Next was Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Carolyn Stevermer. It was a fun idea for a book (the authors wrote back and forth as two different characters) and the premise was fun. There's just something I love about magic in Victorian times. Plus, the book had a very Jane Austen/Georgette Heyer feel to it which was enjoyable.
Brodeck by Philippe Claudel was incredibly thought-provoking and well written. It ended up winning this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. The translator definitely deserves credit as well.
I waited forever for Jasper Fforde's new series novel, Shades of Grey, and I wasn't disappointed. The new world took a while to get used to but it was worth it.
I regret not reading I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith sooner. It was just delightful.
And very recently, Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones and The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley were both amazing.
I was hoping to list about ten books and blindly I seem to have chosen nine which is close enough! I would read any of these again but might wait longer on The Glass Room and Brodeck only because the subjects introduced (war and hate) are tough ones.
What are your top reads so far this year? Which should I try and include in my reading for the second half of the year?
Remembering the good times,
K
Shades of Grey was one of my faves too.
ReplyDeleteThese sound excellent.
ReplyDeleteDid I tell you I got a Jasper Fforde book to read because of you. I think it is called "The Big Overeasy."
ReplyDelete