Reading List 2011
2010's list ground to a halt after I had surgery in October, as I was reading tons while recovering but not recording any of it! I will try harder this year!
January
1. The Now Show Book of World Records, Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis, Jon Holmes, with added material from Mitch Benn and Marcus Brigstocke. I've met and had a decent conversation with every one of these authors, which is not something I can say for most of my reading!
2. Just My Type, Simon Garfield. NF A book about fonts and typefaces.
3. Sex, Sleep or Scrabble? Dr Phil Hammond. NF Medical questions and answers, with a comic slant
4. Calling Romeo, Alexandra Potter. Chicklit - I've read all of hers now and they're always very enjoyable, if a bit predictable.
5. The News Where You Are, Catherine O'Flynn. Enjoyed her previous one, so picked this up on a whim, and it's very readable. Local newsreader investigates a dead man's life.
6. The Geometry of Pasta, Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy. NF Cookery and art meet.
7. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Helen Simonson. An old man deals with village and family politics.
February
8. Room, Emma Donoghue. Made me cry. A boy and his mother are kept hostage - but he has never known another life so his view of the world is quite different.
9. Information is Beautiful, David McCandless. NF Statistics and art meet.
10. The Upside of Irrationality, Dan Ariely. NF
11. Sleepfaring, Jim Horne. NF All about sleep. Read at bedtimes.
12. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, Laurie Viera Rigler. Chicklit. Identity switch story, fangirling Austen.
13. Our Tragic Universe, Scarlett Thomas. Novelist tries to write The Next Book.
14. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, Laurie Viera Rigler. Chicklit. I read these two the wrong way around, this is the first of the two really.
March
15. Deception, Joan Aiken. Pseudo-Austen, identity switch story.
16. PopCo, Scarlett Thomas. Very interesting fiction, codes and marketing and Big Business.
17. Living Dangerously, Katie Fforde. Chicklit. Frothy and fun.
18. Wild Designs, Katie Fforde. More chicklit.
19. Summer of Love, Katie Fforde. And a third. I've now read all of hers.
20. The Case of the Gilded Fly, Edmund Crispin. The first Gervase Fen story - more people have read The Moving Toyshop but these are all worth reading.
21. Love Lies Bleeding, Edmund Crispin. The fifth Fen story. I should pick up 2 and 4 next.
April
22. In Office Hours, Lucy Kellaway. Office romances go wrong.
23. Holy Disorders, Edmund Crispin. Another Gervase Fen book.
24. Swan Song, Edmund Crispin. And another. I have one more after this one, too.
25. Buried for Pleasure, Edmund Crispin. And that's the last one I have, although there are at least two more, I think.
26. Ghost of a Chance, Rhiannon Lassiter.
27. Alex's Adventures in Numberland, Alex Bellos. NF.
28. Elizabeth and Her German Garden, Elizabeth Von Arnim
May
29. My Last Duchess, Daisy Goodwin.
30. The Postmistress, Sarah Blake.
31. Deceptions, Rebecca Frayn.
32. Connected: The Amazing Power of Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives, Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler. NF.
33. How Many Friends Does One Person Need?: Dunbar's Number and Other Evolutionary Quirks, Robin Dunbar. NF
34. The Hand That First Held Mine, Maggie O'Farrell
35. The Chill of the Night, Joan Aiken
36. An Accidental Proposal, Matt Dunn.
37. The Flavour Thesaurus, Niki Segrit. NF.
38. The Drunkard's Walk, Leonard Mlodinow. NF.
39. Overcoming Chronic Pain, Frances Cole. NF.
40. The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas
June
41. If I Don't Have You, Louise Candlish.
42. The Tiger That Isn't, Michael Blastland, Andrew Dilnot. NF.
43. At Home, Bill Bryson. NF
44. Clover, Susan Coolidge.
45. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sausages, Tom Holt.
46. A Game of Thrones, George RR Martin.
47. A Display of Lights, Val Gilbert. NF.
48. How Many Socks Make A Pair? Rob Eastaway. NF.
49. Hope and Glory, Stuart Maconie. NF.
50. Lost English, Chris Roberts. NF.
51. Fly Away Home, Jennifer Weiner.
52. A Clash of Kings, George RR Martin.
53. Why Do Buses Always Come In Threes? Paul Eastaway. NF.
54. Music for the People, Gareth Malone. NF
July-August
Buggrit, forgot to write stuff down as I went. This will probably see some editing before Sept, as I recall more titles.
55. Other People's Secrets, Louise Candlish
56. Mr Rosenblum's List, Natasha Solomons. (RR)
57. The Novel in the Viola, Natasha Solomons.
58. The Business, Iain Banks. (RR)
59. A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities, J C McKeown. NF.
60. New Grub Street, George Gissing.
61. Electrified Sheep, Alex Boese. NF.
62. Replay, Ken Grimwood
63. The Magicians, Lev Grossman
64. The Magician King, Lev Grossman
65. Daughter of the Rivers, Philippa Gregory
66. Snuff, Terry Pratchett
67. The Ugly Sister, Jane Fallon
68. What The Nanny Saw
69. Packing For Mars, Mary Roach NF
70. Bonk, Mary Roach NF
71. The Making of Us, Lisa Jewell
72. The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, Sinclair McKay NF
73. Sirens, Tom Reynolds NF
74. Dear Coca Cola, Terry Ravenscroft NF
75. Shimmer, Amanda Roberts
76. Six Geese A-laying, Sophie Kinsella
77. Letters of a Woman Homesteader, Eleanor Pruitt Stewart NF
78. The Wisdom of Father Brown, GK Chesterton
79. So You Want To Be A Wizard, Diane Duane
80. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
81. A Judgement in Stone, Ruth Rendell
82. A Storm Of Swords: Steel and Snow, George R R Martin
83. A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold, George R R Martin
84. A Feast for Crows, George R R Martin
85. A Dance with Dragons, George R R Martin
86. Private Eye, The First 50 Years A-Z. NF.
87. 11.22.63, Stephen King
88. Rivers of London, Ben Aaronovitch.
89. Moon Over Soho, Ben Aaronovitch.
90. Doctor Who: Borrowed Time, Naomi Alderman.
91. Doctor Who: Paradox Lost, George Mann.
92. Doctor Who: The King's Dragon, Una McCormack
93. Manage Your Pain, Michael Nicholas et al. NF.
December
94. Regarding Ducks and Universes, Neve Maslakovic
95. Are We Nearly There Yet? Ben Hatch NF
96. The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories
97. How To Live Safely In A Science Fictional Universe, Charles Yu
98. The Magical Maze, Ian Stewart NF
99. How To Be A Woman, Caitlin Moran NF
100. In Stitches, Nick Edwards NF
101. Confessions of a GP, Benjamin Daniels NF
102. The Atheist's Guide to Christmas, Ariane Sherine NF
103. Ball of Confusion, Johnny Ball NF
104. The Rational Optimist, Matt Ridley. NF
105. Every Last One, Anna Quindlen
106. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
107. Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
108. Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
109. Through The Language Glass, Guy Deutscher. NF
110. The Etymologicon, Mark Forsyth NF
111. Forget Me Not, Isabel Wolff