The One Book I Should Read This Year

Happy New Year and all that.

My first post of 2010 should probably be a look back at the year just gone, or a list of resolutions or a bunch of predictions for the twelve months ahead.

But no. Instead I want you to do some work. Assuming you are up, that is. You may have had a late night.

I have a question for you.

What is the one book you would recommend I read during 2010?

Anything at all. It may be a classic or something more recent. You may be a publisher or an author with a book coming out this year that you want me to check out. Perhaps you have a favourite novel or author that you reckon I should read. You might even want to wind me up by suggesting I re-read Midnight's Children or London Fields.

But don't.

So, fire away. I will check out all of your recommendations and try to read as many of them as I can in the year ahead.

Unless they look shit.

Comments

[Mark Robson]

As I'm pretty sure you haven't read any of my Dragon Orb books yet, I'd ask that you check out the first - Firestorm. I think you'll find my writing has moved on a long way since those first self-published books you read.

My new series probably won't launch until early 2011, so it'll be a bit of a wait for my next effort. Happy New Year, Scott. :-)

[Sarah]

Id say The Broken Shore and Truth by Peter Temple, simply because theyre bloody brillant!

Best wishes for the new year.

[Gerry Scott]

I'm not sure how you feel about science fiction (but I can maybe guess). Given how much you enjoyed Quicksilver, however, can I recommend Anathem by Neal Stephenson? Unlike Quicksilver this is definitely science fiction. It is also a breath taking exercise in world building, a brilliant primer in the history of science and a deliriously exciting adventure story that consistently ups the stakes.

In the interests of full disclosure I should probably point out that lots of people really seem to hate it, but they don't know what they are talking about.

Best Wishes for 2010!

[Annabel]

Happy New Year Scott! Possibly the best thing I read last year was the New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. I first read it about twenty years ago, but re-read it recently and it blew me away again - and I got an awful lot more out of it on that second read. Auster is not to everyone's taste, but as you're a Murakami fan, there are some similarities...

[Helen Rappaport]

Hi Scott - I know you're not that into history and I think for you to read two of my own history books back to back last year was approaching the heroic, but I would really recommend this extremely underrated and overlooked book: 'The Poet and the Murderer - a True Story of Literary Crime and the Art of Forgery' by Simon Worrall. It's about a brilliant, eccentric Mormon murderer and forger (yes honestly!) who pulled off an amazing forgery of a supposedly lost poem by Emily Dickinson. It's written like a thriller so if you enjoyed my Ekaterinburg you'll find this really gripping too. Being as I am about to publish a story about a female con artist myself I also find this whole subject area fascinating. Do give it a whirl if you can. It hasn't had the critical attention it deserves. Helen

[Petal]

Well I see it's on your list, so have a go at The Corrections. Jonathan Franzen is always a good read, and I think this is his current best. He has a new one out soon too. He picks apart family like no-one else.

[Petal]

Well I see it's on your list, so have a go at The Corrections. Jonathan Franzen is always a good read, and I think this is his current best. He has a new one out soon too. He picks apart family like no-one else.

[Kevin Duffy]

Happy New Year Scott....Well you already have the book, Falling through clouds by Anna Chilvers, published Saturday 9th January and then in the summer Gabriel's Angel by Mark Radcliffe...I'll keep dropping by and keep up the good work. Kevin. Bluemoose Books

[Caroline D.]

If you haven't already, you should definitely read Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. The edition that's floating about now includes an intro from Haruki Murakami. Each of the short stories, which are incredibly dark-yet creative, are set in early 20th century Japan and focus primarily on Akutagawa's personal life and a recently modernised Japan. A couple of the stories provided inspiration for Kurosawa's film, Rashomon, which I have yet to see but hear is pretty good. Some of the later stories are fairly depressing but the earlier ones make the whole book worthwhile.

[Scott Pack]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Do please keep them coming.

Caroline D. A fine recommendation and it is a book I am very familiar with. If you have the time do please check out this piece I wrote for the Penguin Classics website about it:

http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk/nf/shared/WebDisplay/0,,214790_1_0,00.html

Kevin. A quick flick review of Falling Through Clouds will appear very shortly on the blog.

Petal. Now that I have picked it up from the charity shop I will certainly give it a go.

Helen. It is published by my employers so I am definitely going to sort out a copy to read.

Annabel. I am a big Auster fan and love NYT. I just bought an amazing Folio Society edition for my shelves:

http://www.foliosociety.com/book/NYT/new-york-trilogy

Gerry. I did love Quicksilver and am pondering volume two for this year but perhaps I should try your suggestion first.

Sarah. I am not familiar with Temple so will definitely investigate further.

Mark. If I can pry them from Ethan then I will do just that.

[Adrian Slatcher]

I'm trying to get the world to recognise Magnus Mills' Three to See the King as the modern classic it is, so if you've not read it yet, be good to have another convert.

