Before we get onto this year’s Bookerthon we’ll sneak in another Back Booker.

It was quite a mixed bag this year, and we enjoyed most of the books.

The one that stood out for Rachel was In The Country Of Men. It is engaging, emotive and taught the reader a lot about Libya under Gaddafi’s regime. A fluid writing style that feels like an experience.

Suzy found The Inheritance of Loss a beautiful and poignant tale and is pleased it did take out the top spot that year.

Mother’s Milk could have been snapping at its heels though – that is a moving book, even if a bit disturbing.

The Night Watch was fascinating, (war stories, Sarah Waters great combo). The Australian book, The Secret River, was interesting but we did agree it was a shallow portrayal of the injustices carried out on Aboriginal People by settlers. Guess we are just too spoilt being surrounded by a wide range of deep-meaning Maori stories here in New Zealand.

Carry Me Down, was another Irish misery story. Though, John Egan is well-developed enough to elicit some sympathy so there were definitely some positives to reading this story.

Best book 1-6: Rachel:

In The Country Of Men
The Inheritance Of Loss
The Night Watch
Mother’s Milk
The Secret River
Carry Me Down

Best book 1-6: Suzy:

The Inheritance Of Loss
The Night Watch
In The Country Of Men
Mother’s Milk
The Secret River
Carry Me Down