Romping Reads
They may not have won prizes but I promise they will keep you gripped
Hot off the heels of the NYT list of the Best books of the 21st century, the Times of London recently published their own list of the “Top 25 Novels of the 21st Century (so far). I believe the last list is purely made up of British and Irish writers.
Not to be outdone, I thought I would share my own list. My criteria was that these had to be books that:
did not appear on either of the previous two lists;
were written by British or Irish writers; and above all
ARE ROMPING GOOD READS.
In no particular order:
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Sixteen year old girl gets pregnant in 1945 in rural Ireland, parents kick her out, a hunchback Redemptorist nun saves the day and organises adoption. Society evolves, slowly, and mother and son go on to have all sorts of adventures. Joyful.
Bad Actors by Mick Heron
Could have picked any of the Slow Horses books, they are all brilliant. Sharp witted, funny, political and with a brilliant cast of characters now brought to life in the superb TV series. No-one was ever better cast than Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb. This is the funniest, IMHO. Do NOT read them out of order.
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
Could not be further from Slow Horses. 1957, London, journalist and spinster, living with her mother, about to turn forty, is intrigued by the claims of a young Swiss woman that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth. Investigation commences, lives combine, love ensues. Delightful. Then read Shy Creatures.
Kala by Colin Walsh
Does what it says on the tin. Genuine page turner. Thriller, whodunnit, whodunnit, what on earth happened. Cannot believe it was his first novel. Believable cast of characters, settings, scenes and dialogue that dance off the page.
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
She makes it onto those other lists with Life after Life and is also well known for her Jackson Brodie novels, which are good, but this one is different. It is a frivolous, fascinating, entertaining, delicious romp through the London of the roaring twenties. Nellie Coker, owner of a string of nightclubs, has just been let out of jail. The knives are out, with gangsters and the police fighting to be the ones to bring her down. An intricate plot and large cast of characters tell the story of what happens next.
Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan
Donal Ryan’s first book, the Spinning Heart, tells the story of what happened to a small community in Ireland after the fall of the Celtic Tiger through the voices of people living there. Rightly won prizes. This gorgeous novel feels even more tender, touching, quaint. A beloved daughter ups and leaves her family for no reason. Kit and Paddy are devastated. They hear nothing for five years, until she returns, with no explanation and changing their lives forever. Then read Queen of Dirt Island.
There is Nothing for you Here by Fiona Hill
Breaking a rule here in that this is no-fiction. I don’t do non-fiction but I could not put this down. Fiona Hill is a few years older than me and grew up like I did in a mining community (hers was in County Durham). She gained a scholarship, supported by the Mining community, studied Russian and gained several post graduate degrees. She worked as a Russia expert for the US government, including during Trump’s first term. She has a lot to say on what happened to our politics and economics during the seventies and eighties and the impact that had on creating divided societies on both sides of the Atlantic. She retains her Geordie accent and narrates the audiobook version.