Joyce's choice reads 2014Like this list

10 items

1. 1. Mrs. Hemingway

   Wood, Naomi

   Add Mrs. Hemingway to your for later shelf

   This fairly straightforward chronological approach to the wives and loves of Ernest Hemingway works wonderfully well and captures the different phases of Hemingway's chaotic life. From the glory days of the 1930s, war reportage of the 1940s and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

2. 2. The Strangler Vine

   Carter, Miranda, 1965-

   Add The Strangler Vine to your for later shelf

   A historical thriller set in colonial India during the early stages of Victoria's reign. Lots of thrills, spills and racing around but lushly descriptive and with an intriguing and enlightened central character Jeremiah Blake. Amazing research and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

3. 3. Annihilation

   VanderMeer, Jeff, 1968-

   Add Annihilation to your for later shelf

   This is my first foray into Science Fiction for many, many a long year. Creepy, menacing and tinged with sadness this was amazeballs! There are two further installments of The Southern Reach story but frankly they aren't really worth the extra…Read moreRead more of this annotation

4. 4. The Paying Guests

   Waters, Sarah, 1966-

   Add The Paying Guests to your for later shelf

   Set in post-First World War London this is a vivid portrait of a changing society: the upwardly mobile "clerking class", declining middle-class, the plight of war veterans, the still tangible grief and loss of families with sons that never returned…Read moreRead more of this annotation

5. 5. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

   Chast, Roz

   Add Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? to your for later shelf

   Roz Chast tells the sometimes sorry, sometimes hilarious tale of her aging parents. Very moving.

6. 6. Creative Living

   London

   Wheeler, Emily

   Add Creative Living to your for later shelf

   Has my fave room ever on the front cover. Mustard! Teal! Charcoal! A very elegant and eclectic look at London interiors.

7. 7. The Blazing World

   a Novel

   Hustvedt, Siri, 1955-

   Add The Blazing World to your for later shelf

   The intellectual pinnacle of my reading for 2014. So brainy it hurt! The central focus is on the art world but also a fascinating exploration of family.

8. 8. A House of Knives

   Shaw, William, 1959-

   Add A House of Knives to your for later shelf

   Not quite as awesome as his debut A Song from Dead Lips but a lively read and a non-stereotypical detective. Quality mystery.

9. 9. Mother, Mother

   a Novel

   Zailckas, Koren, 1980-

   Add Mother, Mother to your for later shelf

   The last few years have been chocka-block with psychological thrillers, some great, some so-so. Dark and fascinating.

10. 10. The Girl With a Clock for a Heart

    Swanson, Peter, 1968-

    Add The Girl With a Clock for a Heart to your for later shelf

    Aaaah the pages fair flew with this quirky thriller. Lots to like, not great literature but an intelligent, twisty-turny read.