5 books I love (part 5)

This is a tricky one - having already committed myself to four books (or rather 11 books in total if you don't count 'Three Men on the Bummel'), choosing only one for the last spot feels as though I am rejecting every other book in the world, despite the fact that I purposefully chose a non-exclusionary description for these books. However, I think I am going to have to go with an author rather than a specific book as all her books are good in the same way whilst all being very different. 5. Kate Atkinson I really like her books, not only because they have intricate plots which are somehow constructed in a way which doesn't leave you confused and flipping through the earlier pages to try and remind yourself of what's going on. There is just enough character development that you engage with them, but not so much that you end up reading entire pages where nothing actually happens except the discovery of the underlying reason behind why someone did something that you read about ten pages ago. The first of Kate Atkinson's books is 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' which is set across three generations of the same family, and although there is an element of a mystery, you don't spend the whole book trying to work it out - it's an engrossing read but you don't really realise that there's a discovery to be made, making the moment of discovery even more enjoyable because the plot wasn't entirely propped up by the need to know a certain piece of information in order for the rest of the plot to make sense. I think my favourite of her books is Emotionally Weird, which makes me feel drunk to read it, such is the demeanour of so many of the characters that it feels a bit like the kind of memory you have when you wake up and you can't be sure whether you are recalling events of the previous day or a dream you had whilst sleeping it all off. Kate Atkinson has managed to perfect a writing style which is funny, intriguing, thought-provoking and completely engrossing - I love her and have just found out that she's got a new book out. Something for the Christmas list I think...!