A Century of Books

2018 is going to be the year of A Century of Books – henceforth to be known as ACOB. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here before, only on Twitter, but hopefully it’s not too late for people to join in if they’d like to.

What is ACOB, you ask? Back in 2012, I thought it would be fun to try to read and review a book for every year of the 20th century – not in order – and various people joined in, with different targets. Some wanted one book for each decade; some wanted to do it over 2, 3, or 4 years. Essentially, you can make up your own rules. I think Claire from The Captive Reader was the only other person aiming to do 1900-1999 in one year, and… we both did! Here’s what Claire read, and here’s what I read. My post also has some stats and tips; Claire also has some helpful hints on how to get the most from ACOB.

I’m thrilled to say that Claire is doing it again this year! My century is shifting a bit – I’m going to do 1919-2018 – and I’ll keep track of the reviews on this page. If you’d like to, please do join in in whatever form you choose – I certainly found it one of the most rewarding and enjoyable (and, in the final month or so, frustrating!) reading projects I’ve ever undertaken. The best thing about it is that it is the anti-project, as you can more or less read at whim – at least for the first two-thirds of the year…

Let me know if you’re joining in, and… here we go!

1919 – The Sheik by E.M. Hull
1920 – In the Mountains by Elizabeth von Arnim
1921 – Mr Waddington of Wyck by May Sinclair
1922 – The Lark by E. Nesbit
1923 – Sphinx by David Lindsay
1924 – Bill the Conqueror by P.G. Wodehouse
1925 – The Human Machine by Arnold Bennett
1926 – The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
1927 – Leadon Hill by Richmal Crompton
1928 – As Far As Jane’s Grandmother’s by Edith Olivier
1929 – First and Last by V.L. Whitechurch
1930 – Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh
1931 – Buttercups and Daisies by Compton Mackenzie
1932 – Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann
1933 – A Thatched Roof by Beverley Nichols
1934 – Concert Pitch by Theodora Benson
1935 – Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie
1936 – The Birds by Frank Baker
1937 – Hunt the Slipper by Violet Trefusis
1938 – Excellent Intentions by Richard Hull
1939 – The Priory by Dorothy Whipple
1940 – The Cat’s Cradle Book by Sylvia Townsend Warner
1941 – Soap Behind the Ears by Cornelia Otis Skinner
1942 – House-Bound by Winifred Peck
1943 – We Followed Our Hearts to Hollywood by Emily Kimbrough
1944 – Company in the Evening by Ursula Orange
1945 – The Demon Lover by Elizabeth Bowen
1946 – Prater Violet by Christopher Isherwood
1947 – Tell It to a Stranger by Elizabeth Berridge
1948 – The Plague and I by Betty Macdonald
1949 – By Auction by Denis Mackail
1950 – Anybody Can Do Anything by Betty Macdonald
1951 – Lise Lillywhite by Margery Sharp
1952 – The Gentlewomen by Laura Talbot
1953 – Guard Your Daughters by Diana Tutton
1954 – The Gipsy in the Parlour by Margery Sharp
1955 – Onions in the Stew by Betty Macdonald
1956 – The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West
1957 – Tea with Walter de la Mare by Russell Brain
1958 – The Sweet and Twenties by Beverley Nichols
1959 – The Young Ones by Diana Tutton
1960 – The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks
1961 – Albert the Dragon by Rosemary Weir
1962 – Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker
1963 – Two By Two by David Garnett
1964 – Further Adventures of Albert the Dragon by Rosemary Weir
1965 – The Millstone by Margaret Drabble
1966 – Random Commentary by Dorothy Whipple
1967 – Stonecliff by Robert Nathan
1968 – Several Perceptions by Angela Carter
1969 – The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles
1970 – A Tale of Two Families by Dodie Smith
1971 – A Meaningful Life by L.J. Davis
1972 – The Devastating Boys by Elizabeth Taylor
1973 – The Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn
1974 – Mrs Harris Goes to Moscow by Paul Gallico
1975 – Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban
1976 – Just Between Ourselves by Alan Ayckbourn
1977 – Apple of My Eye by Helene Hanff
1978 – Albert’s World Tour by Rosemary Weir
1979 – The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera
1980 – Desirable Residence by Lettice Cooper
1981 – Still Missing by Beth Gutcheon
1982 – The High Path by Ted Walker
1983 – Another Time, Another Place by Jessie Kesson
1984 – According to Mark by Penelope Lively
1985 – Unexplained Laughter by Alice Thomas Ellis
1986 – The Silent Twins by Marjorie Wallace
1987 – Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
1988 – Man of the Moment by Alan Ayckbourn
1989 – The Education of Harriet Hatfield by May Sarton
1990 – Touching the Rock by John M. Hull
1991 – Ride a Cockhorse by Raymond Kennedy
1992 – The Devil’s Candy by Julie Salamon
1993 – Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
1994 – When Heaven Is Silent by Ron Dunn
1995 – An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks
1996 – Silence in October by Jens Christian Grøndahl
1997 – Naked by David Sedaris
1998 – Family Man by Calvin Trillin
1999 – An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
2000 – Letters From the Editor by Harold Ross
2001 – The Real Mrs Miniver by Ysenda Maxtone Graham
2002 – The Pelee Project by Jane Christmas
2003 – Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras
2004 – A Reading Diary by Alberto Manguel
2005 – The Curtain by Milan Kundera
2006 – Mr Thundermug by Cornelius Medvei
2007 – Two Lives by Janet Malcolm
2008 – Who Was Sophie? by Celia Robertson
2009 – Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
2010 – Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco
2011 – The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
2012 – The Other Mitford: Pamela’s Story by Diana Alexander
2013 – Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
2014 – The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent
2015 – Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae
2016 – Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
2017 – Scribbles in the Margins by Daniel Gray
2018 – Bookworm by Lucy Mangan

