My 2024 best picks are books that so resonated with me that months on they still feel familiar. They represent titles that I not only enjoyed, but also informed, educated and entertained me. Reading remains my greatest joy. I trust that you will find some of the books on this list just as rewarding!
“I love the way that each book — any book — is its own journey. You open it, and off you go…” (Sharon Creech)
- Tóibín, Colm (2024) Long Island. This moving sequel to Brooklyn is set twenty years on and explores whether it is ever possible to go home or revisit the past. May-June 2024 Picks.
- Isaacson, Walter (2023) Elon Musk. Musk’s increasing notoriety does not diminish the genius of the man or this extraordinary biography. January 2024 Picks.
- Funder, Anna (2023) Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life. A portrait of a woman written out of history by her husband, then resurrected as an unsung hero. September 2024 Picks.
- Nicholls, David (2024) You are Here. This is a delightful and wonderfully observed tale of a trek across the English countryside with a backdrop of conversation, banter, geography, and romance. December 2024 Picks.
- Baston, Lewis (2024) Borderlines: A History of Europe, Told from the Edges. A fascinating secret history of the forgotten fringes of Europe. August 2024 Picks.
- Fearnley, Laurence (2024) At The Grand Glacier Hotel. A gentle tale of recovery, and connection, within Fearnley’s evocative West Coast setting and soundscape. September 2024 Picks.
- Alberta, Tim (2023) The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. A compelling insight into the world of US religious extremism. October 2024 Picks.
- Ford, Clementine (2023) I Don’t: The Case Against Marriage. A liberating proclamation that marriage is a rort designed to keep women forever a help-mate and under control. January 2024 Picks.
- Doughty, Louise (2023) A Bird in Winter. A riveting, yet subtle, fast-paced thriller about going on the run with a persistent human predator on your tail. February 2024 Picks.
- Streisand, Barbra (2023) My Name is Barbra. A fabulous look at a global icon who wanted to make it on her own terms. July 2024 Picks.
7:30 Bookclub 