Top 5 Books of 2014

5. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

Having a mother who is essentially a bit of a Daphne Du Maurier 'fan girl' it's somewhat surprising that it's taken me so long to pick up one of her novels. God knows what held me back, because if Rebecca is anything to go by I completely understand the hype! Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again: the ominous first line quoted by our heroine who narrates the story of her time at Manderley as the second wife of Maxim de Winter. But the shadowy presence of the now-deceased Rebecca, Maxim's first wife, continues to permeate the house and everyone in it. How can our plain, demure protagonist compete against the ghost of the beautiful, vivacious Rebecca? This book made me feel uneasy, and at first I thought this was because I wasn't enjoying it, but when I got to about halfway through I realised this is how I was meant to feel! This isn't a lovely warm story to cosy up with. It's dark and distressing and haunting, made all the more so by Du Maurier's astounding descriptive, evocative, writing, but overall an amazing story with an epic twist. I couldn't help but vocalise my astonishment when said twist was revealed (much to the confusion of those around me at the time) which I think goes to show how deeply I was drawn into the world of the second Mrs de Winter.

4. A Month in the Country - J. L. Carr

I almost didn't include A Month in the Country on this list for the simple fact that it's a novella and I thought that, somehow, that didn't count. However, this book was so beautiful and sumptuous and gorgeous, it seemed criminal to leave it out. And in any case, it was most definitely one of my favourite books of the year, so why shouldn't it claim its place in the Top 5?! The books sees World War I veteran Tom Birkin narrating the story of his summer spent restoring a medieval church mural in the Yorkshire village of Oxgodby. The simple story of an idyllic moment in time encapsulated in just over 100 pages was an absolute joy to read. Carr's ability to summon the senses is extraordinary: I'd open up the pages of this book and instantly find myself in the gorgeous Yorkshire countryside on a hazy summer's day; gone were the murky clouds of mid-February that hung over my Birmingham housing estate.

3. The Warlord Chronicles - Bernard Cornwell

Ok I've done the inevitable and cheated slightly on this one. The Warlord Chronicles is actually a trilogy and, to make things worse, I only read the second and third installments in 2014, having read the first in the series at the end of the previous year. Call me a rebel, I don't care. Set in Arthurian Britain, the books follow Derfel Cadarn and his journey through manhood as he progresses through Arthur's ranks. There really is something for everyone in these boos, whether you like magic and fantasy (for what story of Arthur could be complete without Merlin?!), relationships, history, battles and war, etc. Upon finishing The Winter King I was concerned that the bar had been set too high and that Enemy of God would struggle to keep me as entertained as its predecessor. However, I needn't have worried, it was another easy-5-star read. Of the three, I felt Excalibur was the weakest, though perhaps my expectations really were too high by this stage? At this point, however, my slight disappointment didn't count for much, it was still amazing, and still one of the best books I read last year!

2. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

Like the Bounty in a tub of Celebrations, Jane Eyre was destined to remain on my bookshelf untouched until I got desperate. It wasn't that I thought it was going to be bad or that I wouldn't enjoy it, but having watched multiple adaptations of the story countless times, I knew the story inside out! We first see Jane living unhappily with her aunt and cousins before she is quickly whisked off to Lowood School to suffer at the iron hand of Mr Brocklehurst. Eight years later, yearning for change, Jane advertises as a governess, receiving one reply from Miss Fairfax at Thornfield Hall. It's here at Thornfield that Jane meets Mr Rochester, and so progresses one of the most wonderful love stories ever told. Despite my reservations, I fell head over heels in love with this book (not to mention with Mr Rochester!). I don't think I've ever believed in two characters and their feelings towards each other as much as Jane and Rochester which just meant that I cared so much. I'd have loved to have read this with no idea of the story, though without knowing the ending I don't know how I would have coped at some points! This was so close to being my favourite book of the year, and if I hadn't read the final book I'm about to tell you about, it undoubtedly would have been.

1. How Green Was My Valley - Richard Llewelyn

And so we come to number one. I first heard of How Green Was My Valley through a youtube recommendation which saw Lesley from Words of a Reader rave about how amazing this book was and so on my next visit to my local library I thought I might as well pick it up. Over the next week or two, other books I was more excited about reading at the time took up all my attention, but every now and then I'd spot How Green Was My Valley languishing at the end of the sofa and wonder whether I'd bother reading it or if I should just return it to the library rather than bother renewing it. Did I really want my next literary adventure to take me to a small Welsh mining community in the Victorian-era? Still undecided, I took it with me on my next trip to the library. When I'd finished having a browse I had some time to kill so I read the first few pages. Not bad, I thought, I might as well give it a go. And so I read on. Sitting here writing this now, it seems almost unbelievable that this book might have just passed me by. That I might never have known Huw Morgan and his family of miners, their lives and their relationships. This book amazed me, astonished me, captivated me, enthralled me, and completely blew me away. Favourite book of all time by far.


