Back in 2004, I was stuck in a reading rut, but the bookclubs I found around Den Haag all met in the afternoon, and as a working woman, that just wasn’t an option, really. And so I started a leisurely bookclub, to meet in the evenings, once a month, and discuss one book. Six years later, and we’ve read some amazing (and terrible) books, in all kinds of genres. Here are my top 5 books that I would never have read if it hadn’t been for the bookclub (because they didn’t appeal to me straight away, or because they were from a section of the store I would never normally look). Thanks to the all the bookclub ladies (and the odd gentleman) for broadening my literary horizon!
The Owl Killers – Karen Maitland
The Middle Ages don’t really do it for me, somehow. And even though Hester loved this author’s first book, and what Hester likes, I like, I wasn’t drawn to it. So I picked it up with a bit of a sigh, opened to page 1, and found myself looking up three days later. A marvelous tale this is, of fear, and faith, and courage, and superstition. I found it genuinely frightening in parts, and my eyes were completely opened as far as Beguines are concerned (I foolishly always thought they were nuns). Maitland manages to give the five narrators their own unique voices, and because the story is told chronologically, so many speakers don’t ever get confusing. Great stuff! I may even read more books about the Middle Ages now…
We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
I fought with this book. I hated it, at first. I was halfway, and thought “this is the last chapter I’m going to struggle through, then I’m chucking it out the window”. And then, after that chapter, I couldn’t stop. It’s the story of Eva, the mother of Kevin, who went to school one day and killed a teacher and sixteen (or so) fellow students. He’s in jail for it at the start of the story, which is told in letters from Eva to her husband. In these letters she looks back on their life together, the birth of Kevin, how he was always a difficult child. What bothered me for a long time was Eva herself; a very intelligent, stand-offish, self-centered type of person (not the kind you imagine as a mother, really). But as she self-reflects in such a brutally honest questioning sort of way, you grow to care so deeply for everyone. The greatest achievement of this book, in my eyes, is that you know Kevin kills so many people at the start, yet at the end it still catches you by surprise when he actually goes out and does it.
Bareback – Kit Whitfield
This was certainly a surprise read! It’s basically about werewolves, but told in a very matter-of-fact, non-fantastical way (not a six-pack in sight, for example, nor any other mythical critters). The humans (or the “barebacks”) are the minority here, but werewolves need them to police the streets every full moon, when they change and possibly wreak havoc. It out as a murder mystery (all the barebacks are forced into the police force, DORLA, when they turn 18), but morphs into a fascinating story with many layers, touching on such subjects as integration, the search for truth, and even medical ethics. The US title of this book is Benighted, by the way. Her next book, In Great Waters, is another story that defies genres and is on my holiday reading list.
Shadow Family – Miyuki Miyabe
An extremely clever book, this is, which starts with a murder. During the course of the investigation, the police discover that the victim was active in a chat room online, where he was the father figure in an online family. When the victim’s (real-life) daughter claims she’s being stalked, the police decide to question the internet “family” with the daughter watching behind a two-way mirror, her mobile in hand as she texts her boyfriend continuously. This book will keep you guessing, and it provides a truly fascinating delve into virtual identities. I’m so glad this book was translated, as it provides a new angle on the whole mystery/thriller scene that your traditional UK and US authors never quite seem to find. I had to keep notes in the beginning to keep all the Japanese names (both the official names and the nicknames) straight in my head, but it was a small sacrifice to make.
The Constant Gardener – John le Carré
I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t think much of this beforehand, what with this being a thriller, you know. This was in the dark days of my literary awareness, obviously, because just as you have your thriller hacks, you also have people like Mr. le Carré. Authors, in other words, who manage to write engrossing stories filled with people you wish you could meet in real life, while they enlighten you on the horrors of big pharmaceutical companies cheating their way to more profits. A good book is a good book no matter what section of the store you find it in!
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He’s Dutch/German, he’s 100, he wrote a bunch of books a loooong time ago, they’ve recently been translated into English and suddenly America has “discovered” him. Hans Keilson, this is your life! Read the nice interview De Pers had with him (it’s in Dutch). And yes, we stock both The Death of the Adversary and Comedy in a Minor Key. 
The Independent has a lengthy article about the murky character traits of some of our beloved children’s books writers, like Roald Dahl, J. M. Barrie, and A. A. Milne. Interesting stuff; kind of reminds me of the time that Blue Peter presenter was found with cocaine.
Awards! I posted the full Man Booker Prize 2010 shortlist a few days ago, but there are more awards in the world. A really, really big one is the Hugo Award 2010, the Best Novel category this year was a tie between China Miéville’s City and the City and Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl (both already winners, for the Arthur C. Clarke 2010 and the Nebula 2009, respectively). Many Hugos are given out in quite a few categories – click here to see the entire list of winners.
So don’t be afraid to write a negative review if you didn’t like the book!
