Have you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them? Here are my mini reviews:
2016
#Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E Bailey (paperback, non fiction) – Brilliant book, everyone should read it.
#The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Kindle, fiction) – Light, easy read book, enjoyed it.
#Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King (Kindle, short stories) – Well written, tho I’m not keen on short stories.
#Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer (KIndle, fiction) – Not my kind of book.
The Night Manager by John LeCarre (Kindle, fiction) – Completely brilliant, loved it.
Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work by Paul Babiak (Kindle, non fiction) – Interesting, some good research, but a bit ‘dry’.
#Die of Shame by Mark Billingham (Kindle, fiction) – Loved it, I wish he would write more books (my treat every holiday!)
#Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin (Kindle, fiction) – Very spooky, well written but made me uncomfortable.
#The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett (Kind;e, non fiction) – Amusing (but not as good as the film).
#The Psychopath Inside by James Fallon (Kindle, non fiction) – Hugely interesting.
#Without Conscience by Robert D. Hare (Kindle, non fiction) – Hugely interesting, good research material for anyone who writes about psychopaths!
#The Stranger beside Me by Ann Rule (Kindle, non fiction) – Good research material, though a bit long in places.
#When Eight Bells Toll by Alistair MacLean (Kindle, fiction) – easy read adventure story, enjoyed it.
#In the Tall Grass by Joe Hill and Stephen King (Kindle, fiction) – disappointed, boring.
#On Writing by Stephen King (Kindle, non fiction) – hugely helpful for all new authors, loved it.
#Being Miss by Fran Hill (Kindle, fiction) – made me laugh, a fun read.
#Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid (kindle, fiction) – Loved it, well written thriller.
#Finders Keepers by Stephen King (Kindle, fiction) – Loved it.
#The House of York by Terry Tyler (Kindle, fiction) – Not my sort of book.
#A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (Kindle, fiction) – Horrible but fascinating (made me understand why people self-harm, which I have never understood before).
#The Pact:A Love Story by Jodi Picoult (Kindle, fiction) – Well written, but not my sort of book.
#Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally (Kindle, non fiction) – Very interesting.
#Square Peg by Vivienne Tuffnell (Kindle, fiction) – Some lovely descriptions, but not my kind of book.
#The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop (Kindle, fiction) – I have read a few of her books. I don’t especially like her style of writing, but her stories always have an interesting plot, so I read to the end just to find out what happens!
#The Wise Woman’s Tale by Phillipa Bowers (Kindle, fiction) – Not my kind of book.
#Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough (paperback preview, fiction) – Brilliant, creepy, easy read.
#All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (paperback, fiction) – Well written, but it never captivated me.

2017
#Confessions of a Serial Killer by Katherine Ramsland (hardback, non fiction) – Very interesting, good research material.
#End of Watch by Stephen King (Kindle, fiction) – Interesting, but was slow to read, I never managed to ‘get into’ it.
#Conclave by Robert Harris (Kindle, fiction) – Loved it. Brave to base it on the current Pope’s death, but hugely interesting.
#Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King (paperback, fiction) – Easy read when you’re tired. I especially love his little introductions to each story.
#Enigma by Robert Harris (Kindle, fiction) – Great book, not sure how I missed it. Some of the code breaking details are a bit boring, but the characters are interesting. Looking forward to watching the DVD next.
#Sycamore Row by John Grisham (Kindle, fiction) – Easy read book to curl up with, though not especially exciting. It follows on from Grisham’s bestseller A Time to Kill (which I enjoyed much more).
#A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (fiction) – Hugely interesting, though I found the beginning more gripping than the end (I kept waiting for something to ‘happen’.) I loved reading her introduction, especially as her ‘rules’ when writing it were very similar to those I used when writing Counting Stars.
#A Case of Need by Michael Crichton – very interesting. The novel is very pro-abortion, which I found difficult, but it’s usually good to read viewpoints that differ to your own, because it helps you understand what others are thinking. Whilst I found Crichton’s very biased approach slightly annoying (he didn’t address the alternative views at all, other than to ridicule the extremist stance) the story was interesting enough for me to want to read to the end.
#The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough – well, this was surprising! I sort of remember the story from the 1970’s, when my parents banned us from watching it, and my sister and I used to sneak episodes when they were out! But I have never read it. McCullough writes in a very descriptive style, and she uses all the adverbs that Stephen King advises writers to avoid, but she certainly writes a good story. I was uneasy with the ages of the main characters – as a priest in his twenties becomes besotted with a girl who is a child. Anyone who has ever does any child protection courses has the word ‘grooming’ looming at the back of their mind. I enjoyed the story though, it was compelling reading.
#The Death House by Sarah Pinborough – not as compulsive as ‘Behind Her Eyes’, but still a good story. I’m not sure if it was intended as a YA book, as it read like one (but there was nothing in the blurb to indicate it was). Some unnecessary sex scenes (perhaps that’s what YAs like to read), but an interesting story idea.
#Love Like Blood by Mark Billingham – I always enjoy Billingham’s books, and this one didn’t disappoint. A fun holiday read.
#City of Friends by Joanna Trollope – I usually enjoy Trollope’s books, but this one felt a bit forced, as if she hasn’t written anything for a while and felt she needed to produce a book whilst not actually having anything to say.

2018

#The Child In Time by Ian McEwan

#The Case of Mary Bell by Gitta Sereny – Shocking.

#Poldark novels (several – but they all merge into one after a few) by Winston Graham

#Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maughan – Tough going in places, hugely interesting in others. Lots of parallels with his own life story.

#Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiange – Brilliant, though the science and maths were a bit beyond me.

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I didn’t feel I should review my own books, so here are some mini reviews received as messages from other readers:

#Hidden Faces by Anne E. Thompson (paperback, fiction) – Just finished reading Hidden Faces and absolutely loved it! Had to giggle at the bits about teenage boys as we’re just entering that phase! Really grew to love all the characters too. Well done and thank you.
#Counting Stars by Anne E. Thompson (Kindle, fiction) -5 out of 5 starsBrilliant New Author
Wasn’t sure what to expect having read Hidden Faces first. Still 5* A new way of thinking about life but still meeting well written and interesting characters. Each part of the book makes you want to read as quickly as possible in order to find out more. Keep writing Ann.

By Julie shropshire on 23 Aug. 2016
great read especially if you would like to know more about brain injury as this has a round about way of answering many questions
i can imagine our world to be just like as stated in this book an amazing achievement
thanks Anne e Thompson

5 out of 5 starsGreat book.
By Mrs P. on 16 Oct. 2016
Verified Purchase
Really enjoyed reading this. Thought provoking and couldn’t put it down.

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I read too many books, and have too little time, to properly review everything I read. Hence I decided to start a list, of everything I read, with a quick, single comment review (though I may have forgotten some!). If you find books you have also read, and agree with most of the comments, then they might be helpful when you come to choosing new books to read.

I have not, however, been critical. If a book was either badly written or I found it boring, I have merely commented that it was not to my taste. I think what we enjoy reading is by nature very subjective. I did not, for example, enjoy reading Lord of the Rings (and didn’t even finish the book). I would not want that to influence other people, as I know the book has been enjoyed by millions of other people.