Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Adam Maxwell

I am assembling the Ultimate Library. I began this project back in January 2021 and the plan is to curate the best collection of books for readers. I only want the Library to feature the “best” reading sections, books that someone loves and would recommend any library visitor should read.

I could not possibly do this alone so I invite guests to join me and ai ask them to nominate which books get added to the Library shelves. I refer to my Library as the Decades Library and that’s because of the two rules I ask my guests to follow when making their selections:

1 – Choose ANY five books

2 – You can only select one book per decade from five consecutive decades

Sounds simple – until you try to make your own selections, finding five books from five consecutive decades does cause some angst apparently.

Now we know why we are here it’s time to pass control over to my guest curator – Adam Maxwell. I’m a huge fan of Adam’s Kilchester novels, good heist stories seem so rare these days but he’s delivering some belters – check out The Dali Deception and you’ll see what I mean.

Over to Adam…

What can you say about Adam Maxwell that he hasn’t already said about himself?

Crime writer – certainly.

Idiot – without doubt.

Genius – unlikely.

Liar – absolutely.

Having written is a variety of genres in the murky past, the days he dedicates himself to writing crime-comedy in his Kilchester series of books. Set in a fictional city in the North of England, Kilchester is a wretched hive of scum and villainy, the denizens of which he’ll have you cheering for by the end of the books…

Described variously as ‘Oceans 11 meets Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels… in book form’, ‘Glorious fun’ ‘If Hunter S Thompson wrote an Ealing comedy’ and ‘Joyous’ (the latter by the owner of this very blog). In Kilchester, Maxwell creates a fast-paced, darkly funny & effortlessly cool series of heist thrillers that you won’t be able to put down.

According to his LinkedIn profile Adam previously worked as a Private Detective and has spent many years hiding from the consequences of his actions in the wilds of Northumberland where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

If you want to find out more about him:

Amazon is a good place to start https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adam-Maxwell/e/B00EUAZN2Q

Or you can check out his website and get yourself a free ebook https://adammaxwell.com/

DECADES

Can I just start by saying aaaargh! Choosing books for Decades was a seemingly simple task that quickly descended into being dangerous overthunk by yours truly. I nearly started in the 1930’s just to ensure I could get Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse. But that meant I would have missed out on too many others so… a balance was struck. And that balance starts in the decade of my birth.

1970s

The Hot Rock – Donald Westlake

Crime and comedy. In the cinema audiences can’t get enough. In the book world… it’s readers who can’t get enough. Since it’s the genre I write in, it felt appropriate to include some of the cream of the crop of humorous crime and The Hot Rock doesn’t disappoint.

After Dortmunder is released from prison with nothing but ten dollars to his name he quickly becomes embroiled in a plan to steal a priceless emerald. The book somehow manages to achieve a perfect balance between hard-boiled and farce and, reader, that is no mean feat. As talented as the crew are, they just can’t seem to keep the damned rock in their dishonest mits without their plans unravelling in front of their eyes.

The book spawned a slew of sequels and was adapted for the big screen by none other than William Goldman in an adaptation that starred Robert Redford.

1980s

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul – Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams is remembered by most as having written the clatteringly marvellous ‘Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy’. This is not that book.

Featuring ‘holistic private detective’ Dirk Gently, this series inadvertently convinced me that not only was it possible to meld comedy and crime fiction but to make it a work of utter genius. The genius part is something I have yet to achieve but… crime and comedy… tick!

The story whirls around Thor (not the Marvel one), a supernatural deal with a green bug-eyed monster with a scythe, a Coca-Cola vending machine and a very, very angry eagle.

To say more would ruin it but if you’ve not dipped your reading toe into Adams’ Dirk Gently series then you really should remedy that. Quickly.

1990s

Get Shorty – Elmore Leonard

No… not the movie based on it with Danny DeVito. Not the TV show either… This is a library and we have no space for such frivolities.

Another hugely influential author for me, Elmore Leonard is the King of Criminals like Agatha Christie is the Queen of Crime. Only American. And more modern. Never mind, that’s a rubbish comparison. What was I talking about?

Yes! Elmore Leonard more often than not makes the criminal the protagonist and has you rooting for the bad guys from the outset. Get Shorty features Chili Palmer, a small-time loan shark from Miami who finds himself in Los Angeles. He soon comes to realise that the movie business is very much like the loan-sharking business and decides he wants a piece of the action.

The result is a laugh-out-loud explosion of petulant stars, terrified producers and drug deals gone bad all told with Leonard’s laconic style.

2000s

The Truth – Terry Pratchett

‘A lie can run around the world quicker than the truth can get its boots on…’

Any writer who puts humour in their books aspires to be as good as Terry Pratchett. And we all fail to be as good as he was. The Truth is the 25^th Discworld novel and a standalone making it all the more accessible.

It charts the Discworld’s first newspaper’s rise and fall and lights a fire in your belly about the importance of a free press while mixing it up with threats to life, a recovering vampire’s suicidal fascination for flash photography and a man who keeps begging the editor to publish pictures of his humorously-shaped potatoes.

One of the hardest things about choosing books for Decades is balancing which book from which decade but with Pratchett’s writing spanning four decades it was more ‘which Pratchett decade am I in love with currently?’

2010s

The Sacred Art of Stealing – Chris Brookmyre

I’ve talked about funny/crime books quite a bit so far but frankly, the biggest crime here is that no-one has chosen one of Chris Brookmyre’s books in any Decades selection so far. It is my utter pleasure to remedy that.

The Sacred Art of Stealing feels in the tradition of Elmore Leonard’s Out Of Sight as it features a burgeoning romance between a thief and a police officer. Brookmyre’s take on the situation is all his own and the black humour that courses through the novel’s veins balances perfectly with the violence while nodding to more literary fare along the way.

Since writing this I’ve discovered that The Sacred Art of Stealing was actually published in 2003… it was the audiobook that appeared in 2013 but such is my belief that it should be included in the Decades library that I will personally kill anyone who disagrees with my inclusion of this phenomenal tome*

*Killing will likely be in print rather than in person. Apologies to the suicidal, deranged and/or violent readers out there.

Pratchett and Douglas Adams in a single week with the added joy of Elmore Leonard and Chris Brookmyre – what a cracking mix! Huge thanks to Adam for making time to pick his five Decades selections.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 31

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Alice Bell

Welcome back to the Decades Library. This is my ongoing quest to assemble a Library which features only the very best reading recommendations, the books recommended by authors, bloggers, publishers and journalists – booklovers all.

I started this challenge back in January 2021. Each week a guest joins me and I ask them to help curate my new Library. I want them to recommend some of their favourite books, the unmissable ones which they believe everyone should read. But I ask each of my guests to follow two simple rules when making their choices. Gotta have rules, without rules there is anarchy and if you have anarchy and books in the same place then someone may fold down the corner of a page. *shudders*

The two rules are thus:

1 – You Can Select Any Five Books
2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades.

This week (spoiler) we are kicking off in the 1940’s and we end up with one of my favourite books of the 1980’s (it’s actually one of my favourite books EVER, but it was published in the 80’s)

This week I am delighted to be joined by Alice Bell, author of the upcoming new release: Grave Expectations. When I saw Alice was a deputy editor at Rock Paper Shotgun I gave serious consideration to making the library a multi-media experience and ask her to nominate her five decades selections for videogames too, but if Manic Miner didn’t represent the 1980s then I’d have a sad-face day.

So lets stick with books and hand over to Alice so we can see her selections:

Alice Bell grew up in South West England, in the sort of middle-of-nowhere where teenagers spend their weekends drinking Smirnoff Ice in a field that also has at least one horse in it.

She is the deputy editor of Rock Paper Shotgun, a popular PC gaming website, and in 2019 she was named one of the 100 most influential women in the UK games industry.

After spending several years in London, Alice now lives in Cork in Ireland. She has probably read more detective fiction and watched more episodes of Midsomer Murders than you.

Alice is on Twitter as @ABeeWords.
Grave Expectations publishes on 4 May 2023 and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BLRKD54J/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

DECADES

1940s – I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

This pick hamstrung me a little, because it set, to within a few degrees, the other decades I could work with. But I couldn’t not choose it! It was the first book I thought of, and is always one of the answers I give to the ‘what is your favourite book ever?’ sort of questions. It’s the diary of a young girl who lives in a falling-down castle with her poor and eccentric family, and their lives are thrown into turmoil when some Americans who are a) handsome b) youngish and c) rich turn up – which is all anyone can hope from an American, isn’t it? It’s a wonderful book full of humour and pathos, and there was a decent film adaptation years back as well. I suppose if it came out now it would be classed as YA, but I really think of I Capture The Castle as timeless and ageless.

1950s – A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie

I had to get Agatha on my list somewhere, and luckily she’s prolific enough I could have got here in any of my decades or more. A Murder Is Announced really is one of her best, though. I’ve always favoured Marple over Poirot (which might be an unpopular opinion), partly because her adventures always seem that little bit more whimsical and strange. In this one a murder is, indeed, announced in a local paper, which confuses Letitia Blacklock, the owner of the house named in the appointment. Several of her friends turn up to see if one happens – who wouldn’t? I’d be there with great big bloody bells on – and, indeed, it does. It’s a real showcase of Christie’s wit as well as her prowess at crafting fiendishly difficult mysteries. The Queen of Crime indeed!

1960s – In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

True crime is an unstoppable monolith these days, and there’s a good argument that Capote’s In Cold Blood was the template for its modern incarnation (including, I should say, probable editorialising on the part of the creator when the facts didn’t work quite well enough for a good story). I have the morbid fascination with ‘orrible murderers that a lot of women my age have, and In Cold Blood is remarkable in how it chronicles the personality and psychology of two family annihilators who killed the Clutter family of Western Kansas, creating a holistic picture of them and their crime – most especially Perry Smith. But Capote also gives great detail on the victims themselves and the wider community. It’s a sad story told in great and elegant detail.

1970s – The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye was Morrison’s first novel, and it’s an extraordinary one, about the young life of Pecola Breedlove, an African American girl regarded as ugly because of the darkness of her skin – though it’s obviously about much more than that, too. It’s a short book, and largely told from the point of view of Claudia MacTeer, whose parents foster Pecola for a short time. I think it’s the book of Morrison’s that sticks out most to me because I read it when I wasn’t much older than the characters in it, so it really stuck with me. Although I think it sticks with anyone when you read it. The writing is so emotive, the story so artfully constructed – right down to the chapter titles.

1980s – Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

This is not, technically, the first of The Witches books in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, but in my heart it is, because it’s the first to feature the whole coven. It’s also, quite possibly, my favourite Discworld book, although that changes based on the time of year, how warm my toes are, etc. and so on. I think I get a lot of my own writing style and sense of humour from reading so much Pratchett in my formative years (she says, hopefully), and the witches were always the ones I enjoyed most. Wyrd Sisters is a version of Shakespear’s Macbeth from a sideways point of view and with extra magic, and it has what I think is the best opening of a Pratchett book. Right away he sets the scene and the tone in fantastic style. He’s an inimitable writer, really.

Any time I get to add a new Terry Pratchett book to my Decades Library it’s a great day, factor in the very welcome addition of Jane Marple too and Alice has absoultely smashed this out of the park. Huge thanks to Alice for making such great selections. All five books will be added to the Library shelves immediately.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 17

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Alex Walters

Another week has zipped by and already it’s time to throw open the doors of the Decades Library and welcome a new guest curator who will shortly tempt your TBR with some new reading recommendations.

But before we get to the books its the obligatory recap. What’s a Decades Library and why do I have a guest curator?

Back in January 2021 I asked myself the question: if I had a brand new library but no books which books should I add to the Library shelves to ensure I had the very best reading options available for Library visitors? I knew this was far too difficult an undertaking to take on alone so I have reached out to my friends for help. Each week I invite a new guest curator to join me and I ask them to nominate new books which they feel I should add to the library. I want their favourite books, the “unmissable” titles or the books which left a lasting impression.

Why is it a Decades Library? I had to bring a little order to the chaos of asking booklovers to recommend some of their favourite books – seriously, two years later there’s a real danger we would still be listening to my first guest listing the books she loves. Instead I set two rules to govern the choices each guest makes:

1 – You Can Select ANY Five Books
2 – You Must Choose One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

So any five books but restricted to a fifty-year publication span. Easy? Have a go at selecting your own favourites, you may find you re-discover some old favourite reads.

This week it is a real delight to welcome Alex Walters to the Decades Library. I spent my teenage years in the Black Isle and Alex has written a series of books where I get to read about the characters walking down the streets of towns and villages I know so well. As a reader there’s nothing quite as exciting to me as seeing crime thrilers set in places I know. What a brilliant introduction that was to Alex’s writing and the bonus of discovering he had written lots of other books has meant I am enjoying playing catch up.

Time to pass the curator’s hat to Alex and let him guide you through the five books he wants to add to the library shelves….

