It’s that time of year, the time when I remind people of all the books that I’ve been pushing on them over the last twelve months. The first nine are in no particular order:
The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood – I reckon Wood has the Stella prize stitched up.
Days of Awe by Lauren Fox – darkly humorous.
The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips – memorably odd.
The Golden Age by Joan London – exquisite.
Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar – historical fiction at its best.
The Night Rainbow by Claire King – unexpected.
Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett – Parrett writes exceptionally beautiful sentences.
The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison – the fact that I’m still bringing these essays up in conversation speaks volumes.
And an honourable mention to Skippy Dies by Paul Murray – I’ve only just finished it and haven’t had time to process all my thoughts but it was a very good way to end my reading year.
My very favourite books of 2015:
Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum – an exceedingly clever, complex novel.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – proceed with caution.