I read 33 books this year not as many as previous years – although I feel as if some are missing! I’m delighted to share them with you. Below is the rating scheme I developed in 2014 – the first year I posted a list. Part way through 2018, I took a break from historical fiction 🙂
LR = light, enjoyable read; GR = good, several caveats; ER = excellent, few caveats; OR = outstanding; DNF = did not finish; NMT = not my type.
| Title | Author | Comment | ||
| Jan | My Dear Hamilton (brief review) | Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie | OR | Fascinating portrayals of the men and women who played pivotal roles during the revolution and the founding of America. |
| Born a Crime (book club) | Trevor Noah | ER | Humour – pain – emotion – and unique stories of growing up bi-racial in South Africa make this an outstanding read. | |
| The Tuscan Child | Rhys Bowen | NMT | There was so much the author could have done with this story. | |
| Small Great Things (book club) | Jodi Picoult | ER | This was a can’t-turn-the-pages-fast-enough book for me. | |
| Only Time Will Tell | Jeffrey Archer | ER | The first of Jeffrey Archer’s Clifton Chronicles and I’m sure to read more. | |
| Feb | Mary – Tudor Princess (review) | Tony Riches | ER | Full of excellent period detail, this novel will transport you to 16th century England and France with intrigues, wars and upheavals. |
| The Woman in the Window | A.J. Finn | OR | My husband read this and said I HAD to read it. And he was right. | |
| Trumpocracy | David Frum | ER | An alarming, clear-eyed, and well-articulated view of what’s going on in the US. | |
| Mar | March | Geraldine Brooks | GR | Not as compelling as her other novels. |
| Full Disclosure | Beverley McLachlin | GR | Debut novel from Canada’s former chief justice. | |
| Apr | Citizens of London | Lynne Olson | OR | A fascinating look at US involvement in WWII; superb non-fiction |
| All is not Forgotten | Wendy Walker | ER | Suspense, family drama, unexpected plot twists and a unique storyline. | |
| The Wife (musing on titles) | Alastair Burke | GR | The pacing and cliff-hanging chapter endings are well done and the twist at the end is quite the surprise. | |
| May | Off Season | Anne Rivers Siddons | GR | At times disjointed and with too many digressions. |
| The Litigators | John Grisham | GR | Novel doesn’t get going for a long time. | |
| The Fire By Night | Teresa Messineo | DNF | Full of inner monologue and backstory and lengthy descriptions. | |
| Dreams of Falling | Karen White | ER | A plot that slowly simmers its way to a surprising and satisfying ending | |
| Jun | Simple Truth (guest post by the author) | Carol Bodensteiner | ER | Great dialogue, pacing, and engaging characters. |
| News of the World | Paulette Jiles | GR | Took a while for me to ‘get into it’ |
Quite a mix of genres, time periods and impressions. I’ll post the rest on Thursday.
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M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel, TIME AND REGRET was published by Lake Union. Mary’s other novels, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.
9 Responses
Since historical fiction is so much you, it is probably refreshing to read something else at times.
Definitely refreshing! For example, light reads can be a great way to relax after slogging through writing a chapter or editing a draft for the umpteenth time. Wishing you a happy new year.
Happy new year to you too!
Many thanks for your comment, Andrea. Did you happen to see the post I did with your reader interview? Here’s the link in case you didn’t see it 🙂 https://awriterofhistory.com/2018/12/20/readers-bring-their-perspective/
I’m reading the Clockmaker’s Daughter right now – really enjoying it!
Do you think it’s quite different from her other ones, M.B.?
I’m afraid this is my first read of hers, but I’d be interested in more of her works after reading it!