Alex Walters is the author of twenty one crime and thriller novels, across several series. His first books were set in modern-day Mongolia. Since then, he has written two books set in and around Manchester featuring the undercover officer, Marie Donovan (Trust No-One and Nowhere to Hide), five books with a paranormal edge featuring DCI Kenny Murrain (Late Checkout, Dark Corners and Snow Fallen, Stilled Voices and Life Remains), and six books set in the Scottish Highlands featuring DI Alec McKay (Candles and Roses, Death Parts Us, Their Final Act, Expiry Date, For Their Sins and A Parting Gift). His most recent series is set in the Peak District featuring DI Annie Delamere (Small Mercies, Lost Hours and Bad Terms), with a fourth book, Old Evils, out later this year from Canelo.

He has also written two standalone thrillers – Winterman, a historical crime thriller set in the East Anglian fens in 1947 and his most recent book, Human Assets, a humorous spy thriller.

Prior to becoming a writer, Alex worked in the oil industry, broadcasting and banking and as a management consultant working mainly in the criminal justice sector. He now lives on the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands where he runs the Solus Or Writing Retreat with his wife, Helen, and a variable number of cats.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alex-Walters/e/B00528T2NG?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1675963265&sr=8-2

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexwaltersauthor

Website: https://www.alexwaltersauthor.com/

DECADES

The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R Delany (1967)

My choices here are books that made a major impact on me on first reading. I was a huge science fiction fan in my teens – though I’ve rather lost touch with the genre now – and initially borrowed this from the library largely on the basis of its title and intriguing style. It’s an extraordinary book – a retelling of the Orpheus myth, set among the non-human inhabitants of a distant-future earth. The narrative is intriguingly interspersed with literary quotations, epigraphs and (real?) excerpt’s from the author’s own journal. The book is sparse, allusive, elliptical and endlessly thought-provoking.

Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon (1973)

I first read Gravity’s Rainbow in my late teens, and I’ve re-read it several times since without ever getting close to fathoming its depths. It’s a huge compendious novel, almost impossible to summarise, set in the closing days of World War II. It combines real-life incidents with extraordinarily imagined, often hilarious fiction, addressing morality, science, war, sex and countless other themes in Pynchon’s unique and hypnotic prose style. Now, I need to read it again.

The Names by Don DeLillo (1982)

Like many people, I first came to DeLillo through White Noise, his breakout book in the UK. That sent my back to read his earlier books. Not all are to my taste, but the novel that stuck with me was The Names. It’s a tricky book to describe – a paranoid thriller, but with a plot that remains opaque, an exploration of the power of language, an examination of the nature of empire, even an atmospheric piece of travel writing, with a tone all of its own.

Complicity by Iain Banks (1993)

I was keen to include something by Iain Banks because he’s one of the writers who has given me most straightforward pleasure over the years. I’ve chosen Complicity because it’s perhaps one of the less well-known of his books, but it’s a wonderful example of his ability to tread effortlessly the line between popular and literary fiction. Complicity is a terrific page-turning thriller, filled with memorable if often dislikeable characters, but it’s also a powerful meditation on politics and power.

Thursbitch by Alan Garner (2004)

Garner is probably the writer who has had most impact on me, from the early books I read as a child through to his more recent, often challenging works. He’s far from a prolific novelist, and every book feels as if it’s been chiseled from a mass of thought, experience and research. Thursbitch is characteristic of Garner’s later work in building unexpected bridges across time and between ideas. In this case, the death of Jack Turner, an eighteenth century ‘jagger’ or salt-trader, is told in parallel with that of a contemporary couple, Ian and Sal, a geologist dying of a degenerative illness, drawing us into ancient bull-cults, shamanism, sentient landscapes, and the nature of time. It’s hugely atmospheric novel, rendered all the more potent for me by my familiarity with its Peak District setting. And its epigraph is taken from Jean Cocteau’s film Orphée, which, accidentally but satisfyingly, takes me full circle back to my first choice.

For the first time in a long time I haven’t read any of the five recommendations. This is why I have enlisted guests to help me pick the best books for the library shelves. But it is also bad for my TBR as Alex has tempted me into two book purchases as I have been pulling this post together – both The Names and Complicity are soon to be winging their way here. I am weak but I love a good book.

Huge thanks, as ever, to Alex for taking time to make his selections.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 10

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Steve Stred

Welcome to the latest update to my Decades Library.

Since January 2021 I have invited a guest to join me each week and I ask them which books they would add to my “ultimate library”. I began this project with a question: If I had to fill a brand new library with nothing but the very best books – which books should I add to the library shelves?

Clearly that is a huge undertaking for one person to take on so I ask my guests to help me select the books for the Decades Library – they have to nominate their favourites or the books they consider unmissable and I will add them to my Library. But there’s a catch! I can’t just keep it vague and ask for “good books” I had to set some rules which would govern their choices. Two Rules.

1 – You Can Choose ANY Five Books
2 – You Can Only Choose One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

Which is why I call my library the Decades Library.

This week I am delighted to take the Decades Library across the Altantic Ocean to pass the curator’s hat to Steve Stred. I’m a fan of horror stories but don’t read anywhere near as many as I would like. Fortunately Twitter lets me keep track of some wonderful reading recommendations and Steve’s Tweets often flag up new names and suggestions which I then try to hunt down.

When I saw Steve Tweeting about discussing other writer’s work I immedately contacted him to ask if he would like to take part in Decades, happily he was able to spare some time to make his selections – over to Steve.

Steve Stred, A 2X Splatterpunk-Nominated Author. Steve Stred lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with his wife, son and their staffy, Cocoa.

His work has been described as haunting, bleak and is frequently set in the woods near where he grew up. He’s been fortunate to appear in numerous anthologies with some truly amazing authors.

DECADES

1970-80 – The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (Translated by Ralph Manheim), 1979

Now, my first experience with this novel was actually through watching the film adaptation of the same name. Of course, the film only follows the first half of the book, but after I had watched this for about the 100th time, I read the novel and was just blown away. Part fantasy, part thriller, part horror novel, it covers a lot of ground and doesn’t go easy on any of its characters. The book kind of showed me how I could approach my own writing – write what I love and not be confined to a singular genre. I love this novel (and movie) so much, that my wife and I named our son, Auryn, after the all-powerful amulet featured within.

1980-90 – Pet Sematary by Stephen King, 1983

‘Sometimes dead is better.’ I mean, King was my first introduction to true out and out horror. I was eight or nine when my neighbor let me borrow some of her King books. One of my first reads of his was Pet Sematary and I was destroyed and traumatized and begging for more. There are so many phenomenal scenes throughout, but it really set the stage for just how dark dark can be. I loved this one, but I don’t know if I can bring myself to go back and read it, now that I’m a dad.

