Library staff review of the year 2010

Library staff choose their favourite reads of 2009. See also the most popular items borrowed from Plymouth Libraries this year.

Nothing to envy: Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

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'Nothing to envy' weaves together the stories of several North Koreans living in Chongjin the country's third largest city. Including two young lovers, a doctor, an orphaned boy and a faithful 'believer' in the regime.

We follow them as they live their lives in the oppressive regime and eventually make their escape.

A fascinating account of life in a country I knew little about.

A room swept white by Sophie Hannah

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'A room swept white' is an absorbing jigsaw puzzle of a whodunit. It is the fifth in a series featuring Detectives Waterhouse and Zailer, though you don't need to have read the other titles to try this one.

The book opens with a classic Agatha Christie style hook. TV producer Fliss Benson receives a card with no message other than 16 numbers arranged in four rows of four. Simultaneously, a woman is found dead with an identical card in her pocket. Work out what the numbers mean and you will find the killer. But as this is a typically densely plotted Sophie Hannah story you will have to note every detail to reach the right conclusion. The plot has more twists than a spiral staircase, though there are clues that could help you, including one rather cheeky feature embedded in the fabric of the book - if you can spot it.

The story is told by a multitude of voices, switching between Fliss, the police, interviews, book extracts and newspaper articles. The varied narration adds pace and interest, keeping the reader guessing about the next twist in the tale. The range of viewpoints works because all Hannah's characters are engaging and strongly drawn. I wanted to know what happened to everyone!

The greatest mystery to remain on finishing this title is why Hannah's four previous psychological thrillers haven't been turned into films or a successful TV series. I'd love to see Waterhouse and Zailer up there with Morse, Lynley, Havers and the rest.

A load of old Bones by Suzette Hill

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This is the first in the Reverend Oughterard series. The vicar just wants a quiet life following a stint in a London Parish and moves to Moleshill in a mythical 1950s Surrey where he becomes entangled in a nightmare world of accidental murder, predatory female parishioners, officious policemen and a drunken bishop.

Enter Bouncer the dog and the ever superior Maurice, a cat, who adopt the Reverend when they become homeless. This comic tale is told from three perspectives, the Vicar, the cat and the dog. Needless to say it is the animals who save the day. A nice gentle and amusing read about village life.

Let the great world spin by Colum McCann

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Let the Great World Spin is set against the background of Philippe Petit's amazing tightrope walk between the Twin Towers in 1974. The event acting out above their heads unites all the characters in this engaging novel.

Beautifully written, the lives of the interconnected characters bring to life 1970s New York perfectly.

The thousand autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

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"The belly craves food, the tongue craves water, the heart craves love, and the mind craves stories."

So says one of the character's in David Mitchell's wide ranging tale of love, regret and redemption. This is a book to satisfy that last craving. Set in Japan at the end of the eighteenth century, it is rich in stories from the graphic opening chapter to the poignant closing lines. Everyone has a tale to tell. The characters' stories made me think about how sometimes the course of a life can be defined by what seems to be an insignificant choice. Here the characters’ choices unleash a cascade of consequences.

At the heart of the book is Jacob de Zoet. A clerk for the Dutch East India Company, he arrives in Nagasaki harbour in 1799 primed to uncover evidence of corruption at the trading post of Dejima. A painstaking, honourable man, his intention is to make his name and return home. Then he meets Orito Aibagawa, midwife and would-be surgeon: new choices seem possible and his carefully made plan begins to unravel.

Part of the attraction of the book is the fascination of the stranger, the struggle to understand another way of life. The prejudices of all the characters, both Western and Eastern, are skilfully drawn with a weather eye on the values of the period. Jacob and Orito move through a maze of events as the book blends historical realism with more than a hint of the supernatural. As you realise quite where the story is going it becomes hard to put down. Be prepared to be bleary eyed in the morning if you read it late at night - once you get half way you will have to read to the end.

The Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

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I have bought three copies of this book to give to other people since borrowing from the library this summer.

Twenty year old student Tassie Keltjin is at a loose end when she takes up a nannying job for a middle aged, well to do couple who have just adopted a two year old. Quickly she senses tensions in the newly made family, and when secrets are revealed from the past the present begins to unravel.

This is a full length masterpiece in elegant and witty writing from someone best known for devastating short stories. Maybe because she's not one of the literary big boys or maybe because she's so pithily funny (there are plenty laugh out loud lines). Moore has been overlooked at delivering one the most prescient views of race, class and the war in terror in contemporary US.

The last witchfinder by James Morrow

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Set in the late-17th and early-18th centuries, the Last Witchfinder is in essence the story of how one woman set out to have repealed the Witchcraft Acts.

