Early happy New Year everyone! How has 2015 been for you? Bit too exciting if you ask me - marauding vikings on and off the page, Poldark showing off his pecs in the Cornish countryside (don't remember THAT in the books!), Bond getting up to his old tricks and tonnes of fab new fiction and non-fiction to get me all distracted.
I did manage to read the minimum target 24 books (yay!), but 11 of those were either freshly published or new acquisitions (boo!). Such a shame when I got the balance right in 2014, reading an extra 10 or so books, but still finishing 24 from the list. Definitely want to try and do better in the coming months.
Hopefully you've found something interesting among what I've read in 2015. I'm quite pleased that there's a good variety in what I've covered, but classics are still rare. After my fascinating trip to Haworth, the Bronte Parsonage Museum and the surrounding moors ('In Search of Wuthering Heights'), I'm hoping to get in some novels by the famous sisters in 2016. And visit some more literary locations!
James Bond and historical fiction are still making regular appearances and I'm close to finishing both Ian Fleming's books and Philippa Gregory's Cousins War series. Hopefully I can do this next year too and move on to another great series.
A few favourite genres and writers have disappeared completely recently, though, including Science Fiction and Daphne Du Maurier. Perhaps in getting distracted by some great new publications I've missed the brilliant books already on my shelves. Something to be careful of in 2016!
Almost unbelievably, next year will mark the fifth anniversary of this blog and my project. A big thank you to all the friends, readers, writers and publishers who have given such great feedback and support here and on Twitter (@500_Books) over the years. A special mention has to go to the lovely and glittery Lucy Porter, who thoroughly embarrassed me by looking at my Twitter feed while I was stood in front of her at a literary festival event. Nearly as embarrassing as when I met Nigella Lawson at a book signing and couldn't think of anything to say... but that's another story.
Anyway, big love, bookworms! Wishing you all a fabulous new year and I look forward to seeing you again in 2016!
Reviews of the Year
2012
2013
2014
2015: A Year in Books
January
'The Empty Throne' by Bernard Cornwell
February
'So, Anyway...' by John Cleese
'From Russia with Love' by Ian Fleming (Audiobook)
'The Victorian Chaise-Longue' by Marghanita Laski
March
'Goldfinger' by Ian Fleming
'Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism' by Natasha Walter
April
'When I Met You' by Jemma Forte
'So, You've Been Publicly Shamed' by Jon Ronson
May
'Marie Antoinette: The Journey' by Antonia Fraser
June
'In Town' by Mark Steel
'Be Brilliant Every Day' by Andy Cope and Andy Whitaker
July
'It's All in Your Head' by Suzanne O'Sullivan
'My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me' by Jennifer Teege
'Diamonds are Forever' by Ian Fleming (Audiobook)
'The Spy who Loved Me' by Ian Fleming (Audiobook)
August
'A Book for Her' by Bridget Christie
'The Kingmaker's Daughter' by Philippa Gregory
September
'The Library of Unrequited Love' by Sophie Divry
October
'Just a Phrase I'm Going Through' by David Crystal
'Jeremy and Amy' by Jeremy Keeling
November
'Warriors of the Storm' by Bernard Cornwell
'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King
December
'Animal QC: My Preposterous Life' by Gary Bell
'Little Tales of Misogyny' by Patricia Highsmith - Coming Soon!