1990-2000 – Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, 1990

I actually read this novel before the movie came out. Again, my neighbor let me borrow this book (and The Andromeda Strain) and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I think this novel has influenced me heavily in the sense of a lot of my books taking place in the wilderness, things going horrifically wrong, and people having to try and survive against the creatures out there that want to kill them. Crichton has a magical way of writing his stories with fanciful prose, while maintaining a scientific eye to detail.

2000-2010 – The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, 2008

The timing of this novel coming into my life was perfect and horrific. One of my former bosses recommended it to me. I started reading it. Maybe two days after starting it, our dog at the time, OJ, had a spinal stroke and was partially paralyzed in his hind end. So, reading a novel from a dog’s perspective was a unique and enjoyable experience, but also really hard and emotional, knowing that OJ couldn’t speak to us and describe to us things he felt or what he needed. I know they made a movie out of this book, but for me, the book was so perfect, I don’t think I’ll be able to bring myself to ever watch it.

2010-2020 – The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper, 2013

If you follow me on any of my social media pages, you’ll know my love of Andrew Pyper’s work. The Demonologist was my introduction to him, and I can’t understate it when I say, discovering this novel changed my life. Not only as a reader, but also as a writer. When I found this book, I didn’t know this type of material was being written by Canadian authors. Yes, I was a sheltered kid, living in the middle of nowhere and the internet was just becoming a bigger part of my life when I found this book, but up until then, Stephen King and Michael Crichton were the ‘dark writers’ I read. This novel showed me how beautiful horror can still be, but also that you didn’t have to be American to be a successful horror author. It follows an expert on Paradise Lost, David Ullman, who is a non-believer in the demonic. He gets invited to Rome, to see for himself something that will change his beliefs, but ends up having to search for his daughter, when she’s potentially taken by a demon. Just a truly phenomenal and emotional experience.

This was quite the reading journey – The Neverending Story to The Demonologist. Don’t say Decades doesn’t bring a diverse mix of titles to my Library. Huge thanks to Steve.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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February 24

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Ed James

It’s been two weeks since our last visit to the Decades Library and I’d like to apologise for the unexpected interruption – though someone did contact me to say their TBR had breathed a small sigh of relief! What happened? Well I was having a super busy week at the day job and got half way through Thursday when I realised it was actually Friday and that I’d totally lost track of the days.

Rather than cut someone’s week short I decided to hang off for a week before passing Ed James the Library curators hat.

As ever I am mindful that this could be your first visit to the Decades Library so I’ll quickly explain why we are here. I am assembling the Ulitmate Library of books. I want my Decades Library to only house books which are loved by other readers. Each week I am joined by a new guest and I invite them to add more books to my library shelves. I ask that when they make their selections that they follow two rules:

1 – You Can Choose Any Five Books
2 – You Can Only Choose One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades.

Easy! Or so it may seem but I haven’t tried to select my own five choices (yet) so I can’t speak from experience.

This week I am delighted to welcome Ed James to my Decades Library. I reviewed Ed’s new book The Turning of Our Bones earlier this week (it’s almost like I try to plan these things) it’s a real corker – great twist on a serial killer story. You can read my review here: https://grabthisbook.net/?p=7166 Over to Ed now – he’s why you’re here today….

I’m Ed James, the writer of *checks notes* over forty police procedural books over the last eleven years. While I’ve worked with some publishers over that time (Headline, Bookouture and Thomas & Mercer), I’m now focused entirely on being an indie author, which gives me much greater control over what I write and publish.And what I do write and publish is a few series set in different locations. The DI Fenchurch books are set on the gritty streets of East London, and further afield, starring a detective whose own daughter was abducted. Vicky Dodds is a single mother solving crimes in Dundee and Tayside, where I grew up. Recently, I merged the eight-book Scott Cullen, three-book Craig Hunter and six-book Cullen & Bain series into Police Scotland, my attempt at a precinct series with multiple starring cops. And this year sees the launch of the DI Rob Marshall series, with THE TURNING OF OUR BONES on the 1st February marking my first new series in seven(!) years, with another three to come this year.

DECADES

FiftiesCOP HATER by Ed McBainThere’s probably a massive article that could be written about this, but in my opinion this book is where the police procedural started. Sure, there were detective books before this and there were books about cops before this, but the genre – as we know it – roots all its tropes in this series. The 87th Precinct novels are set in Isola, as NYC as Gotham or Metropolis are, and had a huge influence on the TV flavour of police procedurals as well as selling a gazillion novels. The series is a tour de force, running to fifty-five books published between this beauty in 1956 until 2005. If I manage anything like that, I’ll still be publishing books in 2061!COP HATER is a sharp shock. A cop dies and Detective Steve Carella leads the chase to find the killer. As more cops die, McBain weaves in other POV characters, all fully fleshed out, and curiously incorporates genuine police documentation (forms, filled out for the fictional case). One of the ways this book is intriguing is in the way the hero, Carella, doesn’t appear in the second novel – what a way to show that this is an ensemble series. The writing is crisp and feels modern, with a few caveats. Also, the first twenty or so are pretty lean 30-40k jobs, so as easy to read in a sitting or two as a Maigret, say. And I’ve read them all.

SixtiesPOST OFFICE by Charles BukowskiOkay, so this might’ve been published in the 70s but it was written in 1969 so I’m claiming that for this decade. Bukowski’s loosely fictional Henry Chinaski is a low-life. His life is grim and the people he associates with even grimmer. He’s an alcoholic and a womaniser. There is nothing redemptive about his story; he gets worse, if anything, and descends in the sequels. But the writing is so spare and propulsive that you want to revel in the misery of late 60s LA. Chinaski returned for all of Bukowski’s novels, save for the surreal PULP, and each has the same grim beauty as this.

SeventiesLAIDLAW by William McIlvanneyOn this side of the Atlantic, McIlvanney’s LAIDLAW lay the roots for Tartan Noir. (Again, arguably, but let’s not have that argument just now, eh?) It’s all here – a driven detective in a gritty city investigating a brutal murder, but what McIlvanney does, that few others have done, is focus on the effect of the murder on the community. This is character over plot and the ripples of the plot throughout them, each rounded out and human. If you analyse it, you see that the titular hero only appears in a handful of the opening twenty chapters – compare that with the modern model of a victim/killer prologue and everything seen through the eyes of detectives, with some latitude for an additional victim to add a ticking clock. His lyrical flourishes are second to none, sharp and precise in their beauty. He could’ve written one of these a year and been rich, but he only finished another two (in 1983 and 1991 vs this in 1977 with a partial prequel completed during lockdown by Ian Rankin) and the success of Taggart on STV could easily have been his. But he chose another path.

