In no particular order.

- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: probably one of the best books I've ever read. The intertwined stories are interesting and clever, and Mitchell's way of playing with language is fabulous. It's a book that could be read over and over again, with new realisations on each reread.

- Little Hands Clapping by Dan Rhodes: a newly discovered author for me, and I've now read everything he's written so far (I think), apart from the one he wrote under the pen name Danuta De Rhodes. I want to read that, though. This book is kooky, fun, and infectious. Also a little creepy and gruesome. I love it.

- Escher's Loops by Zoran Živkovi?: a complete mind-twister of a story. Clever is too mild a word for this book. The name is perfect.

- Under the Skin by Michel Faber: such an atmospheric novel. Faber is another author who compells me to read everything he's written. This book is a delicately revealed mystery, and subtle challenge of our preconceptions, and a psychological thriller.

- Sum: Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman: A short collection of very short stories about the possibilities of the after life. Fuuny, sad, moving, distressing, and very, very clever. It's a tiny book that will make you think.

- Skin and Other Stories by Roald Dahl: I didn't know that Dahl had written stories for adults. These are just as gloroius as his children's books, and perhaps unsurprisingly dark.

- Replay by Ken Grimwood: I don't know how to explain this choice without using words I've already overused. It is incredibly clever, it's beautifully written, it's a little surprising, and it's probably the best imagination of a relived life I've read. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book. It's wonderful.

- Pereira Maintains by Antonio Tabucchi: a truly lyrical story of love, loss, change and courage. Another book that would welcome frequent rereading. It's gorgeous.

- The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery: I love the tenderness of this book, the gradual blossoming of the main character, and the philosophy. I love the elegance of the language, and I really, really want to learn French so I can read it in the original.

- Blameless by Gail Carriger: the best of the three that have been published so far, hence the choice of this one rather than the first. These books are like Michelin-starred desserts. They're so much fun, with a very quirky sense of humour, and a beautiful imagining of a Victorian England inhabited by supernaturals. They are comfort reading at its best, and I cannot rave about them enough.


Honourable mentions also to: Fathers and Sons by Turgenev, Blindsighted by Karrin Slaughter, and City of Fear by Alafair Burke.