January 2025 Reading Superlatives
I always like the start of the year when publishers, at last, start to produce more paperbacks. I have had a lovely time reading some great books, and these are my favourites.
Most Enthralling Speculative FictionÂ
Both Olivia and I loved Annie Bot by Sierra Greer. It is set in a world very like ours, but one where AI has been sufficiently developed to produce robots who can pass as human, and be bought relatively easily. In this short and engrossing novel Annie is a robot who has been designed as the perfect girlfriend for Doug, when she slowly starts to question features of her role. The novel raises fascinating questions about identity, freedom, control, power, and what it means to be ‘human’. That may make it sound very earnest, but there’s also a lot of humour, and I found it an easy read.
Most Entertaining Contemporary Crime Novel
AI also features in Jo Callaghan’s In the Blink of an Eye which gives a fresh twist to the police procedural genre. Kat is a grieving widowed policewoman who reluctantly takes part in a trial with an AI aide, Lock, looking at a couple of cold cases. It is an exciting read with some good characters, and I loved watching the relationship between Kat and Lock develop. Callagahan also considers interesting issues about technology and ethics in a very readable way. I was gripped, and am much looking forward to reading more in the series.
Most Compelling Novel
More traditional policing can be found in Jennie Godfrey’s The List of Suspicious Things. I had seen this receiving a lot of glowing reviews, but I was initially unsure about it. I was wrong! It is full of interesting characters, and I found the protagonist, twelve-year-old Miv, very appealing. I really cared about how she felt as she discovered more about her family and community while trying to determine if she knew the Yorkshire Ripper. The late seventies/early eighties setting is described extremely well, and it is a moving book which despite its sad moments is ultimately hopeful. A compelling read.
Best Classic Crime NovelÂ
Going back further in time, Dean Street Press has just restarted reprinting classic crime novels, and the first author they have focused on is Sara Woods. She wrote a number of novels in the 1960s featuring a barrister, Antony Maitland, who has worked in intelligence in World War Two. I have enjoyed all of the ones I have read, but my favourite is Trusted Like the Fox. The whole of this whodunnit focuses on a trial in which Maitland defends a man who is accused of having changed his identity, and been a traitor in the war. There are some intriguing twists and revelations, and I particularly liked the insights into the thoughts of many of those involved in the trial. I thought it was generally excellent.
Most Enjoyable Children’s Book
I was drawn to Susan Cahill’s The World Between the Rain (9+) by its intriguing title, and lovely cover. There is a good amount of adventure in this fantasy with Marina travelling to very different worlds in the middle of the book. I was most captured, however, by the parts set in the ‘real’ world. These sections have their share of exciting action, but also really good characterisation, and some brilliant depiction of complex family relationships.
I hope your reading year has started well. Do ask if you want any further recommendations.
Happy Reading!
Frances
Please note that I have taken the idea of ‘superlatives’ from the excellent book blog Elle Thinks (https://ellethinks.wordpress.com/).