Our 2019 In Books: Amy Richardson

As 2019 comes to an end, we consider the reading that defined each of our years. In this first piece, Amy Richardson looks at a year of fewer but more impactful reads.

All photos by Amy Richardson.

This year, for various reasons, I haven’t managed to read as much as I would like. Between starting a new job that tired me out (or so I thought, turns out it’s me that’s always tired and there’s not much I can do about it), a couple of books that took forever to get through, and having several Netflix mega binges that lasted weeks, I only just hit my reading goal for the year. 

But what a year it has been. I have read so many truly excellent books by women that I am more determined than ever to not read two books by men in a row. I have read some great non-fiction and some even better fiction. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I nearly threw a borrowed book against the wall… For the first time in my life I managed to actually read the Booker Prize shortlist and not just say I would. The fact that I didn’t finish them all before the winners were announced just gives me a goal to hit next year.This year I consciously made more time for non literary books. I allowed myself to read whatever I fancied, so I read more historical fiction, as well as books that were designed to be read on a beach. I started reading a new series of novels and started rereading an old favourite –- though this was mainly because I couldn’t remember where I’d got to before I stopped reading them. This meant I read widely and from all sorts of genres. And on the whole, what I read made me happy. 

The New Favourite 

Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernadine Evaristo

 This year I decided to read the entire Booker Prize Shortlist. As expected, I didn’t particularly like one of the books, and enjoyed most of the rest. What I didn’t think would happen was that I would pick up  one of the most extraordinary books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading . Girl, Woman, Other is quite unlike any other novel I’ve come across . Following the stories of each of seventeen  people one at a time (mostly black, mostly women), this book weaves their lives together with such a light touch that you never feel annoyed to come across a character you recognise because it never seems forced. An instant favourite and one to be reread and savoured again and again. I’m recommending it to everyone.

The One I Nearly Threw Against the Wall

 The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer

 I would not have ever picked this book up if one of my managers hadn’t handed it to me in return for me lending her some books (both fabulous and way better than this, I might add). I hated every single character. Every time I thought one of them was redeeming themselves, they slipped back into misogyny and/or racism. Most of them died – not a spoiler considering this is a war novel – and I mourned none of them. If it wasn’t already battered and not my book, this would have been chucked against a wall.

(For anyone wondering why I bothered to finish it – my manager will definitely want to discuss the whole book when I hand it back)

The One That Surprised Me

Three Things About Elsie, by Joanna Cannon

 My mother did not enjoy Joanna Cannon’s The Trouble with Sheep and Goats and was incredibly vocal about that fact. So when she told me to read Three Things About Elsie, I was quite surprised. I’m so glad I did though. I didn’t go in with high expectations. The blurb wasn’t particularly appealing and the first ten pages or so weren’t that gripping. I honestly did not expect to find such a sweet and endearing novel about old age, friendship and things long forgotten. A book about a bunch of old people living in a care home may not sound like it would be lively, fun,  and genuinely heartwarming, but it is. And it’s funny. The bittersweet twist at the end only served to ensure the novel will live long in my memory.

The Classic

North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell

I have already talked about my love of the 2004 adaptation of North and South starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe so I won’t retread old ground. Instead I will say that I loved this novel. Gaskell always surprises me. North and South is so easy to read, despite the occasional descent into a phonetic recreation of the ‘Milton’ accent, that I raced through this novel.  I loved the way she built up sexual tension between Miss Hale and Mr Thornton and how she never once stated that Margaret’s feelings towards him were changing. Instead Gaskell showed us how she was beginning to perceive in a more favourable light with such a delicate touch that it felt natural and unforced. The ending is fabulously understated. Now I need to rewatch the TV series…

The One That Broke My Heart

I am, I am, I am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, by Maggie O’Farrell

I read this towards the start of the year, when I was living in a tiny room in a lovely flat in Battersea. This book had me sobbing. O’Farrell writes so matter-of-factly about heartbreaking subjects, recounting her brushes with death in a simple way that avoids melodrama. In searing prose she makes you conscious of life’s fragility. How each heartbeat could be our last. It makes you ask yourself a terrifying, revealing question: what would you do if your life was in danger, and what would you stand to lose?

The Confusing One

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton

This novel completely baffled me at first. As I read the first 50 or so pages I was wondering what on earth I’d picked up. Yet it was compelling enough for me to read on and  the premise had potential. And boy did the concept pay off. It was brilliantly executed. I love a murder mystery, the twistier and more involved the better. So here it is: what if you had to solve a murder in eight days, getting a full day in eight different hosts without knowing who you could trust and who you even were? What if at the end of those eight days, failure to solve the murder led to you forgetting everything and starting the cycle all over again. Oh, and you’re not the only person in there trying to solve the murder… I loved it. The final chapter had me thinking the novel would end in about five different ways as the final twists and turns played out.

The One That Wasn’t What I Expected

The Familiars, by Stacey Halls

With a title like The Familiars I thought I was going to get some kind of plot about witchy sisterhood. That was not the case. Instead, the novel uses the Pendle Hill witch trials as a background to a novel that does explore a female friendship, but also marriage, female power, and the ruinous potential of secrets. While this wasn’t a new favourite by any stretch of the imagination, it was easy to read and enjoyable. The plot was well paced and had some satisfying twists. One for curling up with on a wintry day.

The One I Should Have Read Years Ago

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt

Yes, it took me until 2019 to read The Secret History. How could I, you might ask? To be honest, I don’t know. I read The Goldfinch several years ago, so I should have managed TSH before now. But  I just didn’t have a copy and didn’t get around to it. It was, however, worth the wait. All the hype is fully deserved. I enjoyed this read so much and for a while after I would spot people on the tube and think how much they looked like certain characters. If Donna Tartt ever releases another book, it won’t take me so long to get around to that one. Probably...

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Amy Richardson lives and works in London at an internationally renowned art gallery, which isn't as glamorous or exciting as it sounds. She holds a BA in English, an MA in Medieval Studies, and is a Founding Member of The Attic on Eighth.