Here’s Love London Love Culture’s top ten favourite books of the year – including works by Robert Galbraith and Neil Gaiman…
- The Riviera Set by Mary S. Lovell: beautifully bringing to life the glamorous lives of all those who paid a visit to the Riviera from the 1920’s all the way up until 1960, Mary S.Lovell writes with great detail and vividness. Her descriptions of the parties and the characters whose lives she has meticulously researched makes the reader believe that they are actually there living it – not an easy task.
- Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness: this new spin off from the author’s hugely popular All Souls Trilogy marks a welcome return to the world filled with witches, vampires and daemons. Focusing on a different relationship, once again, Harkness entwines history and magic successfully to create an engaging read.
3. Art Matters by Neil Gaiman: in a time when arts funding is being cut, Neil Gaiman argues just why art is still very important in today’s society and how it can be used to create positive change in the world today.
4. Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died in the 1940s by Anne Sebba: telling just a selection of what the women of Paris went through during WWII, Anne Sebba admirably brings a new focus on the War in Europe through stories of courage and tragedy. Each story is interwoven with great skill – making this a book well worth reading.
5. The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jefferies: filled with exotic descriptions and a heartbreaking story of betrayal and grief, Dinah Jefferies is able to make the reader feel as though they are literally right there experiencing whatever the central character is going through. By the end of reading it you feel completely uplifted and hopeful.
6. The Friendship Cure by Kate Leaver: LLLC’s Kirsty Herrington described this book as ” a particularly effective morale boost and is sure to make the world a happier, kinder place.” Taking the reader through various forms of friendships through the good times and the bad.
7. Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich: based on the immensely popular musical (which is coming to the West End next year), this novel follows the story of Evan and the struggle he faces with mental health issues. Beautifully written, it offers a refreshing and hopeful look at the world of mental health.
8. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith: this fourth outing for Galbraith’s private detective Strike is certainly the best one yet, combining politics, blackmail and murder to great effect. With plenty of twists and turns it is a difficult book to put down!
9. Silence is My Mother Tongue by Sulaiman Addonia: poetic, brutal but vividly written, this extraordinary story features plenty of richly created characters that keep the reader fully invested with the overall story. It questions us about what it truly means to be human in an enlightening way.
10. Unmasked: A Memoir by Andrew Lloyd Webber: this richly insightful memoir is as lively as it is engaging. Filled with plenty of stories about the many shows on which he has worked on, Andrew Lloyd Webber gives the reader extra insight into the background of the creation of shows such as Evita and Cats – the challenges as well as the highs to create a compelling read.