Bookman Beattie's favourite reads of 2013

My fellow Ngaio Marsh Award judge Graham "Bookman" Beattie, a terrific blogger and longtime stalwart of the New Zealand books industry, as a publisher, reviewer, and awards judge (amongst other things), has this week decided to share his 'favourite reads of the year' (which he doesn't always do).

It's good to see plenty of crime fiction on Graham's list, including perhaps an unusual leading contender for next year's Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel - the Man Booker Prize-winning THE LUMINARIES by Eleanor Catton. It is, after all, a 'historical, astrological murder mystery' that includes plenty of thriller aspects, and even courtroom drama.

I haven't really read enough books this year to compile my own decent list, but amongst those I have read, I'd definitely agree with Graham about Ian Rankin's excellent SAINTS OF THE SHADOW BIBLE, and Michael Connelly's THE GODS OF GUILT. Two excellent instalments in two of the best international series from two of the greatest contemporary exponents of the crime genre.

You can see the Bookman's full list, for fiction and non-fiction, here. Plenty of great reads to grab for the summer (or the winter, for your Northern Hemisphere-ites) reading pile!!