Cornflower Blues 2009 - part 3 (the rest of the fiction)

    

    Here's where it gets really difficult - choosing just a few titles from the eighty-eight novels I've read to date this year. I'm going to eliminate re-reads to narrow the field slightly, and then because as I begin to write this I'm still swithering(!), I'll just list the books and give a link to their original posts.

Here are the top twenty:

 

and in no particular order, the top ten:

Brodeck's Report by Philippe Claudel; out in paperback soon (post)

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (post)

Stone's Fall by Iain Pears (post)

Earth and Heaven by Sue Gee (post)

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (post)

Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd (post)

Ask Alice by D. J. Taylor (post)

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (post)

The Outlander by Gil Adamson; due in paperback soon (post)

A Proper Education for Girls by Elaine di Rollo (post)

Comments

[Jodie]

Really interested to see that Sea of Poppies made your top 20, want to read that in 2010. Also agree that Wolf Hall should make the top ten.

[LizF]

I'm really pleased to see The Outlander in your top ten as I thought it was absolutely stunning - the sort of book you pick up and can't put down. I ended up carrying it around with me and reading at every spare moment, something I haven't done for a while.
Also really enjoyed Sweeping Up Glass - the portrayal of life in Depression era Kentucky was brilliant and I loved Olivia, the main character for her immense courage and determination in the face of terrible odds.

[Alis Hawkins]

Oh dear, reading this post wasn't a good idea... My Amazon wish list has now swollen by 4 books. Many thanks for the recommendations, Cornflower, your top 10 is very appealing.

[Julie Fredericksen]

Of all these books, I've only read "The English Patient." I don't think many of them are well known in the states. I've already put "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" on my amazon.com Wish List and no doubt I will add some of the others too.

[Cornflower]

Ah, the perils of visiting the book blogs! (I'm really looking forward to reading your book, Alis).

[Susie Vereker]

That's interesting, Cornflower. 'The Very Thought of You' is on the Romantic Novel of the Year 2010 longlist - announced today (link on my blog) I loved Sea of Poppies too. Can't wait for the sequel.

[Danielle]

I also really enjoyed Sophia's Secret, too! I've got several more of these titles on my TBR pile and am looking forward to reading them (hopefully in the coming year).

[Elaine]

I am currently putting together my books of 2009 over on Random and The Outlander features on this list. I thought it a stunning book also

[Tara]

I am so enjoying this looking over this list, and peeking back on old posts. I read the di Rollo book myself recently and thought it entertaining, but not one of my favorites.

[Dark Puss]

"Ah, the perils of visiting the book blogs!"

It all depends on your strength of will I think. I read five or six literary weblogs daily, I note with interest the reviews and the comments but I do not feel the need to rush out and add them to any lists; virtual, real or imaginary. I am well aware that, for many of you, this probably marks me out as a candidate for counselling!