The Big Book Review 2019 (AKA Books I read in 2019 and what I liked)

The time has come to review the books I read in 2019.  The original post for this came from http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/ . I originally stole it from Janet at www.jbisistheinitial.blogspot.com.

• Best book you read in 2019

Given that it's the book that has come to mind most when I think about what I've read this year, the Scythe book by Neal Shusterman is the one I've remembered the most.

• Children's fiction

I think The House on Chicken legs by Sophie Anderson was gorgeous and I loved A Pocketful of Murder.

• Crime fiction:

I read 2 Catriona McPherson books (she writes the Dandy Gilver series) this year and they were SO clever with deep levels of plot going on- After the Armistice Ball was really cleverly written and quite devastating!

• Classics:

I really enjoyed reading Raffles- The Amateur Cracksman by E W Hornung which I had never heard of but randomly picked up in a second-hand bookshop. I read this in Italy by the pool and found it highly entertaining- it reminded me of Hustle but set in the old days! I also really enjoyed Rupert of Henzau, the sequel to the Prisoner of Zenda though it made me sad at the end!

• Non-fiction

11!! I read 11 non-fiction books this year!  I was embarrassed to find last year, that I only read 1 non-fiction book, possibly too! I really enjoyed the DK Book of Insects by Laurence Mound as I found it very informative but I also loved The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell which CBC bought me for my birthday! I love diaries and this was great fun to hear about the difficult life of Second-hand book-selling! I did also really enjoy The Thrifty Forager by Alys Fowler though I thought her pictures could be clearer.

• YA:

 I think the book I read for Dystopian fiction below may count as YA but I am trying to choose different books for prizes.  I read the new Malorie Blackmann book in the Noughts and Crosses series- it has been a LONG time coming.  It's called Cross Fire and it was an interesting 10 years or so later from the last book that Malorie Blackmann wrote - devastating as the previous ones have been but actually, having some good resolution for characters!

• Dystopian fiction

I have mentioned that I have a weird relationship with Dystopian-fiction. I find it utterly compelling yet it fills me with doom and dread (perhaps that is the point- to avoid creating futures like these! Though I wouldn't put anything past our government especially with all the awful things we have been experiencing in terms of the Earth.).  This year, I began reading the Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman after buying the first book at the little bookshop in Alston last Summer. It's about a time where Death has been conquered and the Earth is controlled by the Thunderhead cloud. But because the population cannot die, Scythes are selected who must 'kill' a certain number of people each year.  The Scythes don't really like their job- or at least some of them don't.  The surprising thing about this series is that the enemy is not who you would expect it to be! I'll say no more! The first book is called Scythe and was brilliant! Book 2, Thunderhead which I ordered from my library, was also absolutely compelling and I can't WAIT to borrow book 3, The Toll, from my library when my order comes in! It was only published in November!

• Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2019

There was a big reveal or surprise in Death in the Spotlight (A Murder most unladylike book) by Robin Stevens. I really wasn't expecting it.

• Book that you read in 2019 that you recommended most to others

Hmmmm, well, I recommended the Beetle Boy series by MG Leonard to a whole assembly of children as part of my Harvest assemblies (talking about the importance of a good harvest and how easily it can be wrecked by pesilence or weather conditions)- I thought these were absolutely brilliant!  I loved the love of beetles that the book engenders especially as, after reading the Insect book, I wanted to know more about beetles!

• Best series you discovered in 2019

 The arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman was brilliant and I adored the Little Village School series. Also, The Last Chance Hotel is going to be a continuing series so I would like to read the next one and the 3rd is due out on 2nd April 2020.

• Favourite new author you discovered in 2019

Hmm.. I think I would like to read more of Sita Brahmachari.

• Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love but didn't.

I'd like to put a disclaimer in here that I didn't DISLIKE the books, I'd like to read them more but when I read The  Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, everyone had told me that I'd LOVE this series but whilst I was intrigued by it, I just found it a little disappointing.

• Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre to you.

Finding Jennifer Jones was a book I picked up by mistake. I reached out to the YA shelf at the library- I'm not sure what I was reaching for but when I got home, I found I'd picked this up. I don't usually read Thrillers but it was strangely compelling.

• Book you read in 2019 that you're most likely to read again in 2019

I'll probably reread the Scythe books once I've managed to get The Toll just to remind me what happened but I have SO many books to read still on my bookshelves that I am unlikely to reread any others this year whilst I work my way through them.

• Favourite book you read in 2019 from an author you've read previously.

Hmmmm, there are many contenders for this.
I read 'When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit' 13 years ago at the start of my teacher training and loved it. I reread it this year plus the sequel,  Bombs on Aunt Daisy- Judith Kerr which I hadn't read and I really enjoyed reading what happened next to the characters in the story. It's one of those books that I always wished I could know more and it was great to actually be able to find out more about what happened!

• Best book you read in 2019 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else.

I'm not sure there are many books in this category but I did read the Last Chance Hotel book by Nicki Thornton because my little sister had mentioned that she'd like to read it and so when I saw it in the Bookshop, I bought it for her for Christmas because she wanted it- she said it was BRILLIANT so immediately after she'd finished it on our half-term holiday in February, I read it whilst I was still with her! It was super exciting!  Magic, fantasy AND a Whodunnit- this book had my name written all over it!

• Favourite cover of a book in 2019

The House with chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson has a beautiful cover.

• Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2019

I've stared at this question for ages and I am not sure whether any book has had a great impact on me?  I have perused my list and I would say The Thrifty Forager- Alys Fowler has made me look at plants, weeds, trees as I go around much more. I have eaten Dandelion leaves, looked for wild rocket and garlic (although I did that anyway), collected pears, apples and blackberries and I would like to get better at foraging.

• Book you can't BELIEVE you waited until 2019 to read.

I LOVE Phillipa Pearce! I've read pretty much all her books I've seen but I had NEVER read  The Battle of Bubble and Squeak  which is a story about how two parents react in different ways to two pet gerbils. It was one of the books that was on my own primary school bookshelves when I was a child but I never gave it a go! It took me another 30 years to finally read it! It was a sweet book- not my favourite PP book but still entertaining!

• Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss etc).  Be careful of spoilers

Death in the Spotlight by Robin Stevens had a huge revelation about a main character that I want to talk about to someone- I accidentally spoiled this for someone by mentioning so I am saying nought!

• Favourite relationship from a book you read in 2017 (be it romantic, friendship etc)

I loved the relationship between Elinor Oliphant and Raymond- the way the friendship grew was really endearing.  If had turned romantic, I wouldn't have believed it. It was the way it grew from a kind person looking out for someone else. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Baba Yaga and Marinka in the House on Chicken legs and also Marinka's relationship with the house - I like the idea of a house having personality.

• Most memorable character in a Book you read in 2019

I loved Elizabeth Devine from the Little Village School series- I'd love her to be my headteacher! I also thought Alfie Monk from The 1000 year old boy was a really memorable character.

• Genre you read the most from 2019

Children's fiction is the genre I most read from, followed by Crime Fiction (as usual)

• Best 2019 debut

I always struggle with this question- does it mean a book published in 2019 or a first book from an author in 2019? If I'm going with the former, rather than the latter since all the books published in 2019 were not debut novels. Either way, I loved Kat Wolfe takes the case by Lauren St John. LSJ is such a beautiful writer.  I also loved  Spies in St Petersburg by Katherine Woodfine and Where the river runs cold by Sita Brahmachari.

If I'm going with the latter, A pocketful of stars by Aisha Bush IS a debut novel this year and I really loved it!  I look forward to hearing more from this author!

• Book that was the most fun to read in 2019

The Train to impossible places - PG Bell was a great fun and imaginative book to read. Also, The princess who flew with dragons by Stephanie Burgis.

• Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2019

Elinor Oliphant is ok made me cry as did The Oaken Throne and Thomas from The Deptford Histories by Robin Jarvis. Poor Ysabelle!

• Book you read in 2019 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out.

I also struggle with this question every year since I never read reviews or look up numbers for books!

• Total Number of books read in 2019:  

I read 109 books this year. I am fairly pleased with this as I always aim for a number over 100.  Slightly less than last year although 27 of those last year were fairly short children's books I was vetting for school!
Here's the full list of books for 2019 in reverse order (since that's the order I list them in on my blog page.)

December:
98.  Trouble at the Village School- Gervaise Phinn

99.  It must have been the Mistletoe- Judy Astley
100. The princess who flew with dragons- Stephanie Burgis
101.  The night I met Father Christmas - Ben Miller

102.  The steamwhistle theatre company - Vivian French
103.  How to fly with broken wings - Jane Elson
104.  A pocketful of stars- Aisha Bush
105.  The school inspector calls (The Village school) - Gervaise Phinn
106.  Christmas is for children -  Rosie Clarke
107. Christmas at the Little Wedding Shop - Jane Linfoot
108.  Donald Trump - Ladybird books
109. The Land of Neverendings -  Kate Saunders

November:
92.  The mystery of the Butcher's shop -  Gladys Mitchell
93.  The girl who spoke Bear- Sophie Anderson
94.  Corpse at the Crystal Palace- Carola Dunn
95. The Village school - Gervaise Phinn.
96.  The Enemy within - Edward Marston
96. Teen Pioneers: Young people who have changed the world - Ben Hubbard
97.  A step so grave - Catriona McPherson
98.  Trouble at the Village School- Gervaise Phinn
October:
85.  A fatal Waltz - Tasha Alexander.
86.  A terrible Beauty- Tasha Alexander
87.  Murder in the Twillight - Fleur Moriarty
88.  Lost for Words- Aoife Walsh
89.  Points of Danger - Edward Marston
90. Under Attack Edward Marston
91.  The Great Brain Robbery -  PG Bell

September:
75.  The house on Hummingbird Island- Sam Angus
76.  Varjak Paw Outlaw - SF Said.
77.  Plastic Sucks - Dougie Poynter
78.  Topmarks for Murder - Robin Stevens
79.  Cross Fire (Noughts and Crosses) - Malorie Blackman
80.  Beetle Queen  - M G Leonard
81. Battle of the Beetles- M G Leonard.
82. The House on Chicken legs- Sophie Anderson
83.  A red herring without mustard- Alan Bradley
84. I am half sick of shadows- Alan Bradley

August:
60. The dog who saved the world - Ross Welford
61.  Thunderhead- Neal Schustermann.
62.  Where the river runs cold - Sita Brahmachari
63. The innocence of Father Brown - GK Chesterton
64.  Raffles- The Amateur Cracksman - E W Hornung
65.  The strange disappearance of a Bollywood star - Vaseem Khan
66.  October Man- Ben Aaronovitch.
67.  The Great Summer Sewing Bee -Alex Brown
68.  Murder in Cherry hills - Paige Sleuth
69.  Wish upon a shell (Lighthouse Point Book 1) - Kay Correll
70.   Finding Jennifer Jones- Anne Cassidy
71.  Casting the net- Pam Rhodes
72. The Thrifty Forager- Alys Fowler
73.  Letters from the Lighthouse- Emma Carroll.
74. Dancing the Charleston - Jacqueline Wilson


July:
52.  The Gold Seekers - Jane Johnson
53. Mixed Magics -  Diana Wynne Jones
54.  The Light Jar- Lisa Thompson
55.  Rivers of London- Ben Aaronovitch
56.  A pocket full of murder - R J Anderson
57.  Skychasers- Emma Carroll.
58.  Murder in Midwinter- Fleur Hitchcock
59.  Still Me- JoJo Moyes

June
45.  The 1000year old boy- Ross Welford
46.  When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit- Judith Kerr
47.  Bombs on Aunt Daisy- Judith Kerr
48. A Southwold mystery- Suzette A. Hill
49.  After the Armistice Ball- Catriona McPherson
50.  Shot in Southwold -  Suzette A Hill.
51.  The Mapmaker's Race- Eirlys Hunter.