[Jonathan Pinnock]

I know you dipped into my mate Toby Frost's Space Captain Smith, but the others in the trilogy are even better. I'm currently enjoying Guy deLisle's Pyongyang - reportage in graphic novel format, and absolutely fascinating. And I really do recommend you keep an eye on http://www.mrsdarcyvsthealiens.com; it's going to be a lot of fun.

[Jon]

The Iowa Baseball Confederacy by WP Kinsella. Magical realism meets baseball and the American West. What more could you want. Apart from it to be in print in the UK, that is.

[Annabel]

I got the Folio NYT by Auster too. The illustrations were so evocative, they really enhanced the read.

[green ink]

Hi Scott. I heartily recommend a wonderful novel by a fellow Tasmanian, Heather Rose, called The Butterfly Man. It's an interpretation of the Lord Lucan story, and how his life may have been lived in exile. It's fascinating, tender and moving. If you can't find it I will happily lend you my copy :)

Happy new year to you!

PS: Moon was fabulous, wasn't it?!

[Rachel Joy]

The Greatest Man in Cedar Hole by Stephanie Doyon. Probably my best read of 2009. You know I pretty much only like the sads, but this is a really beautiful read.

[Scott Pack]

Rachel. I do have that book somewhere so will dig it out. If you are suggesting something that isn't depressing then it must be quite a read.

Green Ink. I will see if I can pick it up, must be available to buy online somwhere but thanks for the offer. Yes, Moon was a wonderful movie. Rockwell the best he's been (and I liked him in Jesse James).

Jon. I love Kinsella and still have so much of him to read.

Mr Pinnock. Duly noted, thank you.

Adrian. I am working my way through the Mills, this will be read soon.

I have also had some great suggestions through Twitter:

Ghost Light by Joseph O'Connor
A Book of Silence by Sara Maitland
Red Claw by Philip Palmer

My wish list will be rather large at this rate.

[Farah]

Naipaul Bend in the River, Half a Life
Anything JM Coetzee
Oriana Fallacci Letter to an Unborn Child
The Old Testament, seems to have a certain resonance right about now

[Vanessa O'Loughlin]

Stuart Neville's The Twelve - superb. For me, one particular line lifts it from merely brilliant to incredible, see if you can spot it! Best first crime book from an Irish writer for years (think Bob Burke would agree!)
Have a great 2010! Going to be a good one.

[Megan]

You've probably already read 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' - somehow I hadn't until last June. Such a book, turned me inside-out.
Also, you have to read my new novel 'The Dawning' of course. Well, if you want to.
Megan

[Ben Stevens]

Happy New Year, Scott. Would have to say ... 'Donbas: A True Story of an Escape Across Russia', by Jacques Sandulescu. A great read in the 'Papillon' vein, only Donbas is, by all acounts, completely true. Great for putting life's more trivial problems in perspective, etc! In any case, deserves to sell more copies than its ranking on Amazon would suggest it does.

[Kelly]

A book I'd recommend is 'The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint' by Brady Udall. It has one of my favourite opening lines ever (and I always choose my books by the opening lines):

"If I could tell you one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head. As formative events go, nothing else comes close..."

I can see you have a taste for the rather unusual and this is undoubtedly unique with some well drawn characters, especially Edgar, the naive innocent at the heart of the book.

It's always on my list of recommendations...

[Tony L]

Since there is a new David Mitchell due, I'd recommend that: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet (out in May in UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0340921560/ ).

Or, from last year, I'd add Spirit: The Princess of Bois Dormant by Gwyneth Jones (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0575084448/).

[Nik Perring]

If you liked The Littlest Hitler then I'd point you in the direction of Aimee Bender's Willful Creatures or (sod it, I'll recommend two) Michael Czyzniejewski's Elephants in Our Bedroom.

Happy new year.

[Scott Pack]

Tony L. I am lucky enough to have a proof of the new Mitchell so will be reading this shortly. Never heard of Spirit so will check it out.

Kelly. I read Edgar years ago and recommend it frequently to anyone who will listen. Fans of John Irving would particularly like it I reckon.

Ben. I have been served well by your tips in the past so thanks for this.

Megan. I own Nest but have never actually read it. Should really get round to it. And also The Dawning, as you say!

Vanessa. Not aware of that one, will take a look.

Farah. Nice list, thanks.

[adele geras]

BRODECK'S REPORT by Philippe Claudel was stunning and my book of the year I reckon.If you can get hold of his out of print GREY SOULS you should. It's fantastic, too.
And here's a corking new Swedish thriller writer in town: Johan Theorin. Both ECHOES FROM THE DEAD and THE DARKEST ROOM are terrific.

[DJ Kirkby]

Please read 'The Hour I First Believed' by Wally Lamb (published by HC). It is magnificent.

[Iain Mullen]

Happy New Year young man! Could I second Stuart Neville's The Twelve & add Freak The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick & Falling & Laughing: The Restoration of Edwyn Collins to the mix? Look forward to the usual from you for '10

[ted]

I recommend Ward Just's Forgetfulness. Hope 2010 brings you great stuff - reading and otherwise.

