My Top Fifteen Books of 2024

 

 

  It's that time again...

I intended to do a Top Ten, but as usual when making my list it grew too long - you know how it is!  The books I've chosen were not necessarily published in 2024, but I read them this year.  If any of them pique your interest, please click the title for my review and universal links to Amazon and Goodreads.

I've listed them in the order I read them, aside from the last five, to which I awarded my rare and very special 5 Gold Stars.😊  I hope you see something that appeals, as I highly recommend them all!

The Drau River Flows to Siberia: The Victims of Victory

by Marina Osipova

The story of two people who survived Stalin's Siberian gulags, and the fate of the Cossacks under the care of the Allies in WWII.

I, Richard Plantagenet : Book 2 Loyaulte Me Lie 

by J P Reedman

The later life of Richard III

Hard to Forgive 

by Georgia Rose

Third book in the 'A Shade Darker' series.  A woman alone, a life lived in obsession and regret...

Pride & Pestilence 

by Carol Hedges

Book 11 of the Victorian Detectives murder mystery series

Live and Let 

by Judith Barrow

A short, amusing memoir, much of it about holiday lets.

Psittacide 

by Zeb Haradon

The crazy political arena of 2172, Book 2 in the Disposable Soma series

A Boundary of Stones 

by Millie Thom

The story of Eyam, the Derbyshire village that famously isolated itself during the 17th Century bubonic plague, stopping it from spreading to neighbouring villages.

Local Gods 

by Mark Hurst

An assassin who needs to lie low discovers strange happenings in the village of Little Baddington...

Operation Tulip 

by Deborah Swift

Working for the resistance in Nazi occupied Holland, 1944

The Queen's Avenger 

by Anna Legat

The story of a monk who supported Mary, Queen of Scots, through all she suffered.

*

5 GOLD Stars

All Quiet on the Western Front 

by Erich Maria Remarque

A young German man's experiences in World War I  

A Matter of Time 

by Judith Arnopp

The life of Henry VIII in his own words, from the Anne of Cleves era until his death.

The Swan Maiden 

by Gemma Lawrence

Book 2 of The Surface and the Deep, the story of Anne of Cleves.

Moments of Consequence 

by Thorne Moore

Short stories, dark themes.  Mostly.

Size Always Matters 

by Sally Cronin

Comprehensive guide to weight loss, exercise, nutrition and so much more.

A CLOAK OF FEATHERS by Gemma Lawrence @TudorTweep

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I'd already read the first two in the series

In a Nutshell: Book 3 of a series about Anne of Cleves

This third book in the Anne of Cleves series centres around events at Henry VIII's court, and Henry's marriage to Catherine Howard, told from Anne's point of view.  As the reader knows more about the situation than Anne did, it makes for interesting reading.  Her thoughts on the marriage and on her good fortune at escaping the dangerously volatile nature of her former husband make one feel most relieved on her behalf.

In this book, Anne talks a great deal about the lot of women in those times, and about male-female relationships in general; I liked the insight into the marriage of Charles and Katherine Brandon, too.  She also talks about Henry as a father, not just a husband, and his attitude towards the long-suffering Princess Mary.

I look forward to the next episode, to see what she makes of Katherine Parr, the activities of John Dudley and Edward Seymour, in their manipulation of Edward VI, and also the reign of Bloody Mary herself.  A quick look at Wikipedia told me that Anne died in the penultimate year of Mary's reign, so she never got to see what happened!  Mary fascinates me, so it will be good to read about her from Anne's point of view - and Anne's own story becomes more eventful during this later period, too.

TALES OF THE FORTHCOMING by Steven Blows #RBRT

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: see cover!

At 98 pages, this is a book of 10 well-written short stories that I recommend for a couple of hours of enjoyable reading, if imaginative science fiction mixed with fantasy/supernatural is your thing.  As I went on, I noticed how refined the characterisation is, something I appreciated very much; the ability to create characters that reveal themselves straight away shows talent indeed.

The stand-out story for me was A Time After Time, in which Jorge becomes increasingly sceptical and worried about a world-changing event eagerly anticipated by almost everyone except him.   I was completely immersed in the atmosphere of this one.

