Listmania!
Favourite reads in 2005
Case HistoriesCase Histories by Kate Atkinson
Buy new: £5.19 / Used from: £0.01
A clever and gripping multi-faceted mystery, with a highly satisfying ending.
The Lucky OnesThe Lucky Ones by Rachel Cusk
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.01
A very well-written novel containing five interconnected stories.
Drop CityDrop City by T.C. Boyle
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £0.01
Hippies and young Alaskan lifestylers collide in this absorbing novel.
Big Mouth and Ugly GirlBig Mouth and Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £0.01
Great teen novel with two interesting main characters.
Vernon God LittleVernon God Little by DBC Pierre
Buy new: £4.77 / Used from: £0.01
Fantastic novel dealing with innocence and betrayal.
The No.1 Ladies Detective AgencyThe No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Buy new: £6.29 / Used from: £0.01
A warm and enjoyable novel.
Ellen Foster (Virago Modern Classics)Ellen Foster (Virago Modern Classics) by Kaye Gibbons
Buy new: £7.99 / Used from: £0.01
Very good short novel about a child surviving neglect.
The Icarus GirlThe Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
Buy new: £10.99 / Used from: £0.01
A chilling "ghost story", original and absorbing.
Run for HomeRun for Home by Sheila Quigley
Buy new: £4.77 / Used from: £0.01
Excellent fast-paced thriller with sympathetic characters.
Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince: Children's Edition (Harry Potter 6)Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince: Children's Edition (Harry Potter 6) by J.K. Rowling
Buy new: £11.02 / Used from: £0.01
This eagerly-awaited book did not disappoint!
The Wonder SpotThe Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank
Buy new: £12.99 / Used from: £0.01
A beautifully written book - a cut above most "chick lit".
My Friend LeonardMy Friend Leonard by James Frey
Buy used from: £0.34
The sequel to A Million Little Pieces. An excellent memoir about living without alcohol.
Ursula, UnderUrsula, Under by Ingrid Hill
Buy new: £9.89 / Used from: £0.01
A fantastic book giving the stories of several varied ancestors of a little girl who has fallen down a mine shaft.
Q and AQ and A by Vikas Swarup
Buy used from: £49.99
Highly enjoyable book tracing the life of a poor Indian teenager who has been arrested after winning a huge game show prize. The ending knits it all together beautifully.
The Sisterhood of the Travelling PantsThe Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares
Buy used from: £0.01
Very warm and enjoyable teen novel with four great main characters.
We Need to Talk About KevinWe Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Buy used from: £0.01
Highly recommended - a gripping novel raising issues about parenting and the nature/nurture debate.
The Summer GardenThe Summer Garden by Paullina Simons
Buy new: £6.47 / Used from: £2.00
The very long but thorougly enjoyable conclusion to the Alexander and Tatiana trilogy.
The Breakdown LaneThe Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Buy used from: £0.67
Enjoyable read about a woman coping with the disappearance of her husband and the onset of MS.
IncendiaryIncendiary by Chris Cleave
Buy new: £9.89 / Used from: £0.62
A book that grows on you and provides a moving portrayal of a mother's grief.
Plan BPlan B by Emily Barr
Buy used from: £0.01
A light but very enjoyable read about a woman who discovers that her partner is leading a double life.
Frankie and StankieFrankie and Stankie by Barbara Trapido
Buy used from: £0.01
Very interesting novel about a girl growing up in a liberal South African family.
The Devil Wears PradaThe Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Buy new: £5.97 / Used from: £0.01
Shallow but fun book about a girl with a nightmare boss.
I am Charlotte SimmonsI am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
Buy new: £5.97 / Used from: £0.01
Very good novel about an innocent girl's rude awakening when she attends an Ivy League college.
The River KingThe River King by Alice Hoffman
Buy new: £4.99 / Used from: £0.01
Classic magic realism from Alice Hoffman - deals with the aftermath of bullying in an East Coast boarding school.
Human CapitalHuman Capital by Stephen Amidon
Buy new: £12.99 / Used from: £0.01
A very good novel of American upper-middle-class suburbia.