Listmania!
My best books of 2007
Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His NationColour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation by Susan Williams
Buy new: £7.69 / Used from: £4.30
True story of Britian's recent colonial past. Also a great love story
American PastoralAmerican Pastoral by Philip Roth
Buy new: £5.59 / Used from: £2.14
First of Roth's brilliant Zuckerman trilogy. Angry polemic. Riveting.
Independence Day (Harvill Panther)Independence Day (Harvill Panther) by Richard Ford
Buy used from: £0.01
Ford's wonderful tale of modern America. I could not put it down.
Dead as Doornails: A MemoirDead as Doornails: A Memoir by Anthony Cronin
Buy new: £3.24 / Used from: £4.15
Memoir of literary Dublin at its creative peak. A great read.
Walk the Blue FieldsWalk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan
Buy new: £4.74 / Used from: £0.24
She has brought me back to the short story. Richard Ford's Favourite of 2007.
The GatheringThe Gathering by Anne Enright
Buy new: £9.09 / Used from: £1.60
Brilliant. Funny, Sad, - I was exhausted at the end, and in tears
Get Happy: The Life of Judy GarlandGet Happy: The Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clarke
Buy new: £8.44 / Used from: £1.45
Horrifying expose of Hollywood; very sympathetic warts and all biog. Really enjoyable.
Ava GardnerAva Gardner by Lee Server
Buy new: £2.99 / Used from: £2.98
I loved this book and at the end, I loved the Ava even more than before.
The Lay of the LandThe Lay of the Land by Richard Ford
Buy new: £3.50 / Used from: £0.01
Great finish to Ford's seminal trilogy on modern America. A must read in the aftermath of 9-11
The Judgement of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World ImpressionismThe Judgement of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionism by Ross King
Buy new: £6.74 / Used from: £6.67
The best Art History book I have read; great story with great characters, and it's all tru!!
"Founded on Fear": Letterfrack Industrial School, War and Exile by Peter Tyrrell"Founded on Fear": Letterfrack Industrial School, War and Exile by Peter Tyrrell
Buy new: £12.08 / Used from: £9.00
The best book about this dark period in recent Irish history.
Lifelines, New and Collected: Letters from Famous People About Their Favourite PoemLifelines, New and Collected: Letters from Famous People About Their Favourite Poem
Buy this book if you don't own any book of poetry. Wonderful collection with a difference.
The LeavetakingThe Leavetaking by John McGahern
Buy new: £2.88 / Used from: £0.01
McGahern's fictionalised story of his own literary exile.
Le Grand Meaulnes (Classiques De Poche)Le Grand Meaulnes (Classiques De Poche) by Henri Alain-Fournier
Buy used from: £5.63
A wonderful little book that has lingered with me. A real classic and a gem.
Amongst WomenAmongst Women by John McGahern
Buy used from: £0.50
The book that should have won the Booker Prize in 1990. A classic
Suite FrancaiseSuite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Buy new: £4.90 / Used from: £0.09
Enthralling story of Jewish life undercover in occupied France. A gem
Promise MePromise Me by Harlan Coben
Buy new: £4.84 / Used from: £0.01
Discovered him this year. All his books are unputdownable.
I Married a CommunistI Married a Communist by Philip Roth
Buy new: £2.97 / Used from: £1.60
2nd Zuckerman trilogy. Love, betrayal and politics in McCarthyite America. Very Angry
Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient AstronomersIsland of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers by Anthony Murphy
Beautiful and unbelievable book about one of the Wonders of the World
All of Us: The Collected PoemsAll of Us: The Collected Poems by Raymond Carver
Buy new: £9.08
A treasure - all this wonderful American poet's poetry in one place. A favourite book.
Scourge and Fire: Savonarola and Renaissance ItalyScourge and Fire: Savonarola and Renaissance Italy by Lauro Martines
Buy new: £3.89 / Used from: £6.68
What a thoroughly awful character - brilliantly brought to life. Read APRIL BLOOD also
Seminary BoySeminary Boy by John Cornwell
Buy new: £2.67 / Used from: £1.88
Life in an English Catholic seminary-brilliantly written memoir
Island FuneralIsland Funeral by Muiris Mac Conghail
Buy new: £56.85 / Used from: £12.99
Wonderful photos of a funeral on the Aran Islands (Ireland) with commentary
The Man Who SmiledThe Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £0.39
Just discovered him - I feel I'm going to like him
How to Get a PhD - 4th edition: A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors (Study Skills)How to Get a PhD - 4th edition: A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors (Study Skills) by Estelle Phillips
Buy new: £15.10 / Used from: £13.97
One book I have neglected this year to my COST!!