35 thoughts on “A Century of Books

  • January 1, 2018 at 5:41 pm
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    Yay! I’m so excited to get this started. I’m intrigued by your shifting of the century years this time around but not quite sure if I’m ready to follow – I’ll decide for sure in the next couple of weeks. The early years of the 20th century ended up being my favourites back in 2012 and I’ve some good books lined up already (including at least 4 A.A.M. books and plays I haven’t already read).

    Reply
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  • January 1, 2018 at 5:54 pm
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    Wow, that’s some undertaking Simon! As I tend to respond very badly to limitations of any sort, I shan’t join in. But I shall watch from the side with interest, cheering you on! :)))

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  • January 1, 2018 at 6:04 pm
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    I don’t have Twitter so I’m thankful that you told us about ACOB. It’s a wonderful idea although overwhelming on first thought. To make the undertaking more manageable, I think I’ll research each year’s books and consider ones I’ve already read as read for the project. Then if there is time for this between my other book groups and study projects, I’ll go back to read new to me books in those years. And now I’ll read your helpful hints.

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  • January 1, 2018 at 6:04 pm
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    I’m in! Did this back in 2014 and had a grand – if occasionally frustrating – time searching out books I actually wanted to read for each year. Tried to repeat the project in 2017 but it derailed, so here’s a chance to take another shot at it, in very good company. I think I’ll be a traditionalist, and read the 20th Century again, 1900-1999. Though I must say I am tempted by your time shift which takes in the more recent years. Thank you, Simon, for the nudges, then and now. Happy ACOB Reading in 2018!

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  • January 1, 2018 at 6:18 pm
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    I’m in! It’ll be fun to put some structure into my reading choices this year. Mine won’t all be fiction though.

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  • January 1, 2018 at 6:33 pm
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    I’m in Simon, doing the same century as you, 1919-2018. I will most likely need two years to complete. I do read a little over 100 books a year, but I need some flexibility.

