This is my first round up, but, hey!, it’s January, time for new things.

Short and sweet – what have I read this month and in few words what do I think about it. Where you see a link it links to my review – no link – no review – for now at least, I’ll be posting them, promise!

I managed to read 5 of my Christmas gifts! They help me through the self imposed book-shopping-ban.

10. Last Rituals – Yrsa Sigurdardottir – back to Iceland, this time Reykjavik. this one was a bit of a bore, despite combining murder and black magic society.
9. The Mersault Investigation – Kamel Daoud – it’s a mirror held to The Stranger and a worthy opponent at the same time, I really think now that both of those books exist they should be read together.
8. Snowblind – Ragnar Jonasson – claustrophobic Icelandic crime, lots of snow and darkness, your policeman, small community cut off from the world, it was fun.
7. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? – Jeanette Winterson – the most amazing surprise of last few months, fantastic book, I’m in love.
6. The Outsider / The Stranger – Albert Camus – it’s been probably 15 years since I read The Plague. The Stranger (I prefer this title, I read it in yet another language) reads so easily that halfway through the book I decided to start over sure that I must have been missing something. I wasn’t… the thinking starts later
5. Midnight Sun – Jo Nesbo – another novella, somehow this made stronger impression, maybe because it happens in an isolated place in winter, very close to nature.
4. Bad Boy – Peter Robinson – I just like DCI Banks, what can I do? omg, writing this post I just discovered there’s a series!
3. Blood on Snow – Jo Nesbo – for me it was more of a longish short story than a novel, but interesting how people always crave redemption, love and new beginnings.
2. 24/7 : Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep – Jonathan Crary
1. The Son – Jo Nesbo – it’s been a while since my last Nesbo, I must admit that even without Harry he’s still in shape, but nothing beats The Snowman!

Photo by Violetta Kaszubowska