either they praise him cause he's John Irving, or they bash them cause he's John Irving... Last Night... actually ranks quite high with me, so does Son of the circus that the reviewres have all but eaten alive

But I agree that Avenue of Mysteries is nauseously self-congratulatory. Yes, John, you are a great and famous writer, now stop making references to yourself and your books in your own fiction!