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The Best Books I Read in 2007
Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas AdamsHitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams by M.J. Simpson
Buy used from: £0.01
As Simon Jones says on the cover, M J Simpson knows/knew more about Douglas Adams than Douglas Adams did.
Mind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in EnglishMind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in English by R L Trask
Buy new: £5.41 / Used from: £2.60
A really good and usable style guide to the English language.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Puffin Fiction)Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Puffin Fiction) by Roald Dahl
Buy used from: £0.01
The classic tale of Good versus Evil. With added chocolate and small singing people!
Esio Trot (Puffin Fiction)Esio Trot (Puffin Fiction) by Roald Dahl
Buy used from: £0.01
Fifty-seven wonderful pages, a really clever and well-told story.
MatildaMatilda by Roald Dahl
Buy used from: £0.01
It was the first time I'd read this, and I absolutely adored it, I so wish I'd read it when I was younger. Roald Dahl was a genius, through his writing you care about Matilda and what happens to her.
Born on a Blue DayBorn on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet
Buy new: £5.73 / Used from: £0.38
Daniel's story as an autistic savant is made compelling by his almost unique level of self-awareness. His story is compelling and inspiring.
The Giraffe And The Pelly And MeThe Giraffe And The Pelly And Me by Roald Dahl
Buy used from: £0.01
I really enjoyed this little book, a fun and magical story.
Surfing on the Internet: A Net-Head's Adventures On-LineSurfing on the Internet: A Net-Head's Adventures On-Line by J.C. Herz
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £0.01
Written in what seems like another age, but in reality only 13 years ago, the Internet before it become the thing we know today: IRC, Usenet, MOOs and MUSHs
Uxbridge English Dictionary (I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue)Uxbridge English Dictionary (I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue) by Jon Naismith
Buy new: £4.73 / Used from: £0.01
Did you know that a hoarding is a prostitute's microwave, or a homophone is someone who doesn't like 'The Simpsons'? You do now!
Silly Cow (Acting Edition)Silly Cow (Acting Edition) by Ben Elton
Buy new: £8.25 / Used from: £4.46
An excellent play, a satire on the world of meeja and celebrity. It would have been good to see this on the stage, or perhaps a TV adaptation.
Far from the Sodding Crowd: More Uncommonly British Days OutFar from the Sodding Crowd: More Uncommonly British Days Out by Jason Hazeley
Buy used from: £0.01
Just as good as the first book, crammed full of interesting places to go to in the UK
The Tasmanian Babes FiascoThe Tasmanian Babes Fiasco by John Birmingham
Buy used from: £0.01
Fast-paced, drug-fuelled, funny, tender and caring.
First Among SequelsFirst Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
Buy used from: £1.52
The best book I've read for a couple of years. If nothing else, Jasper Fforde's love of proper nouns is amazing - read it and you'll see what I mean!
Vince and JoyVince and Joy by Lisa Jewell
Buy new: £5.96 / Used from: £0.01
An absolutely cracking page-turner of a book. Chick-lit at its best.
A Spot of BotherA Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
Buy new: £11.58 / Used from: £0.01
I can only compare it to Haddon's first book ('The Curious Incident...'): not as good as that, but still an excellent book with an interesting tale
Take One Young ManTake One Young Man by Vivien Kelly
Buy used from: £0.01
An interesting take on the chick-lit/lad-lit genre. Excellent, with enough changes to make it more than just a generic example of the genres.
Tales of the UnexpectedTales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl
Buy new: £5.48 / Used from: £0.01
A delectably evil, disturbing and fantastic (in both senses of the word) book.
Radio: A True Love StoryRadio: A True Love Story by Libby Purves
Buy used from: £0.01
I used to be a radio anorak (I once helped run a radio station with Libby Purves' brother) and so found her description of her time in BBC local radio and the 'Today' programme really interesting
Vicky AngelVicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson
Buy used from: £0.01
I know I'm a soppy sod, but I cried at least twice reading this. Absolutely brilliant.
Out of My DepthOut of My Depth by Emily Barr
Buy new: £5.47 / Used from: £0.01
Absolutely page-turningly, staying-up-till-I-get-it-finishedly brilliant. One of the best books I've read in a very long time.
The 9/11 Commission Report: The Full Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United StatesThe 9/11 Commission Report: The Full Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States by National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
Buy new: £6.20 / Used from: £0.01
Even though it's written by politicans and lawyers, it's a really accessible read.
Bronwen Astor: Her Life and TimesBronwen Astor: Her Life and Times by Peter Stanford
Buy used from: £0.01
It was a fascinating story of a woman with many different aspects to her life: Parisian fashion model, BBC television presenter and wife of an aristocrat caught up in the Profumo scandal.
The Amazing Adventures of DietgirlThe Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna Reid
Buy used from: £0.79
How she writes her story is wonderful, with humour and pathos. Each page spoke to me, mirroring how I've felt over the last 3 years as I've lost 4 stone and over the previous decade hating my body.