[Synamon]

I didn't read anything mind-shattering this year, but I did discover a few good mystery authors that were new to me.

Josephine Tey - I enjoyed her Alan Grant books, especially The Daughter of Time which I've already reread.

Martin Walker - Very charming Bruno, Chief of Police series set in a small village in France. I'd describe these as cozies with teeth. The subject matter is dark and the detective is cuddly, plus Walker can write.

Mick Herron - Slow Horses is a sort of British spy spoof, witty and ironic.

Louise Penny - Mystery series set in rural Quebec with quirky characters which captures the feeling of the setting perfectly.


I agree with sun surfer about The Remains of the Day, a gem that I enjoyed rereading. Other rereads for me this year were Life of Pi and The Cider House Rules, both on my all time favourite books list.

Some audiobooks that were worthy of 5 stars this year include The Drunkard's Walk by Leonard Mlodinow, non-fiction about randomness in our lives. I couldn't stop listening to Stephen King's 11/22/63. The Secret Garden was lovely. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde was haunting. I'm in love with the narrator of Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective series.


Least favourites are hard to list, I tend to forget those books that are forgettable. The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens was a slog that I gave up on halfway through.