Jennet Stearne is the daughter of Walter, the Witchfinder General of Mercia and East Anglia. She is also the niece of Isobel, an enlightened woman who influenced Jennet greatly. Isobel was put to death by Walter accused of witchcraft.

In an epic tale, Jennet is the voice of reason against religious dogma. She has adventures in colonised America (at the time of the Salem Witch trials), is shipwrecked in the Caribbean and counts Benjamin Franklin amongst her very best friends.

The final showdown trial sees Jennet, representing new science, take on her brother, representing old superstition.

One day by David Nicholls

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Emma and Dexter first meet on their graduation day. They agree to meet on the same day every year after that, giving the reader a glimpse into the changing lives of these two very realistic characters.

A bitter-sweet story of love and loss, chances missed, mistakes made and everything else that we all go through in life.

Nicholls has had success with his two earlier novels, 'Starter for Ten' and 'The Understudy', and this demonstrates his trademark wit and self-confidence. Read it if you like Jonathan Coe or Nick Hornby.

The hand that first held mine by Maggie O’Farrell

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Using a dual narrative, Maggie O’Farrell tells the stories of Lexie in the 1950s and 60s, and Elina in the present day.

Both stories are captivating; from the portrayal of the spirit of the 60s and the relaxing of social mores, to the description of a woman slowly recovering from a traumatic caesarian delivery.

The stories eventually come together in a very satisfying way which gives us a deeper insight into the two women’s situations.

The holy thief by William Ryan

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Moscow, 1936 and Stalin's Great Terror is beginning. In a deconsecrated church, a young woman is found dead, her mutilated body displayed on the altar for all to see.

Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Moscow Militia, is asked to investigate. But when he discovers that the victim is an American citizen, the NKVD - the most feared organisation in Russia becomes involved.

As more bodies are discovered and the pressure from above builds, Korolev begins to question who he can trust and who, in this Russia where fear, uncertainty and hunger prevails, are the real criminals. Soon, Korolev will find not only his moral and political ideals threatened, but also his life.

This is an excellent first novel by Ryan and you get a real sense of the fear which pervades through everyone’s lives. Respected colleagues are denounced and imprisoned and Korolev wonders what he has got himself into.

The fields of death by Simon Scarrow

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The final volume in the Wellington and Napoleon quartet, the others being 'Young Bloods', 'The Generals' and 'Fire and Sword'. This book follows the build up to Waterloo and Napoleon's ultimate defeat. In the format of a docu-drama, Scarrow captures the experience of war so that the reader feels like an observer, rather than being detached. The characters are real flesh and blood - you share their privations and their triumphs. The book, like its predecessors, is written from both the English and French perspectives, giving a balanced view of the combatants. There is much to admire in Napoleon’s strategic thinking and the fanatical devotion of his followers but his ultimate aim of ruling Europe, if not the world, shows him as a megalomaniac. Wellington also had his foibles - most notable, perhaps, his pursuit and marriage to Kitty Pakenham - whose entreaties he later saw as an irritant when on campaign. However, he comes across as a visionary strategist and caring in respect of those under his command. The quartet is recommended as an introduction to history for those who see it as a dry and rather dull subject.

Dress your family in corduroy and denim by David Sedaris

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I first came across David Sedaris on the wonderful This American Life podcast and his writing is just as good as his radio work. This book is a collection of snapshots from his life. He has the ability to take the most normal situation and turn it into something absurd and hilarious.

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

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Revolver is set in the harsh climate of the arctic circle. The main character, Sig, his sister Anna, his stepmother Nadya and father Einar live in a hut at the side of a lake, near a mining town.

You join Sig on the day his father passes away whilst travelling home across the ice covered lake. When his sister and stepmother go to break the news of his father's death in the town, a frightening stranger from his father’s past arrives making demands and it is up to Sig to deal with the situation once and for all.

Needless to say the events shape Sig’s journey into adulthood and have a real impact on his life. Revolver is a dramatic, emotive and thrilling tale, which draws you in and transports you to another place and time. Brilliant!

The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society by Mary Ann Shaffer

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This is a life-affirming gem that will leave you smiling but will also linger in your thoughts long after the last page. After spending her war years as a newspaper columnist our heroine, Juliet, is searching for a subject for her new book. Through the sweetest of happenstances, she comes across the delightfully eccentric characters of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. She is soon on her way to Guernsey and little by little discovers what life was like during the German Occupation. By turns hilarious, harrowing and heartrending with a deliciously understated romance, this book has become one of my all time favourites.

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