Book after Book

I am in a pickle! I enjoyed so much writing ' My top 5 books in 2017 ' post last year that I thought I'd do that again. I didn't read a lot in 2017, though, and picking my top 5 books was a breeze. If you've come across 'My 2018 in books' post last week, however, you know that I had a stellar 2018 when it comes to reading. There is no way I can do a Top 5 list. I tried. I failed. I refuse to try again. As I don't think anybody would survive a 'My top 70 books in 2018' post, I have therefore settled for a Top 10 instead. Just as hard but more doable. What I am NOT attempting is ranking these books in order of merit, enjoyment or any other classification. The numbers purely help me tidy up the page. In my heart, they are all in first place! So here it goes… And please do let me know in the comments below or on Twitter whether you also have loved some or all of these! 1) The Lion Tamer Who Lost by Louise Beech If you haven't experienc...

By Chloe Benjamin Published by Tinder Press As a blogger, sometimes I feel so in awe of a book that words won’t come out. This is one of those books… but I will try and write a couple of coherent sentences. Chloe Benjamin’s second book, The Immortalists , was published in the US on January 9th and – since then – it has been praised and celebrated wherever it’s landed. If you knew the day you were going to die, how would you choose to live? This question perfectly encapsulates this great novel, which succeeds in being witty, moving and tragic all at the same time. Everything begins in the summer of 1969, when the four Gold children – Varya, Daniel, Klara and Simon – decide to seek out a fortune-teller known for her ability to predict the date of your death. This one childhood act of bravado will change the way they will live and – ultimately – die. The novel is divided into four parts, one for each of the siblings, and follows them as they hurtle through life and face...