When I reviewed Alis Hawkins' novel Testament recently I mentioned I thought it was one of my top ten books of the last ten years. I thought it was time I committed to keyboard the names of the other nine. This list is not meant to be definitive (obviously!) not least because I tend to read older books and am as no means as well read in the last ten or even twenty years as I am in the eighteenth or nineteenth century, but I still thought you might like to see the list.
The books are not ranked; it is just a simple group of ten, well, actually it is a blogger's ten (bit like a baker's dozen), you'll see why at the bottom.
Testament by Alis Hawkins
Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
How the Dead Live by Will Self
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Widow and her Hero by Thomas Keneally
Bettany's Book by Thomas Keneally (in my opinion this knocks spots of Kate Granville's The River)
Darkmans by Nicola Barker
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Saturday by Ian McEwan
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
and I am tempted to find room for...
Theft By Peter Carey
and I have a guilty secret...
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - I love all the footnotes, the detail, the sheer bizarreness of it. It seems as much magic realism as fantasy.
If you have a 'top ten (or 11 or 12!) from the last ten years' list I would love to hear about it, and if you're sharing on your own blog then let me know and I'll link.
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Book links in the post are to the Book Depository, but in the side panel on the left are to Amazon.
You have an interesting mix of books there! I loved Cloud Atlas, but disliked Darkmans so much that I didn't finish it. I'm not a big fan of Ian McEwan, but thought Arthur and George was quite good.
Blind Assassin and Mr Norrel were both OK. I find it interesting that you can love books right across my reading ratings.
Testament is the only book I don't know much about - I can't decide if I want to read it - which of your top ten is it most like?
Posted by: Jackie (Farm Lane Books) | July 12, 2009 at 09:19 PM
I share your guilty secret! But let's not feel too guilty. The book has many commendable qualities many of which you name. Also liked Saturday (read in real time one Saturday) and The Blind Assassin. Have had Arthur and George on that tbr pile forever though. Grrr. Happy reading!
Posted by: Frances | July 12, 2009 at 09:37 PM
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell need not be a guilty secret. That book was a masterpiece of fantasy/alternate history. It would defnitely make my own top 10 of the past 10 years. In fact, it's the first book I would think to include. The others you've listed all interest me to varying degrees. (Although I read and was disappointed by Saturday.)
But what else would I list? Hmmm... Definitely Gilead and The Meaning of Night. Maybe The Blind Assassin, On Chesil Beach, Life of Pi, White Teeth, and The Double by Jose Saramago. Oh, and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortuate Events are wonderful; the first book deserves a place at least for making me laugh until my stomach hurt. And that's nine already! I'm tempted to fill out the list with The Dark Tower, the last of Stephen King's Dark Tower books, just because the series was such an achievement, even if the last books weren't quite as good as the first four, which were published too early to make the 10 year cutoff.
It's funny; most of the books that came to mind first are books I read since I started blogging. I know I read equally good books before, but I don't have a good record of what they were.
Posted by: Teresa | July 12, 2009 at 09:38 PM
This is a great idea.
My list is posted at my new blog
The reading life at
rereadinglives.blogspot.com
The reading Life focuses on novels that show the effects of centering a life on reading. I just started it recently.
Posted by: mel | July 12, 2009 at 11:28 PM
Rather awed to be in this company... but thank you!
And Jonathan Strange is one of my favourites too...
Posted by: Alis Hawkins | July 13, 2009 at 06:00 PM
The only one of these that I've read so far is Jonathan Strange although Testament is on my library list. I have a lot of books to research here! I would have to do some thinking about my top ten because I also read a lot of older books and less modern books.
Posted by: Kristen M. | July 13, 2009 at 10:16 PM
Jackie _ I don't think Tetstament is like any of them - it reminds me of a cross between A S Byatt's Possession with the historical authenticity of the Shardlake series though it doesn't share its era with either.
Frances and Teresa - glad it's not just me. Teresa - I think you're right blogging helps fix books in your head, as well as being a record.
Thanks for your link Mel - i will investigate.
Alis - you're welcome. It is just a fabulous book
Hi Kristen - it is hard especially if modern books are a fraction of your reading. I guess we both spend a lot of time in the children's section too.
Posted by: Juxtabook | July 14, 2009 at 02:36 PM