Books

‘Books are a uniquely portable magic.’ — Stephen King

Every year I tell myself that I am going to read more, and every year I seem to fall short of my own expectations. In 2016 I read just 22 books. I did not read the entire collected work of Dickens. I did not finish every book I started.

I did, however, remove a few books from my ‘to read’ pile. I also read a broad range of books from classic novels to contemporary fiction to plays, from non-fiction to young adult novels to poetry. I revisited the world of Harry Potter and went on journeys through communist Russia, the Deep South, revolution-era Paris and New York in the ’20s.

I experienced magic and fear; I laughed and cried and laughed again. I read and I was moved. In 2017 I will keep reading as much as I can.

Like the self-destructive addicts faltering through this fever dream of 1970s New York City, I found myself unable to stop reading, despite knowing the possibility of a happy ending had long passed us all by.

A twenty-first century update of Ted Hughes’s Crow where crow not only claws and fluffs and screeches and laughs, he also looks after small boys and helps heal hearts broken by sudden loss.

A Millennial comedian and a respected sociologist take on the hot topic of modern dating. Hilarity ensures alongside some thoughtful insight into what love means to different generations.

Serial murder, self harm, alcoholism, rape, Munchausen by proxy: Gillian Flynn’s debut novel is chock full of psychological twists and turns. The ending doesn’t disappoint.

This beautiful, vibrant collection of images is a must-read for anyone interested in photography, fashion or popular culture throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Stephen King’s advice is simple: If you want to be a writer, you must do two things: read a lot and write a lot. A life story interwoven with solid writing advice, not the least of which is that writing is a skill and a serious business.

I came for Bonjour Tristesse — a book I’d been meaning to read for years — and stayed for A Certain Smile. This story of a student discovering her adult sexuality through heartbreak and betrayal is absolutely beautiful and wonderfully French.

A fairy tale adventure gone wrong, set in a deep, dark wood straight out of a Grimm’s tale. A twisted Captain Fantastic without the heart-warming bits.

This Dickensian romp follows the pre-teen pickpocket Smith who witnesses a murder and is then accidentally adopted and reformed by an old blind gentleman and his daughter. Pure fun.