Books I read in 2013

A list of the 34 books and three audiobooks ‘read’ by me during 2013.

Dart
by Alice Oswald
Book-length poem about a Devon river.

The Missing of the Somme
by Geoff Dyer
An essay on Remembrance.

Granta 122: Betrayal
by John Freeman (ed.)
An straw that broke the camel's back.

Across the Land and the Water
by W.G. Seabld
Incomprehensible poetry from the maestro.

Findings
by Kathleen Jamie
A masterpiece of ‘nature’ writing. Even better on a second reading.

Museum Without Walls
by Jonathan Meades
A book about places.

The Overhaul
by Kathleen Jamie
A fantastic book of, erm… poetry!

Turned Out Nice Again
by Richard Mabey
A little book about the weather.

Village Hours
by Ronald Blythe
More delightful country diary pieces from the veteran writer.

Yoga for People Who Can't be Bothered to Do It
by Geoff Dyer
Occasionally amusing travel pieces.

A Place in the Country
by W.G. Sebald
Essays on five writers and a painter who influenced Sebald's work.

Darwin's Apprentice
by Janet Owen
An archaeological biography of John Lubbock.

The North
by Paul Morley
Mostly Stockport.

The Sea Inside
by Philip Hoare
Whale-obsessed author explores our relationship with the sea.

The Time by the Sea
by Ronald Blythe
Memoir of artistic friendships in Aldeburgh, 1955–1958.

Nature Cure
by Richard Mabey
Re-reading the classic account of a nature writer recovering from depression by reconnecting with nature.

Granta 124: Travel
by John Freeman (ed.)
Meh!

Campo Santo
by W.G. Sebald
File under Sebaldian.

Notes From Walnut Tree Farm
by Roger Deakin
Re-reading the jottings of a great observer of nature's minutiae. My favourite book of Deakin's.

Austerlitz
by W.G. Sebald.
Re-re-reading the indescribable. A masterpiece.

Vertigo
by W.G. Sebald
As ever, file under Sebaldian.

The Rings of Saturn
by W.G. Sebald
Yet another re-reading of Sebald's enigmatic masterpiece.

Diary of a Madman and other stories
by Nikolai Gogol
A masterpiece, apparently. But not for me.

The Emigrants
by W.G. Sebald.
Still as Sebaldian as ever.

Holloway
by Robert Macfarlane, Stanley Donwood & Dan Richards
Beautiful, but expensive.

Swallows & Amazons
by Arthur Ransome
Classic children's book telling of war with pirates.

Under a Broad Sky
by Ronald Blythe
Yet more delightful country diary pieces from the veteran writer.

A Sting in the Tale
by Dave Goulson
Fascinating book about bumblebees.

The Small Heart of Things
by Julian Hoffman
A book that demonstrates the value of paying attention.

Just Kids
by Patti Smith
Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe and their lives together.

Understanding a Photograph
by John Berger
Essays on photographs, photography and photographers.

The Ongoing Moment
by Geoff Dyer
Recurring themes in famous photographs by famous photographers.

Sightlines
by Kathleen Jamie
A second volume of superb nature and landscape essays.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
by John le Carré
Classic tale of deception behind the Iron Curtain.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
by John le Carré
There's a mole in the Circus.

Among Muslims
by Kathleen Jamie
Meetings at the Frontiers of Pakistan.

Smiley's People
by John le Carré
The conclusion of the magnificent ‘Karla Trilogy’.

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