My Top 24 Books of 2015

I've read over 100 books this year, so this was no easy task, although the top ten was simpler: they're the ones to which I gave my rare 5 Gold Stars. 
 I started off doing a Top 20, but there were a few I just couldn't decide between ~ so, here's my...

TOP

....the reading of the following took place between January 1st and December 12th, 2015...

 
I haven't included more than one book by the same author; instead, I chose my favourite, but mentioned any others I've read/reviewed this year.  Lists such as this are all about personal taste, of course, and so much depends much on preference of genre; there are plenty of other very good books on this blog, to which I've given 4* ~ you can find them all HERE.

Okay, here goes!  For the full review of each book, click the title.  I've added a note to say how I discovered it, because I think this is interesting for writers, readers and book bloggers alike.

**Numbers 24~11 are in no particular order**:

24.  OUTBACK PROMISE by Maggie Bolitho

Australian family drama 

Discovered: A choice from those submitted to Rosie Amber's Review Team; 
I review for Rosie's blog as a member of the team. 

23.  CONCEALMENT by Rose Edmunds

Financial/psychological thriller

 

Discovered: Got to know the author via Twitter, I'd read her first one and liked it.

22.  OWEN by Tony Riches 

Plantagenet historical fiction 

Discovered: Another Rosie's book review team choice.

21.  CASTLES, CUSTOMS AND KINGS 

by English Historical Fiction Authors

Historical anthology ~ non-fiction

Discovered: A tweet!

20.  CHANGING PATTERNS by Judith Barrow 

1950s Family Saga.

Discovered: Got to know the author via Twitter.  This is the middle part of a trilogy, and my favourite of the three; there are links to my reviews of the other two parts at the end of this one.  
 

19.  MAD WORLD by Kate Mary

Zombie apocalypse  (US)

Discovered: Amazon browse, the cover of the first one in the series caught my eye, then I read the next three.  I liked Mad World, the third one, best.  You can see the review of the first, Broken World, with links to the others HERE

18.  PUBLIC BATTLES, PRIVATE WARS by Laura Wilkinson

 1980s northern England miners' strike drama

Discovered: I read a review by a fellow member of Rosie Amber's Review Team that made me want to buy it.

17. THE GODDARD AFFAIR by Scott Marlowe

Fantasy assassin adventure ~ novella

Discovered: Another choice from the reviewer's list on Rosie Amber.  This year I have also read Thief's Gambit by this author, review HERE.


16. SURVIVING THE EVACUATION: Book 1: London by Frank Tayell

Zombie Apocalypse (UK) 

Discovered: Amazon browse.  I've read four others in the series, links to which are on the review for this one.  I liked this one and the fourth best. 

15.  OVER THE HILL AND FAR AWAY by Jo Carroll

Travel Memoir  

Discovered: I won the author's second book in a blog competition last year, and liked it so much I bought her first one, too.

14.  LIVING BY EAR by Mary Rowen 

Contemporary drama/musician

Discovered: I read an article by the author on an unrelated subject, on a book blog.  Something about the way she 'talked' made me think I'd like her fiction writing too, so I read the blurb for her book and the subject matter appealed very much.

13.  THE PRODIGAL by Nicky Black

Gritty Geordie crime drama

Discovered: Our mutual proofreader told me it was really good, so I bought it when it came out!

12.  NO MORE MULBERRIES by Mary Smith

Family drama/Afghanistan

Discovered: I read an article about it, by the author, on the same book blog where I read about Living By Ear (the discontinued but still in existence A Woman's Wisdom), and thought it sounded like something I'd love to read.

11.  AN UNLAMENTED DEATH by William Savage

18th century murder mystery

Discovered: A choice from Rosie Amber's review team reading list.  Have since bought his next book, not read yet.