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  • January 1, 2018 at 9:43 pm
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    Hi Simon, as I commented on Claires post I had started this then let it lapse this past year. I think I will try to get more books on the list and may add years 2001 to 2015. I would like to take as many as I can from my TBR on the shelves. I had so many titles when I had my massive Penguin collection but am now going to need my shelves to see what I still have since I sold my Penguin library. It will be fun to watch others in this challenge.

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  • January 1, 2018 at 10:47 pm
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    I will definitely have a go – hope I’m more successful than last year’s attempt to only acquire 24 books!

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  • January 1, 2018 at 10:57 pm
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    I’m in! Can’t wait to get started!

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  • January 1, 2018 at 11:20 pm
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    Simon, I’m back for another round. Given the number of challenges I do (it’s a sickness, I tell you…), I’m going to plan on taking two years to complete this one. But I’ll try to squeeze them all into 2018 if I can. Here’s my Sign-up Post.

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    • November 2, 2020 at 8:45 pm
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      Well…it took me longer than anticipated (that’s what comes of adding an extra layer of mysteries-only for me personally). But I have finally read a century of mystery books. My list is at the original sign-up post link above.

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      • November 3, 2020 at 1:47 pm
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        You did it Bev! Amazing!

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  • January 1, 2018 at 11:54 pm
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    I love this idea and didn’t participate in the past. I am going to start with A Half Century of Books (AHCOB), 1910 to 1960, and see how I do with that. If I can take two years as suggested by others, the whole century may be doable.

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  • January 2, 2018 at 12:00 am
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    I’m sort of in…
    I don’t do challenges any more, because I like to read at whim, but for a couple of years now I’ve had a long-term mini-project to read one *Australian* book for each year of the C20th. I’ve made a fair bit of progress, – which you can see easily from the Year of Publication drop-down menu on my blog, right down at the bottom – but I haven’t got it nicely set up on a page like this, something I’ve now put on my To-Do list, thank you for the idea.
    It’s not easy to find books from early in the century because the Australian publishing industry was in its infancy, but Bill from The Australian Legend has given me a list of possibles to fill in the gaps. (Now all I have to do is find where I put the list, I knew I shouldn’t have reorganised my desk!

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  • January 2, 2018 at 1:46 pm
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    The shift to beginning in 1919 is just enough to make me throw my hat in the ring again. I stayed up way to late last night combing my shelf for books to fill the list. I think I was surprised last time how challenging it was to find stuff last time around (for me) that hit the first two decades of the century. This time seems much more manageable. I am hopeful that I will be able to read entirely from my TBR pile.

    I also made the mistake last time of trying to go in chronological order. That still appeals to me this time around, but it proved to be such an impediment to progress before that I would be very stupid to try that again.

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  • January 2, 2018 at 6:17 pm
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    I am also in – can’t guarantee completing in a year – but it will give me some focus and encourage me on some mid-century authors that I have always meant to read.

    Definitely will have some non-fiction in there, and audio books.

    I appreciate the time-span adjustment – I don’t want to pass up some more recent publications just to fill in a spreadsheet

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  • January 4, 2018 at 12:32 am
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    Yes, I’m in! I can’t wait to get started. It’s great that so many people are participating. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone reads!

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  • January 5, 2018 at 8:22 pm
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    I initially deleted your post after reading it as I thought there is no way I can do this challenge! I am increasing my work hours and will have less time to read. However, after reading the comments and the posting about it on Thomas’ Hogglestock blog, I am intrigued to keep track of my reading by year. I am going to pay attention to the year and make a list of the 100 years, writing the first book I read from that publication year. This will take me several years as I tend to read newish books and my house is full of them. I’ll see how it goes and I am sure I will get suggestions for older books from both you and Thomas. Thanks for the suggestion!

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  • January 11, 2018 at 3:52 pm
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    I’m In ! Will do Two Centuries of Books to include 19th and 20th centuries. I’ll keep a written spreadsheet, and it will probably take a few years…..but I’m excited to start!

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  • February 14, 2018 at 3:29 pm
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    Just finished my 2018 read: The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar. Absolutely fabulous writing , going to be one of my best reads all year, recommended.