[Jo]

Silence in October by Jens Christian Grondahl. I loved every word of this book. I had never heard of the author but it caught my eye simply because of the word 'October' in the title (October being my daughters name and all).Incidentally, I would probably never have found this book if I hadn't been in Daunt Books to buy The Blue Fox and the Danish section was right next to the Icelandic section.
Also, Three Times Table - Sara Maitland.

[Scott Pack]

Jo. I used to live on Harley Street so would go to Daunts a lot. What did you think of The Blue Fox? I haven't read any Grondahl but remember being mesmerised by the pattern on the shirt of the girl on the cover of Lucca.

Ted. Never heard of Ward Just, a new one on me.

Mr Mullen. Your recommendations are always very welcome.

DJ. Thank you, as always.

[JonathanM]

Happy New Year Scott, now for fuck's sake would you please read Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon. And then publish it.
(I'll happily send you a copy).
As ever.

[Jo]

Bloody hell Scott. You lived on Harley Street!?! I love that area. Me, I just used to see a therapist on Devonshire Place every Friday so would go and look at books in an emotional frenzy afterwards in Daunt and Oxfam. I loved The Blue Fox. It was my favourite book of the year until I read Silence in October and Norwegian Wood :)

[Scott Pack]

JM. OK.

Jo. Yes, in the mid 90s. Number 141 or something like that. Regents Park end.

[friend of rachel worth]

Happy new year scott

the book I'd recommend you've already read - The Half Brother. Cant believ ethrer isnt ajohn irving comparison quoted on the cover

This year I managed to get through the marathon that is all 3 books of the Baroque cycle - they get better and better so having enjoyed Quicksilver, take the plunge with book 2

Mersey beast by Ian Mcnabb ex lead singer of the icicle work is the refreshingly honest story of a musician's life where he continually manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. You dont need to like his stuff or even have heard of him to find it a really funny read. It is like listening to a very charasmatic bloke in a pub who is very entertaining but you wouldnt want him as a friend (or to meet your partner)

Finally a real hidden gem - Come Closer by Sara Gran a very short novel that is very unsettling with a nice line in ambiguity

[Scott Pack]

Above and beyond the call of duty my wonderful readers.

Thank you.

[Sarah Salway]

Anything by Diane Ackerman - the Zookeepers Wife is pretty amazing piece of non fiction that must be made into a film one day. She's been my find of last year. Think you would like Steve Hely's How I Became a Famous Novelist too - http://www.groveatlantic.com/grove/bin/wc.dll?groveproc~book~5533 - don't think it's out here yet, so will pop my copy in post. It's funny, and really great concept.

[Suzanne Kavanagh]

I read Henri Charrière's Papillon for the first time in 2009. I'd seen the film many years before, probably around Christmas before Twitter had been invented. Part autobiography, part fiction, it's a cracking read and real boys-own tale.

[Nick Holdstock]

Closely Observed Trains by Bohumil Hrabal- a compact, charming and devastating novel about a young man at a Czech railway station during WW2. The film of the same name is also a gem. Have a good reading year!

[Clive sacke]

As they say horses for courses. Not sure what you like. I am rereading Ken Kesey's "sometimes a great notion". Great. Better than I remember it. If you want a bit of darkness. Some noir to keep the pulse going. Read ROGER SMITH'S new book. "Wake Up Dead". A dark thriller set in Cape Town. It's being released in the States in Feb. Not sure about GB.

[Ned Barry]

The sheep look up by John Brunner. Stunning, massive novel of environmental apocalypse comprising a huge cast of characters told through media including adverts, TV broadcasts, journals, letters and straight prose. Brunner’s best book, often overlooked for the overrated Stand on Zanzibar, feels strikingly contemporary as well as enjoyably of the ‘70s. Only one problem – it, scandalously, is out of print – so you’ll have to hunt for it.

Saw a trailer for The Road and was reminded of the peerless Earth Abides by George Stewart, the first and still the best end-of-the-human-race novel. Beautiful lament for our loss of respect for education and practical skills followed by the most moving meditation on old age and death that I’ve ever read. Makes The Road look simple-minded.

[Pippa]

Hello Scott, long time browser but first time poster. May I recommend the Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. I loved it and try to recommend to everyone I know who loves books. Pippa

[Scott Pack]

Pippa. Thanks for taking the time to post. I have John's book waiting to be read.

Ned. These sound particularly fascinating. Thank you.

Clive. A new one on me. Will check it out.

Nick. I have read some of his books but not that one.

Suzanne. Never read it. I should get round to it.

[Wayne J. Harris]

Scott,
You might like to read my novel, Sins of the Angel. It's a metaphysical thriller but with some interesting thoughts on sin and redemption along the way. Lots of people like it. It has an interesting angle on the bible and how people use the bible to their own ends. Oh, and it has lots of almost sex and violence.
Regards,
Wayne J. Harris

[Chotrul SEO and Design]

Gabriel's Angel by Mark Radcliffe. Should be out Summer 2010. I'm waiting with considerable anticipation.