EightiesTHE WASP FACTORY by Iain BanksAn absolutely mind-bending debut from yet another author tragically no longer with us. In its short page count, THE WASP FACTORY creates a tiny world, isolated from the rest of Scotland but beautifully realised. One of the few authors who I read absolutely everything by, this and the CROW ROAD are truly national treasures. His sci-fi novels bend the mind in other ways. Curious and economical, debuts don’t come better than this.

NinetiesBLACK AND BLUE by Ian RankinThis was the first police procedural novel I ever read. I picked up a copy my mum had got out of the library and didn’t set it down until I finished. Legend has it that this is Rankin’s breakthrough and you can see why – it’s got the highest of high concepts; Bible John, a real-life serial killer, comes back to hunt down a copycat. While its pages focus mainly on Rebus, that dour but drily witty detective who investigates while his private life is in tatters, the snatches from Bible John’s POV add a dimension that shows the high concept is met by high execution. I won’t spoil it here (even though it did come out almost 25 years ago…) but the twist ending is incredibly brave for a break-through novel and probably contributed to the success.

I’ve read four of Ed’s five selections and I loved each of them. If ever there was a sign that I need to read Charles Bukowski’s Post Office then this is it! Huge thanks to Ed for taking the time to make his selections, any time I get to feature an 87th Precinct book on the blog is a good day!

DECADES WILL RETURN

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February 10

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Ross MacKay

In January 2021 I threw open the doors to my Decades Library. At that time there were no books in the Library but I knew I wanted to fill those empty shelves with the very best reads for the Library visitors to enjoy. But how to ensure the best books were represented?

Filling the shelves with amazing and unmissable books was not a task I could take on alone, I didn’t have the depth of reading knowledge that I knew would be needed. So I decided to ask for help. Each week I am joined by a new guest (a guest curator) who adds new books to the library shelves and helps me ensure the selection of titles on offer is as good as it can be.

I have been joined by authors, bloggers and publishers – booklovers – and they each bring a fresh perspective on which books I should make available to Library visitors. But when I invite my guests to make their reading recommendations I set two rules which they need to follow (there’s gotta be rules):

1 – Select ANY Five Books
2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade from Five Consecutive Decades.

Easy? Have a go at making your own selections and see if you can nail down five books which were published over a fifty year publication span. The oldest book in the Decades Library was first published in the 1860’s – there have been many books released since then so coming up with five should not be too tricky!

But time to introduce Ross MacKay. Ross released his debut novel at the end of last year and is shortly due to appear at the Paisley Book Festival (more on this below). He had an extremely busy end of year at Cumbernauld’s Lantern Theatre as his adaptation of a classic story delighted audiences and he is officially one of the most supportive people I have met in all my years of blogging. He also picks great reading recommendations so this is where I had over to Ross….

Ross was the recipient of the William Soutar Award for Poetry 2020.

His debut novel, Will and The Whisp was published in 2022 to critical acclaim.

His plays have been performed across Scotland and his adaptation of Treasure Island premiered in Cumbernauld over the festive period.

Ross previously worked in theatre as the artistic director of Tortoise in a Nutshell. His productions toured across the world. His shows have received numerous prestigious awards including a Scotsman Fringe First for New Writing and a Critic’s Pick from The New York Times.

On the 19^th Feb, Ross is appearing at Paisley Book Festival with his novel, Will and The Whisp. This unique theatrical event will bring Will and The Whisp to life. Ross will read some of the most dramatic moments of the book while accompanied by an immersive soundscape, especially composed for the event by award winning musician, Jim Harbourne. Tickets can be bought here: https://paisleybookfest.com/programme/will-and-the-whisp/

DECADES

1970- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, John Le Carré

I had known of John or Carré’s books for a long time before I ever picked one up. They seemed quite bulky and serious and frankly a bit too Oxbridge for my tastes. But then I saw the film The Constant Gardener and was amazed to see it was based on a Le Carré novel. I first read it and then found Tinker Tailor. And it is long and dusty and very Oxbridge – my presumptions weren’t wrong but my tastes had changed. I got lost in the world. There is something sort of dangerously charming about a bunch of adults so institutionalised by their private education that they basically extend that worldview into the high stakes of espionage.

1980 – Foucault’s Pendulum, Umberto Eco

For me Umberto Eco is the absolute master. He is one of the few authors I re-read. I take months to read his work. I find it dense, layered and slippery. Just when I think I have it in my grasp I find the heart of the story has shifted while I wasn’t looking. Its like playing whack-a-mole with all the big ideas of the 20th century. And all the while he’s telling a story that is riveting too.

1990 – Northern Lights, Philip Pullman

Ahhh my heart. For a lot of children now my age, Harry Potter was the pinnacle. But for me it was Northern Lights. As a kid who loved bible stories and the idea of going to church (I know I was an odd one), I found Pullman much more exciting, dangerous and though-provoking than Rowling. I still do. And the ending to Northern Lights is still most vividly imaginative thing I’ve ever read.

2000 – Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel does this thing where she sort of plumps someone with 21st century ideals into the past. Here she uses Thomas Cromwell as a sort of promethean figure bearing witness to and shaping British history. So what becomes compelling is how she uses this device to draw you ever closer to her subject. By the end of the trilogy I felt I knew the character inside out and yet was still perplexed by him.

I listened to this on audiobook and I vividly recall rewinding moments to hear them again.

2010- The Lie Tree, Frances Hardringe

So, remember two decades ago when I was waxing lyrical about Pullman. This book is the closest I have come to feeling that again. It is a brilliant book. Imaginative and brilliantly feminist without ever feeling preachy. I have kept this book on my bookshelf but I know as soon as my son is old enough i’m going to move it to his. I can’t wait to read it to him.

I really love the mix of fantasy, espionage and history which Ross has brought to the Decades Library. I am all too often tempted by recommendations and this week it is The Lie Tree which will be added to my future reading lists – it sounds like a dark warning wrapped in a novel.

I shared the link to Ross’s panel at the forthcoming Paisley Book Festival, there’s a really interesting programme from 16th to 19th February so if you’re in the area you may want to check it out: https://paisleybookfest.com/

DECADES WILL RETURN

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February 3

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Anna Mazzola

Welcome back to Decades as a new guest curator joins me to add new books to the shelves of my ultimate library. This is a project which began back in January 2021 and if you look back through the past two years of my blog posts you will find dozens and dozens of amazing book recommendations – as suggested by authors, bloggers and publishers.

This is my Decades Library. There were no books on my library shelves when I first started my mission to compile the ultimate reading library. I only wanted the best books to be found on the library shelves, books other people had read and loved – the books they would recommend to other booklovers. Each week a guest joins me and I ask them to nominate new books to be added to the Decades Library. But they can’t just select books at random, I have set two rules which they must follow…

1: You Can Select Any Five Books
2: You Can Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

Easy? Have a go at choosing which five books you would pick. Which fifty year span do you think best reflects your favourite reading?

This week I am delighted to welcome Anna Mazzola to Grab This Book. I finally got to the opporutnity to meet Anna at Bloody Scotland last year – her panel with previous Decades curators, Douglas Skelton and D.V. Bishop, was one of my festival highlights. She was chatting about her latest book (The Clockwork Girl) and there was also lots of distrubing facts about nuns – you really had to be there.

Before I hand over to Anna to share her five Decades selections I shall draw your attention to this handy wee link which lets you browse and buy Anna’s books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anna-Mazzola/e/B01D4XL42M/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Anna is a writer of historical thrillers and Gothic fiction. Her third novel, The Clockwork Girl, set in Paris in 1750, is a Sunday Times Historical Fiction pick for 2022 and reached number 11 in the Sunday Times Bestseller list. Her debut novel, The Unseeing, won an Edgar Allan Poe award. Her fourth novel, The House of Whispers, is a ghost story set in Fascist Italy and will be published in April 2023. Anna also writes legal thrillers under the name Anna Sharpe, the first of which will be published in 2024.

When not writing or tutoring for The Novelry, Anna is a human rights and criminal justice solicitor, working with victims of crime. She lives in Camberwell, South London, with her husband, their two children, a snake and a cat.

DECADES

My Cousin Rachel, Daphne Du Maurier, 1951

I’ve never been able to decide which is my favourite: My Cousin Rachel, or Rebecca. They are both dark and exquisite and explore similar themes. My Cousin Rachel is perhaps the most haunting, however. It was written in 1951 when Du Maurier was at the height of her powers, and while it might on its surface be a romantic novel set amid beautiful Cornish estates, it is in fact a novel about female sexuality, poisoning and power.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson, 1961

The Haunting of Hill House is the more famous novel, but We Have Always Lived is, to my mind, Shirley Jackson’s masterpiece. Jackson wrote the book towards the end of her rather troubled life. The novel’s two female lead characters combine what Jackson’s biographer Judy Oppenheimer calls the ‘yin and yang of Shirley’s own inner self’. Constance embodies the domestic, while Merricat is strange, headstrong, murderous. A devastating and often darkly amusing exploration of everyday evil. One of my favourite books of all time.

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood, 1972

Surfacing was one of Margaret Atwood’s early works and remains one of her most unsettling. It tells the story of a young Canadian woman returning to her childhood wilderness home with her boyfriend and two friends to investigate the disappearance of her father. As the story progresses, we see the island exert an increasing pull on Atwood’s heroine, leading her into ever growing wildness.

Beloved by Toni Morrison, 1987

(Also loved Jazz, 1992). A huge, gripping, searing novel. I first read it when I was eighteen and it has stayed with me ever since. Beloved begins: ‘124 was spiteful.’ 124 is a house in Cincinnati in 1873 and it is spiteful because it is haunted by the fury of a baby whose throat was cut to make her safe from slavery. Not an easy read by any means, but an essential one.

A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel, 1992

Another huge and often bloody masterpiece, but this one is set during the French Revolution. Mantel’s main characters are the leaders of the Revolution – Danton, Robespierre and Camille Desmouslins, but we also see their wives and other lesser known characters. Complex, witty and brilliant. It was the first novel she wrote, though not the first to be published. Thank goodness she didn’t give up.

Huge thanks to Anna for these mighty selections. Some weeks I prepare the Decades list and I recognise for or five of the books as titles I have read and loved. Other weeks (including this week) I am reminded of why I need to invite guests to help me identify the best books to include in the Decades Library – big, powerful stories which I haven’t read but fully appreciate why they are held in such high regard.

I am adding We Have Always Lived in the Castle to my Audible library. Decades grows my TBR once again – the best outcome for me.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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January 27

Decades: Compiling The Ultimate Library with Heather J. Fitt

It was this very week in 2021 that I launched my Decades quest. So before we go any further I’d like to wish the Decades Library a very happy second birthday. Little did I suspect my quest to compile one of the best digital libraries would still be ongoing after all this time. Despite a couple of unplanned breaks in the second half of last year (demands of the day job) I have been honoured to host so many incredible guests here at Grab This Book – each prepared to give up some of their time to talk about the books they love. I am beyond grateful for their kindness and the time they gave to keep the Decades Library growing.

But perhaps this is your first visit to the Decades Library? You are very welcome, please let me explain what’s about to happen. I set myself a challenge two years ago. If I had a brand new library which had no books on any of its empty shelves, which books should I bring to the Library to ensure it only offered the very best books to readers?

I quickly realised that I could not answer that question alone so I enlisted some help. Authors, bloggers, publishers, journalists have joined me over the last two years and nominated their favourite “unmissable” books which they think the very best library should offer. But I don’t just ask them to pick books at random – I made up rules. Two rules to be exact and this is why I refer to my library as the Decades Library.

1 – Pick Any Five Books
2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade Over Any Five Consecutive Decades

Easy! Or is it? Have a go at making your five selections and see how quickly you can nail down all five from five consecutive decades. It’s not by accident that after two years I still haven’t managed to make my own five choices.

But enough of my rambling, it is time for me to give way and allow my first guest of 2023 to take the floor. This week sees the publication of Heather J. Fitt’s second novel (The Flight) so what better time to let Heather tell you about five of her favourite books….

Heather was born in Scotland and after moving around Europe with her parents and sister, settled in Hampshire where she met her husband, Stuart.

After leaving the rat-race in 2018, Heather re-trained as an editor and proof-reader and entered the world of publishing. These days she works as a part-time freelancer and a part-time Commissioning Advisor for Bloodhound.

Heather was inspired to start writing her novel by the authors who have become her closest friends. Now the ideas are flowing she has plans to write several more over the coming years.

Her debut novel, Open Your Eyes, was published in 2022 by Bloodhound Books, and her latest, The Flight, was published on 26^th January 2023.

