Best reads of the year 2010
The books on this list were chosen by Peterborough reading
groups as some of their favourites read this year.
Blacklands
by Belinda Bauer
Twelve-year-old Steven Lamb digs holes on Exmoor, hoping to find
a body and lay to rest the ghost of the uncle he never knew, who
disappeared aged eleven and is assumed to have fallen victim to the
notorious serial killer Arnold Avery. Only Steven’s Nan is not
convinced her son is dead. She still waits for him to come home,
while her family fragments around her. Steven is determined
to heal the widening cracks between them before it’s too late, so
he crafts a letter to Arnold Avery in prison …
Dead
Simple by Peter James
Michael Harrison had it all: good looks, charm, natural
leadership, a wicked sense of humour, and now, Ashley, his fiancé.
While out celebrating with a group of friends a few nights before
the wedding, Michael unexpectedly finds himself enclosed in a
coffin equipped only with a flashlight, a walkie-talkie, and a
breathing tube. It's all in good fun, payback for the grief his
mates have suffered at his hands. That is, until the four are
killed in a drink driving accident just moments after, leaving
Michael completely alone and buried alive.
Frenchman's
Creek by Daphne Du Maurier
The Restoration Court knows Lady Dona St Columb to be ripe for
any folly, any outrage that will alter the tedium of her days. But
there is another, secret Dona who longs for a life of honest love
-- and sweetness, even if it is spiced with danger. It is
this Dona who flees the stews of London for remote Navron, looking
for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She
finds there the passion her spirit craves -- in the love of a
daring pirate hunted by all Cornwall, a Frenchman who, like Dona,
would gamble his life for a moment's joy.
Guernica by Dave Boling
An extraordinary epic of love, family, and war set in the Basque
town of Guernica before, during, and after its destruction by the
German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War. In 1935,
Miguel Navarro finds himself in conflict with the Spanish Civil
Guard and flees the Basque fishing village of Lekeitio to make a
new start in Guernica, the centre of Basque culture and tradition.
Once there, he finds more than just a new life – he finds someone
to live for.
The Guernsey
Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann
Shaffer
It's 1946 and author Juliet Ashton can't think what to write
next. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of
Guernsey - by chance, he's acquired a book that once belonged to
her - and, spurred on by their mutual love of reading, they begin a
correspondence. When Dawsey reveals that he is a member
of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, her curiosity
is piqued and it's not long before she begins to hear from other
members. As letters fly back and forth with stories of life in
Guernsey under the German Occupation, Juliet soon realizes that the
society is every bit as extraordinary as its name.
The Return by Victoria Hislop
Beneath the majestic towers of the Alhambra, Granada’s cobbled
streets resonate with music and secrets. Sonia Cameron knows
nothing of the city’s shocking past; she is here to dance. But in a
quiet café, a chance conversation and an intriguing collection of
old photographs draw her into the extraordinary tale of Spain’s
devastating civil war. Seventy years earlier, the café is
home to the close-knit Ramírez family. In 1936, an army coup led by
Franco shatters the country’s fragile peace, and in the heart of
Granada the family witnesses the worst atrocities of conflict.
Divided by politics and tragedy, everyone must take a side,
fighting a personal battle as Spain rips itself apart.
The
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Barcelona, 1945—Just after the war, a great world city lies in
shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes one day
to find that he can no longer remember his mother’s face. Daniel’s
widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into the
secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by
Barcelona’s guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books
forgotten by the world. From this library, Daniel selects a
novel called The Shadow of the Wind, opening a door into one of
Barcelona’s darkest secrets: an epic story of murder, magic,
madness, and doomed love.
What Was
Lost by Catherine O’Flynn
The 1980s: Kate Meaney is a serious-minded and curious young
girl - who spends her time with her toy monkey acting out the role
of a junior detective. She notes goings-on at the Green Oaks
shopping centre and in her street, particularly the newsagents,
where she is friends with the owner's son Adrian. When she
disappears, Adrian falls under suspicion. 2004: 30-something
Lisa strikes up a friendship with a security guard in protest at
her own futile relationship. Following CCTV glimpses of Kate, they
become entranced by the lost girl and the history of Green
Oaks...
Man Booker Shortlist 2010
The shortlisted books are now available to reserve from
Peterborough Libraries! Find out more about this year's
Booker Shortlist.
TV Book Club Summer Reads 2010
The Summer Reads are now in all Peterborough Libraries! Find out
more about this year's summer
reads.
If you like James Patterson…
James Patterson continues to top the borrowing
charts in Peterborough. If you've read all his novels and want to
know who else writes like him, here is a selection to tempt you to
that perfect new author.
Great book websites
-
TV book club 2010 - find out more about Channel 4s latest
book club.
- Fantastic Fiction -
details of books by over 15,000 authors. Great for finding out the
latest in a series.
- Whichbook.net - find books by mood,
plot, character or setting
- Reader2Reader - share reading
experiences, find books suggested by other readers
- Lovereading - read extracts,
find out who else writes like, browse by genre
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