8. The Railway Station Man, by Jennifer Johnston

I first discovered Jennifer Johnston when I picked up "Fools Sanctuary" a few years ago and was immediately impressed with her ability to tell a story through her characters. Everything they say or do tells you something about who they are and why. Nothing is wasted, and the story reveals itself to you scene by scene without need for lengthy descriptions or history or explanations. I love the way this allows you to make your own mind up, and the way it relates the political theme of Ireland's Troubles through the personal interactions of her characters.

So I was excited to find The Railway Station Man included in a collection of her work I'd not seen before, and eager to revisit her wild Ireland. I wasn't disappointed. This is set on the west coast of Ireland, and the main character, Helen, is a painter, who has a studio built on a hillside with a glass wall of windows looking out over the ocean, so she can have the view to herself. There is the same intimate, truthful and forgiving attitude to all of her characters that's so rare in politically-themed novels, and in society in general. It sends a powerful message about the needless deaths caused by violence. But it is also a personal story about Helen's struggle with herself to finally become the artist she once dreamed of being before it's too late.

I loved it, and like her other books I can't wait to read it again to discover what I missed the first time.

7. Changing Planes, by Ursula Le Guin

This is a book of ideas. Elegantly written, subtle, philosophical and satirical, it uses fantastical worlds to provoke questions about how we live in our world. It begins with a woman who while waiting for a aeroplane discovers the technique for travelling to other planes (not aeroplanes, but planes of existence). Each plane is richly imagined and deftly described, but rather than depend on the sheer novelty and originality of the fantasy worlds, each story focusses on a distinct characteristic of an alien culture to reveal something about our own world, our human flaws and our potential. I loved it! Especially The Fliers of Gyr (if you've ever wondered what it would be like to be able to fly, read this), and The Seasons of the Ansarac (about a culture that travels seasonally between the country and the city - in the country they mate and have children, while in the cities the family splits up and they live in unrelated groups) . They're short stories, but so full of ideas and questions that they kept me entertained long after I'd put the book down.

6. There where the pepper grows, by Bem Le Hunte

A student friend recommended this to me after I had recommended "Joy School" by Elizabeth Berg to her. Narrated by a Jewish man (which feels a bit strange at first because it's written by a woman) who flees Poland in WWII with his wife, his son, and his childhood sweetheart. They settle in Calcutta, and I loved the descriptions of the city and the family as their fortunes wax and wane. Made me want to catch the next plane, preferably during the Holi Festival. But it's so much more than a travel book.. it's about compassion, and tolerance, and the many different forms of love we experience in a lifetime, and how it endures despite the inevitability of change. Rich, beautiful, warm and wise, this book definitely belongs in my top ten for this year.

5. The Bronte Project, by Jennifer Vandever

About a graduate student doing a thesis on Charlotte Bronte (my favourite of the Brontes), so I thought it might be similar to Charlotte's style of writing . But it's more of a modern 'chick lit' kind of novel, with a girl struggling to maintain her ideals while everyone around her seems to have none.. so maybe it is a bit like Charlotte Bronte. I enjoyed it.. especially the conflict between the main character and her flamboyant friend/enemy Claire.

4. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time, by Mark Haddon

I loved the idea behind this - it's written from the perspective of a boy with Asperger's syndrome. This is what he says:
"I find people confusing. This is for two main reasons. The first main reason is that people do a lot of talking without using any words. Siobhan says that if you raise one eyebrow it can mean lots of different things. It can mean "I want to do sex with you' and it can also mean 'I think that what you just said was very stupid."

You'll have to read the book to find out the second main reason. This won the Whitbread Book of the Year, and a couple of children/teen fiction prizes, and for good reason. The insights into Aspergers are fascinating, and its so cleverly done that it doesn't feel like you are learning! I'd love to know what someone with Asperger's thinks of it. I thought I knew a bit about it, but nothing you read in textbooks can give you the feeling of having it - this book does. I thought it was brilliant.

3. The Alphabet Sisters, by Monica McInerney

I was in the mood for something light and fluffy when I got back to work so I picked this one out - it's an entertaining and lively book about three sisters who reunite after years of separation to celebrate their Grandmother's birthday. There are lots of funny and awkward moments as they try to avoid talking about the fight that sent them on their separate ways in the first place, and the drama-queen grandmother is a great character, full of spirit. I thought it was good fun and a great book to read when you're in need of some girliness.

2. Unpolished Gem, by Alice Pung

Alice Pung grew up as a Chinese-Cambodian Australian in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. With lots of anecdotes and sharp, often funny dialogue Alice recalls her childhood with warmth and humour. She's not afraid to make fun of herself or her family, and does so without making caricatures of them. However I wanted to know a bit more about her, and felt that she may have skimmed over the surface of some things that could have given her story more depth. But I liked it a lot and was impressed with her memory for dialogue and her clear-sighted view of herself and others.