Other highlights were the very funny Possibilities, with its excellent final sentence that made me laugh out loud, and Unbeknownst: three ghosts show a troubled young woman that she has so much life yet to live.

I also enjoyed reading Highway 72, in which a young traveller fails to listen to a warning from one who knows better.  Then there's Delayed Departure, about a man in a hurry at a railway station in a 'theme park in space' and the amusing Family Dinner & Troubling Times - a young human male meets his alien girlfriend's family for the first time, though these two could have done with more satisfying conclusions.  On the whole, though, I'd say they're all good.  The author has a habit of writing a clause as a new sentence ('Snow covers the ground in a smooth sheet of white.  Anything underneath it hidden from sight'), but that's something a professional editor could soon nip in the bud - I'd be most happy to read anything else he writes.  

COLD IN THE EARTH by Thorne Moore @ThorneMoore #RBRT

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Cold case crime solving, mostly non-police

I'm not a fan of crime fiction, but I AM a fan of Thorne Moore's writing, so I chose this from the review team list without hesitation.  It's not a police procedural, as the main person doing the detective work is Rosanna Quillan, an ex-DC who is persuaded by a friend to do some digging.

Six young girls went missing in the early - mid 1990s, but the perpetrator was only ever charged with two of the murders; the other cases remained open but went cold.  The grieving families must wait another twenty-five years for truths and physical remains to be revealed.

The most interesting character in this book was, for me, Margaret Gittings, mother of the murderer; I'd have loved to have read her whole story from her own point of view!  Then there is 11-year-old Lolly, with whom the story opens. Clever, clever, Thorne Moore - Lolly's first chapter is brief and without resolution, which meant, of course, that I eagerly read the whole book within two days so I could find out what happened to her!  I also liked Malcolm, the retired officer who dealt with the case initially, after it was bungled by a less than diligent colleague.

The story zips along so convincingly, perfectly paced, and I very much liked that, although a fledgling romantic interest for Rosanna was present, Ms Moore did not feel the need to wrap it all up with hearts and flowers.  It's good.  And there's a lovely little twist at the end, even after the remainder of Lolly's story (which was worth waiting for) is revealed.

THE STRANGER IN MY HOUSE by Judith Barrow

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

 

How I discovered this book: I've read and enjoyed quite a few by this author

In a Nutshell: Complex family drama

The Stranger in my House begins in the 1960s, in what I assume is a fictional village somewhere between Yorkshire and Lancashire.  Eight-year-old twins Charlie and Chloe are still mourning the loss of their mother, three years before, when father Graham brings home his new girlfriend, Lynne, who is soon to become his wife.  Charlie has reason to dislike and distrust Lynne from the start, because of a memory that Chloe doesn't share with him; however, Chloe soon finds her own reasons.

Along with Lynne come her children: the kind and supportive teenage daughter Evie, and Saul, an apprentice thug a few years older than the twins.  The problems begin immediately, and only escalate.

Part Two of the story takes place after a time jump of a few years, showing the effects of the marriage on all of them.  

I found this book hard to put down, reading it in the early hours when I should have been sleeping!  My initial feelings towards the Collins twins and their father were great sympathy and frustration at the lack of communication, at Graham's inability to stand up for what he knew was right, though this is in no way a criticism; rather the opposite.  Graham's lack of assertiveness and desperation to keep the peace was understandable because of all he had been through, and the twins were but children.  Also, this was another world; sixty years ago, values and attitudes were so different from now.  The family's inability to resolve their situation was what made the book so real, and such a 'page turner' - I completely believed in the characters.

The (probably) psychopathic Lynne was so well drawn, and for me the whole story highlighted something that so many of us suffer from: the mistaken belief that others are basically honest and well-intentioned.  Oh, and something else I loved - how Chloe, when a child, used to write letters to Sandie Shaw, her heroine.  She never sent them, but imagined the singer reading them, which helped her pour out her thoughts.  I loved Sandie Shaw when I was a child in the 60s, and can imagine myself doing similar.  Well done, Judith B! 

THIS LINK will take you to the song that Chloe and her family loved so much - Always Something There to Remind Me 😀