Listmania!
Striking recent titles (2010)
Alone in Berlin (Penguin Modern Classics)Alone in Berlin (Penguin Modern Classics) by Hans Fallada
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.99
Revived classic about a doomed anti-Hitler protest, based on a true story.
A Week in DecemberA Week in December by Sebastian Faulks
Buy new: £8.99
If you hanker after the old Faulks ('Birdsong' etc.) then this won't satisfy you. But then maybe No.3 on this list will...
The Einstein GirlThe Einstein Girl by Philip Sington
Buy new: £5.59 / Used from: £7.17
A dark, mind-warping and fascinating mystery set in 1930s Berlin and Zurich. Outstanding.
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
Buy new: £7.49 / Used from: £6.10
Last and longest of the popular "love-with-a-bite" quartet, which mines the romantic classics of the past and comes up with commercial gold.
The Little StrangerThe Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Buy new: £3.86 / Used from: £2.31
If you can tolerate the at-times glacial pace, this builds to quite an impressive picture of British society a couple of generations ago.
The RoadThe Road by Cormac McCarthy
Buy new: £3.86 / Used from: £2.36
A good post-apocalytpic tale given new legs by a good movie adaptation. This is a world where crops don't grow any more. Lets hope it isn't more prophetic than we know....!
A Thousand Splendid SunsA Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Buy new: £10.88 / Used from: £0.27
More angry than 'The Kite Runner', and less subtle. But still pretty gripping.
Half of a Yellow SunHalf of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Buy new: £3.99 / Used from: £0.01
Great African epic. Some mannerisms but otherwise very satisfying.
The HelpThe Help by Kathryn Stockett
Buy new: £7.78 / Used from: £10.36
Domestic servants' perspective on the civil rights struggle of the early 1906s. Good.
The Girl with the Dragon TattooThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Buy new: £3.48 / Used from: £2.50
Intelligent thriller with a conscience, penned by a man who spent his life crusading for justice.
Her Fearful SymmetryHer Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Buy new: £9.88 / Used from: £6.00
Period ghost story from the author of The Time Traveller's wife. Long on atmosphere, but short on clarity and direction.
One DayOne Day by David Nicholls
Buy new: £3.79 / Used from: £3.56
Pleasant story of growing up and growing apart spanning the years.
The Angel's GameThe Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Buy new: £6.49 / Used from: £4.99
Zafon returns with another gothic fairytale; desperate crushes, magical libraries, dark, silly plots. It's all there. The Civil War background serves only to provide a villain or two, which is a pity.
Wolf HallWolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Buy new: £3.86 / Used from: £8.04
Mantel is a good writer, and this tale of Tudor power politics, though seriously overpopulated, is convincing and powerful.
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill HouseThe Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale
Buy new: £4.72 / Used from: £0.01
Good social history built around a seminal Victorian murder investigation. But not a whodunnit, please note!
The Luminous Life of Lilly AphroditeThe Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin
Buy new: £4.78 / Used from: £0.01
Interesting historical novel of Wiemar Germany; a bit too long, but with loads of colour.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie SocietyThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Buy new: £3.49 / Used from: £1.79
The epistolary novel makes a light-hearted comeback in this portrait of post-war Channel island life.
The House at RivertonThe House at Riverton by Kate Morton
Buy new: £4.78 / Used from: £0.01
A good mystery, somewhat compromised by poor grip on the period.
The GargoyleThe Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
Buy new: £3.99 / Used from: £0.01
Patchy, sometimes brilliant, sometimes indulgent, sometimes long-winded debut that was unveiled with an almighty fanfare stateside, with mixed results. See for yourself.
The White TigerThe White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Buy new: £3.99 / Used from: £0.01
Harsh, somewhat crude satire of modern India, written in lively style.
Three Cups of TeaThree Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.97
Remarkable non-fiction tale of a climber's cross-cultural journey in what is now one of the world's hottest conflict zones.
The Road HomeThe Road Home by Rose Tremain
Buy new: £3.99 / Used from: £0.01
Rather better than the Ukrainian tractors, if not as funny.
The HostThe Host by Stephenie Meyer
Buy new: £3.82 / Used from: £1.46
Invasion of the bodysnatchers given the Meyer treatment. Don't expect a plagiarism suit this time, though.
The Secret ScriptureThe Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
Buy new: £3.99 / Used from: £0.01
Lively, if episodic tale of 1920s Ireland and the fall-out from its brief civil war.
The Lost SymbolThe Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Buy new: £8.78 / Used from: £4.20
The most striking thing about this book is the print run. Otherwise it's not great.