Happy New Year!
2021 wasn't a great year, was it? An improvement on 2020, yes, but still not great. And, personally, I struggled, and continue to do so, with poor mental health and general life stuff. I have a ton of people to thank for supporting me through 2021 but as this a bookish post, I want to give a shout out to some of the people from that community who've been there for me: Abbie Osborne, Michael MacKenzie, Louise Fairbairn, Douglas Skelton and Caro Ramsay.
My reading has suffered and so has this little blog. I met all my blog tour deadlines - just - but didn't get around to posting anything else, and I haven't shared stuff (my own and those of others) as widely as usual. I suspect that might continue for a wee while but working hard on getting everything back on track. I read a total of 76 books but only reviewed 56 of them, well down on my 99 from 2020. I also listened to six audio books, which was a new and enjoyable experience for me. Not a chance I can narrow all that down to just a top ten for the year but will share the details of those I enjoyed the most (click through the title for my review, where applicable).
From the books I read but am still to review the standouts were Edge of the Grave by Robbie Morrison (going to try to squeeze in a quick re-read in time for the Bloody Scotland Book Club (Facebook) on 26th January) and Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby. My favourite audio book was The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, read by Louise Brealey but I also loved All That Remains by Professor Dame Sue Black, read by the author herself.
From the books I reviewed, my favourites (in roughly the order I read them) were:
The Art of Death by David Fennell
'An original, gripping and exciting crime thriller full of tension with two cracking leads. It's current and relevant, and should make us all think more carefully about the information we share publicly online.'
The Point of No Return by Neil Broadfoot
'A brilliant, tense, action packed crime thriller that hurtles along from beginning to end. The scene setting and characterisation are spot on. It's about misjudgements, love, loyalty, obsession and murder. And it's a story about fathers and sons. Loved it and wholeheartedly recommend it.'
I Know What I Saw by Imran Mahmood
'A beautifully written tale of loss, brokenness, forgotten memories, remembered truths, a search for redemption, weaved into a story of murder and mystery. I enjoyed the author's style of writing, his descriptions have a lyrical way about them. It's not a fast paced book, especially the first half, but the quality of the writing is such that it doesn't need to be - you'll be hooked anyway. This is one for your TBR pile!'
A Rattle of Bones by Douglas Skelton
'A story of murder, wrongdoing, truth seeking and love. It's beautifully written, very atmospheric, weaving Scottish history in with the criminal underworld of today. Skelton has, as always, delivered a well developed plot and a satisfying denouement with a red herring or two thrown in along the way. I devoured it in two days and think it might be my favourite of the series yet. It will be amongst my books of the year. If you haven't read anything by Douglas Skelton I would urge you to do so, and this series is a great place to start.'
The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone
'Yes, The Big Silence is a crime story. But it is so much more. It talks about love, loss, family, grief, determination, sadness, hope and resilience. It's beautifully written and populated by a large cast of fully formed characters, some of whom will break your heart, at the centre of which are Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah, strong, independent women. If this is the end of the series, I'm sad, but what a glorious journey it's been. I'm sure this will be amongst my favourite books of the year and I can't wait to see what Johnstone brings us next'.
Darkness Falls by Alex Knight
'A tense, exciting, intelligent, fast paced, action filled crime thriller populated by well rounded characters. It's an absolute banger! Highly recommend this one.'
Me & the Monkey by Andy Darby
'I chose this book because the blurb sounded out-there bat shit bonkers, and who doesn't need a bit of that? Particularly at the moment. And you know what? This book absolutely delivers. I spent much of the time giggling and shaking my head in disbelief. Me and The Monkey is crude in places, violent in places, bloody in places, original and absolutely hilarious. I laughed out loud loads and quoted random lines at folk. Bonkers and brilliant, the work of a crazy genius, and I loved it.'
The Huntsmen by Tony Forder
'The subject matter is dark and may not be for everyone but this a cracking story told well. The Huntsmen is a really strong start to the new series introducing a unique partnership in Chase and Laney and delivering a beautifully written piece on family, love, pain, evil and redemption. There's a crime or two in there too!'
The Quiet People by Paul Cleave
'A story of doubt, desperation, disbelief and determination. A mission to find out the truth, one way or another. It has things to say about the press, and about society's tendency to judge people without knowing the facts, without knowing if we're right or wrong It was a book that kept me on edge - I'm a parent and whilst my kids are grown up now, when they were younger one of them disappearing was my worst nightmare. My emotions were tossed and thrown all over the place as the story raced from one nail biting incident to the next. I thought one thing one minute, then another the next. Believed one person, then another. It's jam packed full of action, very tense and will absolutely keep you glued to the page. Loved it.'
No Way To Die by Tony Kent
'... is everything you could want from a thriller. It's explosive, action packed and tense. It's full of shocks and surprises. It pulls you in from the first chapter and keeps you there. You won't notice the time passing, I promise you. Tony Kent has delivered all that and done it with heart. There were moments amidst the chaos and shooting that I found really quite moving. In case you are still wondering, I loved this book!'
Fall by West Camel
'Fall is a fascinating book. With gorgeous descriptions and accurately drawn characters it tells of family, friendship, love, anger, resentment and redemption. But it also talks about prejudice, injustice and inaction. Someone, Aaron I think, says at one point 'We should say something.' This strikes me as something we should all take on board as there is still so much prejudice, discrimination and injustice going on around us. But this book also speaks to me of the importance of staying close to the ones we love, talking to them even when we don't want to, not letting ill feelings fester away. And finally, it's about the beautiful, devastating power of words. I will be thinking about Fall for a long time yet.'
But my two very favourite books, and the ones I gifted multiple times over the festive period, from 2021 were:
This is How We are Human by Louise Beech
'A book about desperation, bad choices, love and letting go. I defy anyone not to be moved by this book. It will make you laugh and make you cry. It will break your heart then make it sing. It will educate you. And I suspect it will stay with you for a long time. My favourite book of the year so far. Just beautiful.'
The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen
'An absolute gem of a book. Antti Tuomainen has brought together the slightly absurd and the everyday and created a fantastic story with a brilliant central character. Who else would write a crime story where the hero is an actuary?! This is a beautifully told tale, full of humour and warmth, and jeopardy, with keen observations on society and relationships. There was absolutely nothing I didn't like. It was just perfect and I loved it. Roll on the next book!'
So, there you have it, my books of 2021. I read so many good books it was really hard narrowing it down to these few. I've no idea how some people manage to get down to a smaller selection!
I haven't really made any bookish resolutions for 2022 as I've not kept the ones I made in the last two years! But given how my health is just now I'll be taking on less blog tours and trying to #beatthebacklog (brainchild of Lisa at Owl Be Sat Reading) by attacking my bookshelves and Kindle library!
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