Mad Mike's writing blog, book of the year 2019

Welcome friends, book bloggers and avid readers alike, to my annual book of the year post. As usual, this post is not about books written or published this year, this is about the books that I have read this year, and with dozens to choose from, it's no easy task. I won't bore you with a big long list of all my reads from 2019, for that you can check out my historic posts or look at Amazon/Goodreads for my reviews, so without further ado:-

In at number five is, Two Years Eight Months & Twenty-Eight Nights, by Salman Rushdie (10/11/19 post)

'This book is about the few, the powerful, controlling the masses and seeking to divide them, create panic, sow fear, feeding on their desperation, and feels so relevant in today's society, and although this book has many aspects of fantasy and of mythical culture woven within it, it is still firmly rooted in the present day and is very thought-provoking,' I said back in November and stand by that statement today. Very weird but a must-read.

My number four is, The Colour Purple, by Alice Walker

(24/02/19 post)

'Told in a series of letters, written by Celie, firstly to her God and then to her sister, Nettie and eventually, from her sister back to her, The Colour Purple is a fiercely compelling book that has you at times on the edge of your seat. It is a roller-coaster of emotions: there will be tears, you will feel fear, hatred, and anger, but as the book comes to a close you will feel a deep, deep respect for the main character and the author, for this is a journey that feels so real it could be autobiographical.'

In the bronze position then: Daisy Jones & The Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Ooooooooh! SMACK! PUNCH! SLAP! Phew . . .
Well, that about sums up this rather superb biopic novel of the rock 'n' roll band that was, Daisy Jones & the Six. This book is a journey, and it's a journey I'd recommend you all take because, if you're not in a rock n roll band, if you're not touring with a number one album to your name, or never will, this'll be about as close as you'll ever get to finding out what you missed. Told by the band members many years later, in an interview style, it is bloody brilliant – it even has the song lyrics at the end for the entire Aurora album – how cool is that?

So, this year’s runner: A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled  Hosseini (22/09/19 post)

'To be able to weave the delicacies of love and passion, for life and one another, for the children they have borne or grown to love, into a story of such depravity and desolation, of loss and grief, is a true testament to this author's writing, and so I don't hesitate to recommend this book to all, and can, with hand on heart say, that it is one of the best I have read so far this year,' I said back in September, and stand 100% behind those comments. A superb but brutal read.

And the winner, my favourite book of 2019: The City of Mirrors, by Justin Cronin

(14/02/19 post)

'We're back in the year 122 A.V (after virus). Zero's army is coming, forged from the people who moved to the outlining townships. Michael (Circuit) has spent the last twenty years rebuilding a ship he hopes to escape on, but will it be ready? The virals are massing, the gates to the Homestead are closed once again, Carter has woken and Amy walks amongst the people once more, and then . . .

The ground rumbles, the virals breakthrough and panic ensues, and it is here, as the narrative flicks from one character's peril to another, that the book takes off, and as the pages pass in a blur, the tension builds, characters we have known since the beginning fall, Carter's army clashes with Zero's, Amy tries to save Alicia, and the rest of the human race fight their way to Michael's ship, you realise that this story really is one of the very best you've ever read.'

N.B: If you like your books spooky & atmospheric, maybe check out a couple of my runners-up, Bird Box, by Josh Malermam and Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad.