Listmania!
Favourite reads of 2006
Small IslandSmall Island by Andrea Levy
Buy new: £4.41 / Used from: £0.01
An absorbing read with four wonderfully depicted main characters.
Never Let Me GoNever Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Buy new: £4.79 / Used from: £0.01
Chilling book set in a present-day alternate reality Britain.
PrepPrep by Curtis Sittenfeld
Buy new: £5.43 / Used from: £0.46
Great coming-of-age novel that enables you to empathise strongly with the character of outsider Lee.
On BeautyOn Beauty by Zadie Smith
Buy new: £4.51 / Used from: £0.01
Absorbing novel set in the vividly realised worlds of academia.
In a Good LightIn a Good Light by Clare Chambers
Buy new: £4.69 / Used from: £0.01
Very engaging book in which a young woman looks back on her unconventional childhood.
The Queen's FoolThe Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
Buy new: £4.96 / Used from: £0.01
Wonderful historical novel - I learnt a lot about this time period and thoroughly enjoyed the read.
The Family TreeThe Family Tree by Carole Cadwalladr
Buy new: £12.99 / Used from: £0.01
A very good read - I loved the portrayal of 1970s culture and family life.
Beasts of No NationBeasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala
Buy new: £12.99 / Used from: £0.99
Short, gripping and shocking book about child soldiers in Africa.
Rape: A Love StoryRape: A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates
Buy used from: £1.66
Moving novella about the aftermath of rape.
I Am No One You Know: StoriesI Am No One You Know: Stories by Joyce Carol Oates
Buy used from: £2.99
Excellent collection of short stories by Joyce Carol Oates.
How to Breathe Underwater: StoriesHow to Breathe Underwater: Stories by Julie Orringer
Buy used from: £0.01
Excellent collection of short stories - I enjoyed every one of them.
Borrowed LightBorrowed Light by Joolz Denby
Buy used from: £0.01
This book brought to life the Cornish community in which it is set, and builds up tension until the shocking finale.
Swallowing GrandmaSwallowing Grandma by Kate Long
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.01
Warm and funny read with a very sympathetic main character.
Plain TruthPlain Truth by Jodi Picoult
Buy used from: £0.01
Absorbing Jodi Picoult novel set in an Amish community.
One Good TurnOne Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
Buy used from: £0.01
Great book that skilfully intertwines many characters and plotlines.
The Devil's FeatherThe Devil's Feather by Minette Walters
Buy new: £5.46 / Used from: £0.01
Engrossing psychological thriller - one of my favourite Minette Walters books.
The Chemistry of DeathThe Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett
Buy used from: £0.01
Solid crime thriller with a twist that I didn't see coming.
Disordered MindsDisordered Minds by Minette Walters
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £0.01
Very interesting thriller, another one of Minette Walters' best.
Bad Moon RisingBad Moon Rising by Sheila Quigley
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £0.01
Fast-paced crime thriller, a very good read.
A Faint Cold FearA Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.01
Excellent crime novel - #3 in the Grant County series featuring Sara Linton.
IndelibleIndelible by Karin Slaughter
Buy new: £3.62 / Used from: £0.01
#4 in the Grant County series, and another gripping read.
FaithlessFaithless by Karin Slaughter
Buy new: £4.39 / Used from: £0.01
#5 in the Grant County series, also an excellent thriller.
Sleepyhead (Tom Thorne Novels)Sleepyhead (Tom Thorne Novels) by Mark Billingham
Buy new: £5.46 / Used from: £0.01
The first crime novel featuring DI Tom Thorne.
Scaredy Cat (Tom Thorne Novels)Scaredy Cat (Tom Thorne Novels) by Mark Billingham
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £0.01
The second DI Thorne novel, also excellent.
Lazybones (Tom Thorne Novels)Lazybones (Tom Thorne Novels) by Mark Billingham
Buy new: £4.97 / Used from: £0.01
The third DI Thorne novel - I would highly recommend the whole series (although I found #4 less engrossing than the other five).