What’s on your bookshelf: the year in books

Thistles and Kiwis,

So it is that time of year when I look back and consider what my favourite books of the year were. I read a lot, partly as I now catch the bus to work, giving me a guaranteed 20 minutes each day, and also having our local library just nearby. I don’t use Good Reads, preferring to make notes in my paper diary. I have been writing down the books I read in this way for many years, and as a creature of habit, I find this the easiest way to record my reading. So…here we go! Please note that I haven’t included any books read in December.

Favourite novel

Phew – this was hard! I loved Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, recommended by a friend. A surprise favourite, being a genre I wouldn’t normally pick up was The Catrographers by Peng Shepherd, with its tale of hidden worlds and maps. I also enjoyed Ann Tyler’s Vinegar Girl, re-reading E.M Delafield’s Diary of a Provincial Lady books and Chris Womersley’s great read, Ordinary Goods and Monsters. Winner? Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

Favourite book by a New Zealand author

I really enjoyed Pet by Catherine Chidgey, Emily Perkins Lioness and Laurence Fearnley’s latest work, At the Grand Glacier Hotel, which was my top NZ book this year.

Favourite Japanese/Korean book

A new category, this has turned up many a good read. There was the intriguing Butter by Asako Yuzuki, the wonderful Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee, along with bookshop based books like Hwang Bo-Reum’s Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop and Satashie Yagisawa’s Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. It was a hard decision, but in the end the Japanese winner is Syou Ishida’s We’ll Pescribe You a Cat, and the Korean winner Dallergut Dream Department Store.

Favourite detective fiction

To be honest, I think most books I have read this year have been detective fiction. There were new books such as Hawke’s Bay set The Bookshop Detectives, new to me authors such as Rebecca Tope and David Rosenfeldt, and old favourites like Camilla Lackberg and Ann Cleeves, In the end I have gone for Ann Cleeves, for the second year in a row (and she was the runner up in 2022). Ths picture is of one of the Shetland books I hadn’t read, but think my favourite was The Dark Wives.

Favourite beach read if I had spent time on the beach

Another author that pops up regularly in my lists is Kevin Kwan and his latest didn’t disappoint. I also really enjoyed Lola in the Mirror, which although perhaps not a ‘beach read’ in the conventional sense, was so hard to put down, and would make a perfect holiday read. Very different books, it is hard to decide, but for a summer read with a cocktail in hand, then Lies and Weddings is the winner.

Favourite non-fiction and favourite food book/recipe book

I haven’t read a lot of non-fiction this year, but I did enjoy Haruki Murakami’s reflections on Novelist as a Vocation. Without a doubt, Julius Roberts The Farm Table which I purchased in January, has been my favourite food/cookbook this year. The writing is delightful, the recipes good and the whole book is just a delight.

And the overall winner is? As usual, this was tough. Dallergut Dream Department Store was a completely different read to what I would normally read. Described on the back as ‘for anyone exhausted from the reality of their daily lives’ it obviously hit the spot when I picked it up. I have got the second book in my TBR pile. Laurence Fearnley is a firm favourite of mine, and her latest work did not disappoint and in the end….she wins. Her books always feature in my top reads, so good to see her ‘win’ this year.

Entered in the what’s on your bookshelf challenge is hosted by fellow bloggers  Deb, Sue, Donna and Jo. The idea is to share what you’re reading, what you’ve enjoyed lately and share – why they resonated with you, how they made you feel, who are your favourite authors and what you recommend.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis.

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

31 Comments

  2. Hi, Barbara – I love lists of friend’s favourite reads and your lists were excellent and thought-provoking. I absolutely loved Lola in the Mirror and could not put it down. Thank you for being a regular contributor to What’s On Your Bookshelf. We greatly appreciate it.

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  3. I found Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow to be so intriguing. It’s one of those books that I still think about from time to time, even though it’s been several months since I finished it.

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  5. This is a wonderful introduction to several new novels or authors I will endeavour to meet. By sheer coincidence I was looking at the list of books I have read this year – also written in my diary! – this morning and was thinking I should type it out in alphabetical order as a guide for 2025. Most of my books come from the charity shop I volunteer at – although it is very difficult to come out of a book store empty-handed!

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  7. Hi Barbara, I also enjoyed (and was surprised by that), Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow for the same reasons you did – it was different and I wouldn’t normally have even picked it up to start with. I’m happy to see Lola in your list. Love this format, thanks for sharing with us for #WOYBS each month!

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  8. Dear Barbara

    Thanks so much for your support and generous review and comments about At the Grand Glacier Hotel. It is wonderful to read that you connected with my novel and I appreciate hearing your thoughts. Have a happy summer ( and I’m still waiting for your “egg” piece) . Laurence

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by my little blog (and for remembering the egg piece – I do at least have a hand written draft…one day I will have the courage to finish it…..). I really enjoyed At The Grand Glacier Hotel – the characters are so real and the descriptions of the places made me feel I was there. Thank you for a great book!

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  9. Love your categories. Julius Roberts really is the whole package, isn’t he? I’m yet to cook a lot from the book but have chosen it as my BKD book to review in March so will give it a workout after Christmas. Thanks for your contributions and support this year.

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    1. Thank you – it was fun making up the categories. Totally agree about Julius Roberts! I am probably going to use him for March too. I really enjoy these monthly book posts so thank for hosting.

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  10. Hi Barbara, I find it difficult to select my favourite books so I went with the ones I’d given a 5 star rating. I do like your idea of putting your favourites into categories though. I unexpectedly enjoyed Tomorrow, Tomorrow & Tomorrow and I listened to Lola in the Mirror which I also enjoyed. Thank you for your support of #WOYBS? and joining us each month with your recommendations. Sending love and best wishes for the Festive Season and I look forward to you joining us in 2025. Sue L x

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    1. I found the categories helped me to decide my favourites. Funny how we all enjoyed Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow even though we thought we wouldn’t! Thanks for hostomg #WOYBS? and look forward to reading all the recommendations next year x

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  14. I have Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow on my shelves and keep hearing good things about it. Lola was a good read! Oh and if you liked Anne Tyler’s Vinegar Girl, you will (hopefully) love her other books as I found it the weakest – enjoyed it but didn’t love it like some of her other ones.

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  15. I have Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow on my shelves and keep hearing good things about it. Lola was a good read! Oh and if you liked Anne Tyler’s Vinegar Girl, you will (hopefully) love her other books as I found it the weakest – enjoyed it but didn’t love it like some of her other ones.

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