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  • June 11, 2018 at 12:38 pm
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    My challenge – to read a book from each year since my birth (the better part of a centenary) – is complete – as long as I read a new book each year for eternity.

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    • June 13, 2018 at 10:26 am
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      Well done!!

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  • October 2, 2018 at 7:54 pm
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    I made my goal for 2018 (I planned to do at least 50 this year and finish the century next year). 51 done and still counting!

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  • December 17, 2018 at 3:52 am
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    So glad I took you up on this challenge, Simon! Just four years to go (1970, 2002, 2003, 2008), and I’ve had such great reading experiences, learned so much, found many new authors – what a great way to organize my year’s reading experience!
    The downside, of course, is that so many other books have gone into the TBR piles because I simply didn’t have time to read everything (I had extra choices for most of the years, so could easily do an ACOB repeat) – but that will be what guides my 2019 reading: ideas from other readers’ ACOB lists, Slightly Foxed books I’ve been saving up to read, and special ones I saved for a thematic reading series (Saki’s The Unbearable Bassington, Rose Macaulay’s Crewe Train, Jane Bowles’s Two Serious Ladies, and (especially, because I love the cover) Richmal Crompton’s The Ridleys – and, as usual, ideas from the Tea or Books podcast.
    Thank you, thank you, for this wonderful idea!

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  • December 23, 2018 at 1:26 pm
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    I can give you two books for 1970 (both of which I’ve reviewed): “84 Charing Cross Road” by Helene Haniff (which is non-fiction) and “The Collected Works of Billy the Kid” by Michael Ondaatje (which is a kind of poetry/prose book)! Unfortunately, the only book I’ve reviewed for 1991 was an autobiography.

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    • December 26, 2018 at 6:47 pm
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      Thanks so much, Davida. I appreciate your suggestions. I found I already had a copy of Muriel Spark’s “The Driver’s Seat,” so am going to read it for 1970. The only other one left is 2002, and that will be Atul Gawande’s “Complications” (non-fiction). I love 84 Charing Cross Road. Haven’t read that Ondaatje book, but will look for it at my library.

      Reply
  • December 26, 2018 at 7:21 pm
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    Just starting the 99th…but the last 2 are longish reads so may not finish till Jan. Have loved the challenge but looking forward to a year off…planning a binge on Mrs Henry Wood!! Hope you had a good Xmas xx

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  • January 5, 2019 at 9:27 am
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    Finished!!
    READING CHALLENGE: total so far 100

    1920: Hungry Hearts–Anzia Yezierska
    1921: Vera—–Elizabeth von Arnim
    1922: The Life and Death of Harriet Frean–May Sinclair
    1923: The Ladies of Lyndon–Margaret Kennedy
    1924: The Matriarch–GB Stern
    1925: The Mother’s Recompense–Edith Wharton
    1926: Crewe Train—Rose Macaulay
    1927: The Bridge of San Luis Rey–Thornton Wilder
    1928: Up the Country–Miles Franklin
    1929: All Quiet on the Western Front–Erich Maria Remarque

    1930: His Monkey Wife—John Collier
    1931: More from the Primeval Forest–Albert Schweitzer
    1932: The Radetzky March–Joseph Roth
    1933: The Gowk Storm–Nancy Brysson Morrison
    1934: Miss Buncle’s Book–DE Stevenson
    1935: Empress Elisabeth of Austria–Egon Corti
    1936: Live Alone and Like it–Marjorie Hillis
    1937: The Education of Hyman Kaplan–Leo Rosten
    1938: Floodtide of Fate–Olav Duun
    1939: The Grey Goose of Kilnevin–Patricia Lynch

    1940:The Heart is a Lonely Hunter–Carson McCullers
    1941: Corentyne Thunder–Edgar Mittelholzer
    1942: Never no More—-Maura Laverty
    1943: Two Serious Ladies—Jane Bowles
    1944: No More than Human–Maura Laverty
    1945: At Mrs Lippincote’s–Elizabeth Taylor
    1946: Medallions–Zofia Nalkowska
    1947: The Slaves of Solitude–Patrick Hamilton
    1948: A Little Tea, A Little Chat–Christina Stead
    1949: Little Boy Lost–Marghanita Laski