You can get Heather’s books here:

Open Your Eyes geni.us/OpenYourEyes_

The Flight https://geni.us/TheFlightCover

And Heather is online at all these places:

Twitter: @HeatherJFitt

Instagram: @heatherjfitt

Facebook: Heather J. Fitt Author

TikTok: @heatherjfitt

DECADES

1980s – The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

This is a book I borrowed from someone at school, and, despite its length, I devoured. It’s also one of the few books I’ve read several times over.

1990s – 13 More Tales of Horror by Various Authors

This is a bit of a cheat. I was a teenager is the 1990s – well, for most of them – and I LOVED all of the Point Horror books, so this anthology really represents all of them!

2000s – On Writing by Stephen King

I read this one in the last few years. I’m sure many people will have picked it, but it really is an excellent book and it’s not just for writers.

2010s – Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

To me, this is one of the best and most important fiction books that discusses domestic violence. To this day, the character Lee terrifies me.

2020s – Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby

Shawn Cosby is a fairly new author on the block, but when I read this last year I knew I was going to read everything he ever wrote. I would say it’s a book of our time, and don’t forget, “love is love”.

Brilliant! Five great selections to kick off the new season of Decades. I am always delighted to see horror stories added to the Library shelves (and we don’t have many short story collections) so the Point Horror collection made me happy.

My memory is awful but is this the first time a book has made it into the Library which was written by a former Library Curator? Elizabeth Haynes made her five selections last year and now Into The Darkest Corner has found its way onto the Library shelves. I would be greatful if someone with a better memory than mine can tell me if this is indeed the first time this has happened. Then I look at Razorblade Tears and it reminds me that Mr Cosby is very high on my wishlist of future guests – he just doesn’t know it yet. Does anyone want to warn him?

My thanks to Heather for these wonderful reading recommendaitions. Don’t forget to pick up your copy of her brand new book The Flight – published this very week: The Flight https://geni.us/TheFlightCover

DECADES WILL RETURN

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November 25

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with James Oswald

If you have visited this blog on a Friday over the last two years there is a better than high chance you have met one of my many amazing guest curators of my Decades Library. Each week I am joined by a new guest who has agreed to help me assemble a new library of amazing books. My Ultimate Library – the Decades Library.

I explain to my guests that I hope my Library will offer the very best selections of books to its visitors. I ask them to nominate their favourite books or books which they consider unmissable. But when making those selections I ask that they follow two rules:

1 – You Can Select ANY Five Books
2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

Sounds easy? I am told narrowing down five books is tricky. I am then told choosing one per decade makes it vexing. I won’t repeat what I am told when I enforce the five “consecutive” decades part of the rules. But we DO get some wonderful reading recommendations.

This week it is my very great pleasure to welcome James Oswald to Grab This Book. My blog began in 2014 and the very first book I chose to review was James’s Natural Causes. I have reviewed quite a few more of his books since then and they always delight, I couldn’t wait to see what titles he may recommend I add to my Library shelves.

DECADES

Who am I to be recommending books for such an illustrious library? Well, the dull stuff is that I am the author of some twenty books to date, including twelve Inspector McLean and three Con Fairchild crime fiction novels. I’ve also written the five part epic fantasy series, The Ballad of Sir Benfro, inspired by a decade living in mid Wales and learning about its history, mythology, language and culture. I self-published the first two Inspector McLean books because publishers didn’t like the mixing of Police Procedural with more supernatural overtones. They changed their minds when Natural Causes shifted a quarter of a million copies in eight months. The Penguin edition went on to be a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, and made the National Book Awards debut novel shortlist.

The less dull stuff is that when not writing, I run a 350 acre livestock farm in North East Fife, where I raise pedigree Highland cattle. You’ll find regular updates and videos of the coos on my twitter feed – @SirBenfro. Everything else is on my website – jamesoswald.co.uk – when I remember to update it.

And so to my recommendations…

50s – Paul Gallico – Jennie (1950)

I was loaned a copy of this book when I was about ten, while bored on a family holiday in Sutherland. I remember my mother being very insistent that I give it back once I was finished, so it’s slightly embarrassing to admit that forty-five years later I still have that very same copy. I can’t remember a lot of the details, save that it concerns a young boy who wakes up to find he has turned into a cat and is guided through the necessary learning of how to deal with this transformation by the eponymous Jennie. What I remember quite vividly is the feeling of being taken off to another world, such is the brilliance of Paul Gallico’s writing. The ending, which I won’t give away, was a painful return to dull reality. Perhaps my keeping a hold of the book was my subconscious not willing to completely let go of the fantasy, something I don’t think I ever really have done.

60s – Robert A Heinlein – Stranger in a Strange Land (1961)

Like most boys as they hit their teens, my reading dropped off a cliff. There were far too many more interesting things to do, and reading became tainted by the whiff of schoolwork, robbing it of much in the way of pleasure. Fortunately for me, I stumbled into reading comics, first with 2000AD and then what American comics I could lay my hands on. I also discovered SF novels, devouring the works of EE Doc Smith, Philip K Dick, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert and, of course, Robert A Heinlein. There are many books I could have chosen for the 60s, but Stranger in a Strange Land is such a masterpiece it really had to be the one.

70s – Various Authors – 2000AD (1977)

Does this count for the library? I hope so. I can remember when 2000AD first came out, back in 1977 (oddly enough, around about the same time I read Jennie). I wasn’t allowed to buy it very often, and didn’t have much pocket money to spare for such things anyway, but I did buy that first issue, and still have it (although the space spinner is long gone). It wasn’t until the early 80s that I managed to catch up with it properly. Judge Dredd, Strontium Dogs, Rogue Trooper, Tharg’s Future Shocks, what’s not to like about a weekly SF anthology that’s still going strong 45 years later?

And if I can’t have 2000AD, then my alternative choice for the 70s has to be James Herbert’s brilliant 1975 book, The Fog. Deeply disturbing to read as a 12 year old (a few years after it came out, if you’re worried about my maths), Herbert’s books were passed around at school like some kind of illicit currency. I recall how if you held them carefully by the spine, they would naturally drop open at the steamy sex scene. Some might criticize Herbert’s books for being a bit formulaic, but he was a master at bringing characters to life (and then often killing them in horribly inventive ways).

80s – Terry Pratchett – Guards! Guards! (1989)

I stumbled upon the works of the late, great PTerry when at university in Aberdeen in the late 80s. John Menzies newsagents in the St Nicholas centre had a large bookshop upstairs where, looking for something to feed my SF addiction, I found a copy of his early novel Strata. Not the best Pratchett book, but still good enough to send me scurrying back for everything else he had in print at the time. It’s a toss-up between the Sam Vimes books and the Witches books as to which are my favourite of the Discworld novels, but frankly they are all brilliant.