Best of the rest:
The Rotters' Club - Jonathan Coe
The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Lucky Jim - Kingsley Amis
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
Fingersmith - Sarah Waters

Lou x

Christmas Book Haul 2014

So I've been wanting to start a blog for a while but I've always come unstuck when trying to think of how to begin. Well Christmas has now awarded me the perfect opportunity! What better way to kick things off than with a book haul?! There were a fair few books on my list for Father Christmas and I was lucky enough to find myself unwrapping most of them on Christmas morning.

A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
I'd imagine that A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin has featured on many Christmas/Birthday/TBR lists over the last few years for obvious reasons! Like hundreds of thousands of other people around the world I love the Game of Thrones TV series so how could I not want to read the original?

On the Black Hill - Bruce Chatwin
My undisputed favourite novel of 2014 was Richard Llewelyn's How Green Was My Valley, set in a small mining community in the South Welsh countryside (you will be hearing A LOT more about this in future blog posts, I'm certain) so when I spotted 'The Top 10 Books of Rural Wales' whilst scrolling through the book section of The Guardian website I knew there'd be something on the list that would take my fancy! I'd never heard of On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin (or indeed Chatwin himself) before stumbling across this list but the stark thematic similarities to How Green Was My Valley (families, communities, character-driven as opposed to a major plot) made it an immediate must-read!

To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf
Every now and then I get a little obsessive over Cornwall, or at least the idea of Cornwall. No doubt it's a highly romanticised picture of the county influenced by childhood holidays, the mystique of Tintagel, and endless episodes of Escape to the Country, but it's a place my mind keeps wandering back to nonetheless. So I therefore decided to embark on a mission to track down novels with a Cornish setting (ok I literally typed 'Cornwall' into Goodreads) and once I'd scrolled through all the Daphne Du Maurier's I arrived at To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. I know I should have read at least one of Woolf's works by now, I know I know I know, bu I've watched the film adaptation of Mrs Dalloway, does that count? Answer: no, absolutely not. But I am VERY excited to start To the Lighthouse very soon!

Stardust - Neil Gaiman
I ADORE the film adaptation of Stardust by Neil Gaiman! It's such a comfort watch for me; it's wonderful, magical, warm and exciting. I have no idea if I'll be entranced in the same way by the novel (I've heard there's some notable differences in the plot between the two?) but if I love it even half as much as the film then it's going to be an instant favourite!

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente
2014 was the year I discovered the booktube community on our favourite video-hosting site and I have so much to thank them for. A number of my favourite reads over the last 12 months stemmed from booktubers' recommendations, and one that I've been hearing a lot about recently (and I mean rave reviews, declarations of adoration, etc) is The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherine M. Valente. I'm pretty new to the fantasy genre and I still find it a little intimidating and scary, but as a children's book I'm hoping this is going to be fairly accessible. Really looking forward to this one!

So Bright and Delicate: Love Letters and Poems to Fanny Brawne - John Keats
I admitted to being relatively new to fantasy, but the acquisition of So Bright and Delicate: Love Letters and Poems to Fanny Brawne by John Keats is a wander into completely unknown territory. My last foray with poetry was probably during my GCSEs at school and I can't say that it was an entirely enjoyable experience. Most of it left me rolling my eyes or scratching my head, wondering what that simile meant or why the poet had used alliteration in the fourth line or whether I could find evidence of personification for an extra mark. But during a boring afternoon at work a couple of months ago I decided to reacquaint myself with verse. And what do you know, it's a hell of a lot more enjoyable when you're not having to analyse it to death! Ok I still didn't understand half of it but I'm prepared to give it another chance and I thought this volume, including Keats' letters to Fanny Brawne, might be a nice place to start.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
In truth, I have no idea when I first came across Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke or what made me decide to read it. I think I was possibly on a fantasy-hype and it just happened to cross my path at the right time. I've heard it described as the 'adult Harry Potter' which, if accurate, poses a very exciting prospect! It's a weighty one though, over 1000 pages long - am I brave enough to tackle it?!

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Another feature on the list by Neil Gaiman - slightly odd considering I found the only book I've read of his (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) slightly underwhelming. But I've heard so many good things about Neverwhere that I just had to add it to the ever-growing TBR list. Simple as that really!

I can't wait to start on these! I'm currently halfway through The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy which I'm really enjoying (to my surprise!), but which one of these books shall I read next?!

Lou x