My favourite reads 2107 - another darned list!

As everyones doing it at this time of year I may as well join in by listing my favourite reads of 2017. I'm quite disappointed with myself, at how few books I actually managed to read right to the end this year, perhaps because I did end up with quite a few duds which just didn't float my boat enough to finish them but I struggled on trying to get into them and losing time which could have been spent reading something I loved.

Here are a few of the books which did float my boat and kept me joyously entertained throughout.

Starting with possibly the most enjoyable read this year for me, the perfectly stunning Sealskin by Su Bristow an absolutely enchanting and captivating, tear at your heart, love story with the twist that it’s based on a legend yet is completely believable.

Before the Rains is a great historical romantic read by one of my go to authors for escapism Dinah Jefferies

The Wild Air by Rebecca Mascull is yet another historical book that stayed with me, a coming of age, a love story and a historical novel about early flight which swept me away.

He said, She Said by Erin Kelly is a delightfully different and darkly convoluted contemporary psychological thriller/ domestic Noir drama that gripped me and twisted my brain.

The very clever Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski blew me away with its quirky take on podcasting and a twisty crime story from six viewpoints.

Exquisite by Sarah Stovell is a darkly twisted story of a toxic relationship between two women. A stunning and immaculately fragmented tale of twisted perfection.

The amazing Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine is an utterly captivating and delightful genre bending book which defies categorization being both hilariously humorous yet darkly profound too.

Maria in the moon by Louise Beech, is also a light/dark book, dealing with a desperately dark subject in a heartwarming and accessible way threaded with wry humour.

The next two books are yet to come for most readers and I appreciate the greatly privileged position I'm in to have had the chance to read them both in advance of publication.

Two to look out for in 2018 are the wonderful

Sal by Mick Kitson

and Three Things about Elsie by the amazing Joanna Cannon

It would be remiss of me to publish this post without a warm mention and LOUD "thank you" to the quite superb Orenda Books from whom many of my very best reads this year have been. 

Many of their titles seem to be tailormade for me and I consider it a real privilege to be afforded advance copies of some of their titles.

If you're reading this maybe we share similar reading tastes, so do yourself a favour and have a browse through their current and forthcoming titles.