Hello everyone, welcome back to the Waterstones vlog, it's Will here. And as I
said last week, this week you're going to hear from all of us and we're gonna be
telling you our book of the year. This one book I loved and enjoyed and also it
just made me feel really, really positive and I think I probably needed that a bit
this year. So this is the book, it's Less by Andrew Sean Greer. It won the Pulitzer
Prize. It follows a failed novelist called Arthur Less. He's about to turn 50,
his relationship has fallen apart, it's all gone a bit wrong and so he decides
to take up the invitations to various literary events that he's been saying no
to and he ends up traveling around the world and getting into what one might
call scrapes. It's hilarious, he just gets into one situation after another which
are really, really funny. it's sort of immersed in the book world which is
obviously great for a bibliophile, but it's also filled with the humour and the
hilarity but also this kind of love. There's no other word for it really. It's
just filled with open-hearted love and so as you go through the book you're
hoping that something is going to go right for Less and I'm happy to say that
at the end there is something which will just make your heart swell with
positivity and love and joy and optimism and in 2018 I think we could all do with
a little bit of that so I can't recommend this book more highly. A link
will appear above my head where you can see my initial review from earlier this
year, but Less by Andrew Sean Greer was my favourite book of the year. Read it.
Hi, it's Naomi and my book of the year is The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
by Stuart Turton. I think I've picked this book because I feel like it brings
something completely new to the genre. I've read a lot of crime novels and
mystery novels before but I've never read something quite like this. I've
actually done a full review of the book on the channel before so if you want a
little bit more detail about that then you can check that out. Basically it's an
Agatha Christie-esque mystery but it has this slight sort of sci-fi twist to it
as well which is what makes it a little different. So, every morning the
protagonist Aiden wakes up and he's doomed to repeat the same day again but
every day is in a different body. And these bodies belong to other guests at
this decaying country manor house. And he has to discover who killed
Evelyn Hardcastle before the day is out otherwise he's doomed to repeat the loop
again and again. It's just got that wide appeal and it's something fresh you know.
It's a debut author as well and I do like to try and support them and so many
of my friends, family, customers have had lovely feedback about this book. The
plotting is incredibly intricate, it's the perfect book to curl up with as we
sort of hibernate for winter and that's why it's my book of the year.
Hi everyone, I want to tell you about my two books of the year this year. The first one probably
won't be a surprise. It is Laini Taylor's gorgeous Muse of Nightmares. You can
watch my vlog on it to see me ramble about how incredible Laini Taylor is
and how much I love her writing and how incredible and beautiful this book is.
And my second book of the year is gonna be The Train to Impossible Places by P. G. Bell
This is a 9-12 adventure story based on this impossible train that runs
through all the worlds and delivers post. And the main girl Susy gets wrapped up
in it, she gets swept away it's a really incredible book. I can't wait for
everyone to read it. This should be on everyone's top 10, it's just incredible.
Hi it's Sasha and I am here to show you that my book of the year is Circe by
Madeline Miller published by Bloomsbury. This is not just the retelling of some
boring old ancient Greek myth, this is Madeline Miller's incredible story
writing and storytelling. I've never come across something like this. It really is
a book for everyone. The way she has weaved this myth into like modern
language, is just phenomenal and I couldn't put this book
down. And now it's one I'm holding dear to my heart and I can't wait to start it again.
So, Circe by Madeline Miller and if you
haven't checked out Song of Achilles do you read that as well because you won't
be, you won't be unimpressed. This is the best book of the year. Enjoy!
Hi guys it's Aisling and my book of the
year for 2018 is The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh. I previously gave this
a rave review earlier in the year when I first read it. I absolutely adored it and
it was also long listed for the Man Booker Prize this year which is
absolutely amazing. The book itself is set in a kind of dystopian world in the
near future. It follows the story of three sisters and their mother who are
left alone on this kind of abandoned, empty, desolate island and they had
previously used the water there to cure women, of what we don't know. It's a
beautifully, delicately, disturbing, elegant piece of writing. I recommend it to
anybody who loves good fiction, who loves a good book and is maybe looking for
something that's gonna both tug on their heartstrings and make them think
and give them some really, really beautiful pieces of writing to read.
So, that is my book of the year for this year: The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh.
I hope you guys like it too.