Helen's Best of 2017Like this list

10 items

• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

  Honeyman, Gail

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  Eleanor Oliphant is a quiet, socially inept office worker who 'survives' each day, struggling with a past she can hardly bear to remember. Honeyman's debut novel is one gem of a book but a warning, although extremely funny, the author can suddenly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Perfume Collector

  Tessaro, Kathleen, 1965-

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  To sum this up in three words? Like eating chocolates. It is an ideal pick for book groups with a gripping plot and vivid characters that offer plenty to discuss. A thoroughly enjoyable and stylish read.

• The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

  a Trilogy in Five Parts

  Adams, Douglas, 1952-2001

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  This 'trilogy in five parts' begins one seemingly ordinary day as Arthur Dent protests the demolition of his house to make room for a bypass. Unfortunately for Arthur, the universe too is scheduled for demolition on this day to make room for a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Master and Margarita

  Bulgakov, Mikhail, 1891-1940

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  A wacky, wondrous, highlight of the year for me in which the story of Pontius Pilot and the devils visit to Soviet Russia, run parallel. Weird, wonderful, and oddly beautiful, this is one of those classics that will leave you wanting more (though…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

  McCullers, Carson, 1917-1967

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  The Heart is a Lonely Hunter' follows the life of deaf mute John Singer and the lost people who come to confide in him. Poignant, thought provoking, and beautifully crafted, this is one of those perfect books.

• Bleak House

  Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870

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  Each winter I make myself a (very) massive pot of soup and curl up with a Dickens novel I have never read. This year the pot of soup was especially massive as I decided to tackle a 950 page volume of 'Bleak House'. Happily I loved every minute of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Little Library Cookbook

  100 Recipes From Your Favourite Stories

  Young, Kate (Food writer)

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  A sheer joy of a book that I loved reading as much as I loved cooking from. This beautifully presented book included recipes that ranged from Sherlock Holmes curry- to Anne of Green Gables vanilla cake. An essential read for all foodie book lovers…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Paderewski

  Zamoyski, Adam

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  A thoroughly enjoyable biography of one of history's- and music's- sadly neglected figures. Padarewski was the worlds most beloved pianist for over five decades, as well as prime minister of Poland during one of the countries most difficult times.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mozart

  Johnson, Paul, 1928-2023

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  I have just been loving these short biographies by Paul Johnson ('Darwin' and 'Socrates' are also well worth a read). Johnson's knowledge of the composers work and love of his subject, made every page of this biography a joy to read.

• Mr Darcy the Dancing Duck

  Field, Alex, 1971-

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  2017 marked 200 years since the death of Jane Austen. Having already read all the available Austen out there, and much of the weird and wonderful spin offs, I turned to some children's Janeite literature and just loved what I found. In this…Read moreRead more of this annotation