90s – Robin Hobb – Assassin’s Apprentice (1995)

My partner picked this up when we were living in Wales in the early oughts, read it very swiftly and handed it straight to me. The first in what would turn out to be a long saga concerning Fitzchivalry Farseer (Fitz) and the Fool, it’s a brilliantly dark slice of medieval-style fantasy. Game of Thrones might have got everyone interested in the genre again, but it was Robin Hobb who inspired me to write my own epic fantasy series. It has much better dragons, too.

As you can see I have allowed James the opporunty to add both of his 1970’s selections to the Library shelves. He didn’t try to flex the rules but made two selections on the chance his first choice didn’t meet the rules. That kind consideration means he gets to include an extra book. Also, I am a huge fan of comic books and of James Herbert books (except Ash which is still the worst book I have ever read) and I am not keen to remove either of the choices from my Library.

Sam Vimes is my favourite fictional officer of the law – my thanks to James for his time, his terrific selections and for bringing Ankh Morpork’s finest into my Decades Library.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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November 11

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Abi Silver

I am trying to assemble the Ultimate Library. In January 2021 I began my mission to put together the very best collection of books. I only wanted to include books which were recommended and loved by booklovers. Each week I invite an author, blogger, journalist or blogger to join me here at Grab This Book and I invite them to add some new books to the shelves of my Decades Library.

Why is it a Decades Library? Well that is down to the second of the two rules I impose upon my guest’s choices. When selecting the books to be added to the shelves of the Decades Library my guests are asked to:

1 – Pick Any Five Books
2 – Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

It sounded a simple task when I started inviting guests to make their choices. Apparently when you sit down to pick five books it becomes a real trial to narrow down just five books and even more of a challenge to get one per decade from five consecutive decades.

Fortunately my guest this week is no stranger to real trials (see what I did there?) and has picked five terrific books which I shall be adding to the Library shelves. I am thrilled to be able to pass the Decades Library curator’s hat to Abi Silver, author of the fabulous Burton and Lamb books. If you use that handy wee search function (over on the right) you can find my reviews of some of Abi’s books. If you have high powered binoculars and a view into my house you may be able to see my TBR bookcase where Abi also features – once again I find I am losing the battle of “time to read” over “books I want to read”.

Time to let Abi take over…

Abi Silver grew up in Yorkshire, travelled widely and now lives in a village in Hertfordshire with her family. She is a practising lawyer and the author of the Burton & Lamb legal thriller series, featuring two defence lawyers, Judith Burton and Constance Lamb. Her legal duo are very much equals but opposites in their approach to life and the pursuit of justice… and whodunnit.

Abi’s first novel, The Pinocchio Brief, with its ‘lie-detecting software’, invited the question, who is a better judge of truth, man or machine? The thread running through her five subsequent stories (covering themes as wide-ranging as driverless cars and online gaming) is mankind’s constant quest for new and better ways of doing things. Her latest book, The Ambrosia Project (published in October and available here ), focuses on the world of food and what we should all be eating.

You can find out more about Abi’s work on her website www.abisilver.co.uk or follow her as Abi Silver (@abisilver16) / Twitter or Abi Silver, Author | Facebook

DECADES

1950 to 1960

My family and other animals by Gerald Durrell

July had been blown out like a candle by a biting wind that ushered in a leaden August sky.

Decades before the TV series brought this autobiographical story of chaotic family life in Corfu in the 1930s to the attention of millions, an impressionable 10-year old (aka me) lapped it up and clamoured for more. Was it the escapist element? I mean, who wouldn’t want to leave behind grey Yorkshire days filled with mizzle for Mediterranean sunshine? Or be free to run barefoot through the countryside and fill every conceivable space with a menagerie? Although I’m not sure I would have wanted to change places with Gerry when it came to his siblings, however hilariously he described them. This book (and the rest of the series) were housed on my sister’s bookshelf and she was very possessive. I read it secretly, adding to the thrill of turning each page.

1960 to 1970

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.

This story dealing with race and the loss of innocence, set in 1930s Alabama and narrated by six-year old ‘Scout’ Finch, is a magnificent read. Her father, Atticus, a lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape, is portrayed as a man of tremendous courage and integrity. (I’m sure I’m not alone in admitting that he is one of the reasons I became a lawyer – another was Granada TV’s Crown Court.) But the book goes so much further, covering class and gender and tolerance and its messages are often heightened by being written (delightfully) from a child’s perspective and with a wonderful fluid style.

1970 to 1980

Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

Boggis, Bunce and Bean

One fat, one short, one lean…

This is the first book I read independently and I embraced it over and over again. Yes it had striking illustrations to help me along the way, but it was the story of heroic Mr Fox, the underdog, pitting his wits against the combined power of farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean, which stole the show. The gluttony of the men (Boggis eats three boiled chickens and dumplings for breakfast) is contrasted masterfully with the moderation exhibited by the family of foxes, who eat only to survive. It’s not difficult to predict who will come out on top.

1980 to 1990

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

To understand just one life you have to swallow the world … do you wonder, then, that I was a heavy child?

Midnight’s Children accompanied me on my travels around India in the early 1990s. I still have the very same (precious and resilient) dog-eared copy, which survived collisions, attempted theft and numerous soakings and yet remained intact.

It tells the story of Salim Sinai born at midnight, on the day in 1947 when India gained its independence. He is one of many children who arrive into the world in that witching hour, before 1am, imbued with magical powers. Their stories and those of his family mirror real life events.

I have never read a book like this before or since. It is almost impossible to describe succinctly because it encompasses so many things. But I think what struck me most, on the first read, was the pace. I careered through the story carried by the richness of the language (much as its hero does) and I loved it.

1990 to 2000

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

The past is a cupboard full of light and all you have to do is find the key that opens the door.

Set in York (a promising start) the novel tells the story of Ruby Lennox, in her own words. She lives above a pet shop together with her (dysfunctional) parents and sisters. In between Ruby’s narration, there are flashbacks through her family history, going right back to her great grandmother, Alice’s, encounter with a passing photographer. Despite covering incredibly sad and difficult topics, including the tragedies associated with war, this is a hilariously funny, warm read, packed with brilliant observations on life.

A briliant mix of titles which caters for all ages. Abi quoted the song from Fantastic Mr Fox “Boggis and Bunce and Bean.” I had the audiobook for Fantastic Mr Fox when I was a child – I listened to it on loop for hours and can still sing this song in full…happy days. Huge thanks to Abi for taking the time to collate her Library selections. All five books have been added to the Decades Library shelves.

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