And now......the countdown begins!

 ~~~~ The Top Ten ~~~~

It was hard to put them in order of preference, but I think a countdown is more fun, don't you?  Adds a bit of tension to the proceedings!  So I struggled and hummed and hahhed, and here it is.....

10.  THE TURNING OF THE WORLD by John Privilege 

Post apocalyptic drama (pandemic), Northern Ireland

Discovered: Got chatting to author on Twitter, I asked to see his book.  Happened to be in a current favourite genre, and I liked the look of it ~ ker-ching!  Have since reviewed his second one, The American Policeman

9.  THE GREAT LAW OF PEACE by Zoe Saadia

Native American history 

Discovered: I've read lots of Zoe Saadia's books, discovered via her blogs on Twitter, and think the Peacemaker series is the best thing she's done, and this is the best of the series.  Links to her other books are on the review above, and I've also reviewed The Peacekeeper.

8.  INKKER HAUSER Book 2: LITERASTEIN by Phil Conquest 

Dark humour, contemporary drama ~ novella

Discovered: I got to know the author via the internet about eight years ago, through our mutual interest in writing, amongst other things, and always hoped he'd publish something because he's one of the most genuinely talented writers I've come across.  I read the first part of this last year, loved it, and this is even better.

7.   MANTLE OF MALICE by April Taylor

Alternative history ~ Tudor fantasy 

Discovered: I got to know the author on Twitter because of our mutual interest in the Tudors, and read the first part of this trilogy last year.  The links to Court of Conspiracy and Taste of Treason can be found on the review above; the trilogy got better as it went on, this third part was definitely my favourite.

6.  ANY MAN JOE by Robert Leigh

Vigilante crime drama/thriller

Discovered: I'd bought it after reviewing the first in this series, Kill Line (link on the review on above), for Rosie's blog, and I chose that after a review by another member of the team made me want to read it.  Robert Leigh subsequently submitted it to Rosie's review team list, so I reviewed it for her blog, too.  Oh, and our mutual proofreader recommended it, as well!

Getting exciting now....!

~~~~ The Top Five ~~~~

5.  THE BASTARD PRINCESS by Gemma Lawrence

Historical fiction ~ the early years of Elizabeth I

Discovered: Got to know the author on Twitter because of our mutual interest in the Tudors.  I read a few of her stories on Wattpad and loved them, so I leapt on this when it came out.

4.  FUTURE PERFECT by Katrina Mountfort

Sci-Fi, post apocalyptic drama, UK

 

Discovered: Rosie Amber was asked to review this but it wasn't her sort of thing so she asked me if I'd like to read it.  I'm so glad she did!  I've since bought and reviewed the sequel, Forbidden Alliance; the link is on the above review.

Now it's really getting exciting....

 

~~~ The Top Three ~~~

3. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE CITY OF CRIMINALS 

by Mark Barry. 

Violent contemporary drama

Discovered: I 'met' Mark Barry when he asked me to appear on his blog, then thought I would try one of his books.  I have read four of them now, and this is the best one, by far.  This year I have also read his book Ultra Violence; links to all of his that I've read can be found in the review above.  Highly recommended!

*

Second Place...

My runner up and silver medallist is a two-in-one, really, because she writes under two names, Davina Blake and Deborah Swift.  I've read several of her books this year and it was so hard to choose which one, for this list, because I love them all, but in the end I went with...

2.  PAST ENCOUNTERS by Davina Blake 

World War II and 1950s drama

Discovered: via Twitter, I can't remember exactly how, I think I read an article on her history blog.  For this list, I was torn between the above book, and The Lady's Slipper, in her Deborah Swift guise; links to my reviews for all her historical fiction can be found HERE.

 

Drum Roll....

And the Gold Medal goes to.....

~ My Favourite Book of 2015 ~

DEATH & DOMINION by Carol Hedges

Victorian Murder Mystery

Discovered: Twitter, I believe... I think she commented on one of my blog posts!  I read the first of this series, Diamonds & Dust, last year, and didn't think anything could top the second, Honour & Obey, but this did.  Even if you think a Victorian murder mystery isn't your thing (which is what I thought), you should buy this NOW.  This is talent!

I do hope this has been of interest to you, not least of all how I found each book.  I'm so glad I offered to be a part of Rosie Amber's team, and that I've got involved with so many book blogs this year.  Unless writers have a traditional publisher behind them or have limitless funds for promotion, it's a constant struggle, in this deluged market, to get our books in front of readers, and for readers to sort the wheat from the chaff; if everyone who looks at this list bought just one of the books....!!  

  

   

TRANSGRESSION by Frank Parker

3 out of 5 stars

Mystery/drama

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me on as part of Rosie Amber's Review Team

This is an intelligently constructed, fairly complex drama that deals with the changing social attitudes of England since the 1970s, written from the points of view of three main characters.  It opens with Roger, who has written a book about a recently deceased soap star.  He meets a young woman who claims to be the soap star's daughter, which opens up old wounds and secrets from four decades before.  Roger is forced to face up to his own guilt about his part in the cover up, which involved family friends and a local MP, and deal with the impact of the revelations on his own relationship.

The book covers many decades, with nostalgia-worthy details in each.  I was a teenager in the 1970s, and this book did make me think about how far we have moved on in terms of prejudice and 'the permissive society', as it was called back in those days; sometimes for good, sometimes not so much.  As the story goes on, suggestions of historic sexual harrassment are uncovered—very topical and sinister.

I found the subject matter quite interesting to read about; after all, soap operas and dramas themselves are so often based around hidden affairs and secret offspring; you can't go far wrong with a bit of family intrigue of this type!  I'm afraid, though, that I found it all a bit flat.  The main problem was the dialogue; each character used similar vocabulary, tone, mood and rhythms of speech; I kept forgetting who was who because they all spoke in the same way, the dialogue being mostly used to deliver facts, as was much of the narrative, as opposed to telling a compelling story with atmosphere and emotion.  A trait I've noticed in many self-published mystery type books with intricate plots is that characters have lengthy conversations in which they explain the whys and wherefores of a situation, in order to impart chunks of information to the reader, but if the characters have not leapt off the page and become real people, it's hard to care.  I also felt that some of the references to social media and popular culture were a little forced.

Having said all that, the writing did improve when it moved onto the second character, Mabel, and more so again I reached the third, Douglas.  The book's other good point was that the plot strands worked together well; I didn't find any inconsistencies or parts that weren't feasible, a huge plus.  To sum up - it was just okay for me, but I daresay people who care more about a carefully constructed plot than character connection would enjoy it more.

A SUITABLE YOUNG MAN by Anne L Harvey

4 out of 5 stars

1950s Family Drama

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
 

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team

I enjoyed reading this, and was very impressed by some parts.  It's a family saga, set in the working class Bolton area in the 1950s.  Kathy is a secretary who wants to be a journalist in a time when women aren't supposed to want careers.  She gets herself a 'suitable' boyfriend, but finds herself falling in love with Nick Roberts, Teddy Boy, of whom her family disapproves.

The story is told mostly through the eyes of Kathy and Nick, in alternating chapters, with a few snapshots from the viewpoint of Joyce, Nick's 16 year old sister.  It's obvious that the author has written about a time and circumstances that she knows well, and what struck me most was how very different those times were, though only 60 years ago, as I read about the poor families with the tin bath tub hanging on the back of the door, the way in which women of that class had nothing to look forward to but the lifestyle of their mothers.  In other ways, though, history repeats itself; the Teds of Anne Harvey's novel could have been the hippies of the 1960s, the punks of the 1970s, the Emos and Goths of later. 

I loved the portrayal of the Saturday night dances (how tame when compared to young people's entertainment of later decades!), the families sitting round listening to the radio as the only form of entertainment, the cinema as an exciting place to go to, to hear the new music (and those travel film opening features; I think they were still being shown when I was a teenager!).  Also how Nick's mother, at only around 40, was already an old woman.  Nick's a lovely character, I liked him a lot.

Later in the book there is a death that I found heartrending, I thought this bit was very well done without laying it on too thickly.  I enjoyed this novel more and more as it went on.  At times I found the dialogue a little contrived; I felt too much emphasis was put on sticking in yet another bit of nostalgia about the period, or giving information, rather than concentrating on making the dialogue realistic, but this doesn't occur very often. 

The story ended as I expected it to, but I was delighted to see a nice little twist in the epilogue, and I look forward to reading the next book, 'Bittersweet'.  If your preference is for these sort of 'warts and all', post war family dramas, I imagine you will love this; I'd definitely recommend it.

MUD AND MARRIAGE by Mandy Clark

3 out of 5 stars

Domestic memoir/factual self-building tips

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team
 
This book appealed to me because the blurb said it's about a self-build, with all its ups and downs, and I used to love watching programmes like Grand Designs.
 

Although Mandy Clark writes well, I had a furrowed brow throughout this; my problem was that I couldn't work out if it was meant to be a lighthearted domestic memoir or a factual book for use by other self-builders.  The first 10% of the book is taken up with Mandy's own domestic situation: the problems of being a stepmother (very honest and relatable!), a detailed account of her wedding day and a fair amount of information about the people in the village where she and her husband live.  The parts about the gentleman with Alzheimer's were both amusing and touching throughout; a big 'bravo' for that.  Next, we moved on to Mandy's IVF and art work.  Amongst this is some detail about their housing problems, and getting planning permission to build a house on a piece of village land.

The build started in earnest when the bottom of my screen said about 30%.  Here my confusion grew: the book contains too much domestic and often quite personal detail for someone buying it for the purpose of comparison with their own self-build experience (or to get tips), but too much building information for a domestic style memoir.

I'd looked forward to reading about the building of the house; much of it was to-do lists and weighing up of financial pros and cons, an account of what they were hoping/planning to do, then how successful it was.  There are some quite funny bits here and there, but writing up practical procedures in such a way that they hold the attention is extremely difficult.

I think this would have been better as a series of blog posts, with pictures, rather than a book, so you could see the progress, and really get to know the characters.  It's chatty, the people likable, but I feel its current form has limited appeal.  Mandy has a pleasant and readable writing style, but publishing one's diary is always a challenge: can you make your life sound interesting enough to capture the interest of a total stranger?

Sorry not to give a higher star rating, but the 3* represent the fact that the writing is very accessible, the domestic parts pleasant to read, and I do think it contains value for anyone who is embarking on a similar venture.