    1950:Mary O’Grady—Mary Lavin
    1951:My Cousin Rachel—Daphne du Maurier
    1952: Many Mansions—Isabel Bolton
    1953: Jane and Prudence–Barbara Pym
    1954: The Lamb–Francois Mauriac
    1955: A Good Man is Hard to Find–Flannery O’Connor
    1956: The Poor Christ of Bomba–Mongo Beti
    1957: Angel—Elizabeth Taylor
    1958:The Changeling—Robin Jenkins
    1959: The Flame Trees of Thika—Elspeth Huxley

    1960: The Dean’s Watch–Elizabeth Goudge
    1961: Childhood Memories–GT di Lampedusa
    1962: The Pumpkin Eater–Penelope Mortimer
    1963: The New Moon with the Old–Dodie Smith
    1964: The Stories of Frank Sargeson–Frank Sargeson
    1965: After Julius–Elizabeth Jane Howard
    1966: Silence—Shusaku Endo
    1967:Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth and I–EL Konigsburg
    1968: Couples–John Updike
    1969: A Suppressed Cry—Victoria Glendinning

    1970: Daddy was a Number Runner–Louise Meriwether
    1971:The Book of Witnesses–David Kossoff
    1972:The Innocents–Margery Sharp
    1973: The Brothers Lionheart—Astrid Lindgren
    1974: The Diviners—Margaret Laurence
    1975:In the Beginning–Chaim Potok
    1976: Woolworth Madonna–Elizabeth Troop
    1977: How Many Years–Marguerite Yourcenar
    1978: God on the Rocks–Jane Gardam
    1979: The Cloud Catchers–Ursula Holden

    1980: Housekeeping—Marilynne Robinson
    1981: Still Missing–Beth Gutcheon
    1982: A Boy’s Own Story–Edmund White
    1983: A Hot Country–Shiva Naipaul
    1984: An Angel at My Table–Janet Frame
    1985: The Envoy from Mirror City–Janet Frame
    1986: The Old Devils–Kingsley Amis
    1987: Ellen Foster—Kaye Gibbons
    1988: The Wine Dark Sea–Robert Aickman
    1989: The Neon Bible–John Kennedy Toole

    1990: The Light Years–Elizabeth Jane Howard
    1991: Marking Time–Elizabeth Jane Howard
    1992: Dona Ines Versus Oblivion–Ana Teresa Torres
    1993: Confusion–Elizabeth Jane Howard
    1994: The Blue Sky–Galsan Tschinag
    1995: Casting Off–Elizabeth Jane Howard
    1996: The Green Mile–Stephen King
    1997: Voices from Chernobyl–Svetlana Alexievich
    1998: A Beautiful Mind–Sylvia Nasar
    1999: Falling–Elizabeth Jane Howard

    2000: Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress–Dai Sijie
    2001: Beside the Sea–Veronique Olmi
    2002: The Little Friend–Donna Tartt
    2003: Easter Island–Jennifer Vanderbes
    2004: Passion–Jude Morgan
    2005: My Cleaner–Maggie Gee
    2006: The Stolen Village–Des Ekin
    2007: Tomorrow Pamplona–Jan van Meersbergen
    2008: The Looking Glass Sisters–Gohril Gabrielsen
    2009: The Murder of Halland—Pia Juul

    2010: Lives like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson & her Family’s Feuds—Lyndall Gordon
    2011: The Dead Lake–Hamid Ismailov
    2012: Gone Girl—Gillian Flynn
    2013: All Change–Elizabeth Jane Howard
    2014: Those Wild Wyndhams–Claudia Renton
    2015: A Spool of Blue Thread–Anne Tyler
    2016: Miss Jane–Brad Watson
    2017: Elmet–Fiona Mozley
    2018: The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock–Imogen Hermes Gowar

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