OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2005

We've been asked to repeat our recommendations from our Christmas letter. So here goes...

For John Saturday, by IAN McEWAN was the best. A top neurosurgeon sets about his day against the backdrop of the big anti-war demo in 2003. A fairly straightforward read, but with loads to make you think.

Another contender for top book was Small Island by ANDREA LEVY, all about Jamaican immigrants to London just after the war.

We both enjoyed Old Filth by JANE GARDAM. It goes backwards and forwards in time as it looks at the lonely childhood of an eminent lawyer, his work in the Far East, and his retirement to England. It’s witty and moving.

Other good reads were:
The Time Traveler’s Wife by AUDREY NIFFENEGGER,
The Rotters Club and its sequel, Closed Circle by JONATHAN COE, and
The Constant Gardener by JOHN LE CARRÉ.