May:
34.  Last Ditch -Ngaio Marsh
35.  Grave mistake - Ngaio Marsh
36.  Kat Wolfe takes the case- Lauren St John
37.  Diamonds and daggers- Elen Caldecott
38.  Sixteen princesses -Anne Fine.
39.  The Battle of Bubble and Squeak- Phillipa Pearce
40.  Diary of a Bookseller- Shaun Bythell
41.  Spies in St Petersburg- Katherine Woodfine
42.  The Whitby Warlock - Robin Jarvis
43.  A Whitby Child - Robin Jarvis
44.  The Royal Book of Oz- Ruth Plumly Thompson


April:
27.   The Castle of inside out - David Henry Wilson
28.  Rupert of Hentzau- Anthony Hope.
29.  The Ruby Slippers - Keir Alexander
30.  Eltham Palace - Michael Turner (English Heritage)
31. Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine- Gail Honeyman
32.  Black as he's painted- Ngaio Marsh
33.  Scythe- Neal Shusterman

March:
17. A moment of Silence  - Miss Anna Dean.
18. Britannia- Floella Benjamin
19.  Fishers of Men - Pam Rhodes
20.  The Buildings that made London- David Long and Josie Shenoy.
21. Anthony Horrowitz- Trigger Mortis
22.  M.G Leonard -  Beetle Boy
23. Dear Scarlett - Fleur Hitchcock
24.  The Train to impossible places - PG Bell
25.  Kat Wolfe investigates- Lauren St John
26.  Dangerous to know- Tasha Alexander

February:
7.  Thomas- The Deptford Histories- Robin Jarvis
8.  The Giggler Treatment -  Roddy Doyle
9.   The Meanwhile adventures- Roddy Doyle
10.  Rover saves Christmas - Roddy Doyle
11. The Story of the Holocaust - Clive A. Lawton.
12.  The Last Chance Hotel - Nicki Thornton.
13.  Death in the Spotlight (A Murder most unladylike book) - Robin Stevens
15.  The Wonderful story of Henry Sugar and six others - Roald Dahl
16.  Coming to England- Floella Benjamin

January:
1.  The Oaken Throne - The Deptford Histories Robin Jarvis
2.  Off with his head -  Ngaio Marsh
3.  Singing in the Shrouds - Ngaio Marsh
4.  False Scent - Ngaio Marsh
5.  The Mystery of the Three Quarters -  Sophie Hannah/Agatha Christie
6.  DK Book of Insects -  Laurence Mound
7. Dangerous to know - Tasha Alexander


Here are the questions in case you wish to join in with the Book review post.

• Best book you read in 2019
• Children's fiction
• Crime fiction
• Classics
• Non-fiction
• YA
• Dystopian fiction
• Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2019
• Book that you read in 2019 that you recommended most to others
• Best series you discovered in 2019
• Favourite new author you discovered in 2019
• Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love but didn't.
• Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre to you.
• Book you read in 2019 that you're most likely to read again in 2019
• Favourite book you read in 2019 from an author you've read previously.
• Best book you read in 2019 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else.
• Favourite cover of a book in 2019
• Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2019
• Book you can't BELIEVE you waited until 2019 to read.
• Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss etc).  Be careful of spoilers
• Favourite relationship from a book you readin 2019 (be it romantic, friendship etc)
• Most memorable character in a Book you read in 2019
• Genre you read the most from 2019
• Best 2019 debut
• Book that was the most fun to read in 2019
• Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2019
• Book you read in 2019 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out.
• Total Number of books read in 2019