Having just completed reading my 20th book of the year, now comes the time to pick my book of the year. I know that I’m about 200 books short of being a proper Book Blogger or be in a position to become a BookTuber, I have many other commitments, a full time job and I also try to write during the year also. Of the 20 read, I gave 3 of them a five star rating –
1 – The Long Drop by Denise Mina – This fictional account of the true life Glasgow Serial Killer, Peter Manuel, takes place over a period in which it is known that he met with William Watt, a family member of his victims. Mina obviously undertook a mountain of research in the accuracy of the time period and it was superbly written.
2 – Lost Dog: A Love Story by Kate Spicer – The love story of rescuing a lurcher, that dog deciding to run away and lengths dog owners will go in search of their pups. This book took me through all the emotions of a lurcher owner and the writing was honest and heartfelt.
3 – Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie – I read a number of Agatha Christie novels this year and this was the pick of the bunch. No Poirot or Marple and it just goes to show that she could excel without her main two creations (as with And Then There Were None). One of her best.
As I blogged previously, I wanted to read exclusively female authors this year and it wasn’t a challenge in the end. Sure, I have a few male author’s books lined up for 2024, but I’m glad I chose to do this and I will certainly ensure to continue reading great female authors and hopefully finding some gems like I did this year.
In the end, I chose Denise Mina’s book as my book of the year. It was one of the first books I read this year and the research and writing has stuck with me just as much as the story. I have read other Mina novels, so will certainly be seeking out more in the future.
I hoped you liked this quick blog, I’ll do a long one reflected on 2023 and my hopes for 2024 soon. You can subscribe to receive notifications of when new blogs are published on the first page of the website. Also, please check out my own novels and help support an independent author and remember to leave a review and let me know what you think of my words.
Ross Alexander Writer 