Dominion by C.J Sansom

I never would have picked up Dominion by C.J Sansom if it weren’t for Willoughby Book Club, my book subscription service. But it landed on my doorstep and in this political climate, I’ve felt compelled to read it.

Warpaint by Alicia Foster

After reading a few books with weak female characters, Warpaint by Alicia Foster was a welcome change. Here are some women doing it for themselves, and what makes it even better is that the characters are based on real people.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

This may be my first disappointing read of 2017. That’s not to say that Everyone Brave is Forgive isn’t good, just that it wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be. It was on so many Best of 2016 lists that I had really built it up in my mind. Also, Chris Cleave is a well-respected best-selling author who I’d never read before, so a lot was riding on his reputation.

The Narrow Road To The Deep North by Richard Flanagan

I picked up The Narrow Road To The Deep North by Richard Flanagan largely because it won the 2014 Man Booker Prize and I wanted something meaty. I went in with the preconceived notion that it was a story about Australian POWs in Burma during WWII – and that is certainly one way of selling it. But I was truly surprised by the sensuality of the love story that surrounds the story of one of the POWs. There was a tenderness to the novel that I was not expecting (and which, quite frankly, isn’t really my cup of tea). So while I did not entirely enjoy The Narrow Road To The Deep North, I can see why Flanagan won such a prestigious award for it.

The Hotel on Place Vendome by Tilar J Mazzeo

I was going to Paris and wanted to read something set there to get me in the mood, so what better book than The Hotel on Place Vendome? The hotel being referred to is, of course, The Ritz and the book focuses primarily on The Ritz during the German occupation of Paris in World War II.

The Undertaking by Audrey Magee

Gutted. That’s how I felt while reading The Undertaking by Audrey Magee. And I mean it in the best way possible. I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars if I were one to give stars, but it is not an easy read. It’s about a Nazi soldier on the Russian front in WWII and his new wife back in Berlin. So yeah, it’s a pretty horrific war story and Magee’s writing style makes it ever so real. There is not one word to many or out of place. That’s what leaves you feeling gutted.

The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Seriously, are we back to that old adage? But so, so true. I picked up The Japanese Lover for two reasons: I haven’t read anything by Isabel Allende in years and based on the cover I assumed it was a war time novel set in Japan. I was close. The Japanese Lover is a novel partially set during WWII in San Francisco. 

The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro

I don’t know what I was expecting from The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro, but I got more than I was expecting. I really enjoyed reading it. It tell a great story that weaves fact with fiction, and history with intrigue. I had feared it would veer too much to the behind the scenes, inside of gossip of the art world, but instead it invented a world of secrets, lies and mystery.

Kimjongilia by Victor Fox

I’m on a bit of a North Korea kick right now, so I grabbed Kimjongilia by Victor Fox when I saw it. The fact that many publishers felt it was too risky to publish this book after the North Korean Sony hack made it even more appealing. It purports to be a true story, though i’d put it in the ‘based on a true story’ category.

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I should have listened. All my blogging friends were raving about Anthony Doerr‘s new novel, All The Light We Cannot See, and I wrote it off. I thought I wasn’t interested. Thank goodness the good people at Simon and Schuster Canada sent me a copy. I couldn’t have been more wrong. All The Light We Cannot See rates up there as one of the best novels I’ve read so far this year.