My Top 10 Books at the Moment

Unlike my Top 5s, this is a dynamic list, reflecting my favourite books at the moment. It draws from all the books I am reading, be they from my Around the World in 80,000 challenge, or not. There's some maths behind it (which is detailed at the bottom if you are interested), but basically, I assign each book a score out of 140, which then drops slowly over time. The ten highest-scoring books at the moment are  listed here. So without further ado, and in ascending order, here we go:

10. The Stolen Bicycle by Wu Ming-Yi

(Read before I started this blog)

A beautiful and gentle ride through Taiwan's history, as seen by one family. It pulls no punches, but at the same time has a tender touch.

9. The Bone Tree by Airana Ngarewa

(Read before I started this blog)

A gritty bildungsroman from New Zealand, where a pair of brothers look out for each other and try and break the generational cycle of violence.

8. Tali Girls

(Read before I started this blog)

Horrifically graphic, the story of three women's lives under the Taliban.

 

7. The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa (Japan)

(Read before I started this blog)

A very stylish, calm and collected look at how totalitarian governments can take away who we are, a piece at a time.

6. Mammoth by Eva Baltasar

One woman's downward spiral the Pyrenees.

5. Disgrace by JM Coetzee

A novel that seems simple, but hides incredible complexity. Two women's accounts of attack are contrasted, Coetzee asks questions of how we frame consent.

4. The Loney by Andrew Micheal Hurley

A masterful gothic horror set on the Morcambe Bay coast.

3. When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà (Spain)

A series of vignettes told from various points of view (including the mountains themselves, which weave together to give an intimate portrayal of a place and a community. 

2. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (Poland)

A dark tale set in the bleak Polish forest, where shadows lurk in the peripheries. A story that stays with you long after you close the book.

1. Verdigris by Michele Mari (Italy)

A masterpiece, visceral and enigmatic. A childhood tale that blends reality with the dark imagination of a child brought up on Lovecraft and Scott, and comes up with something that is neither, and both.

The Maths

Each books is given a score for each of ten, differently weighted, categories. 

Characters (out of 10)

How well the various protagonists have been depicted. Are they believable? Relatable? Likeable?

Plot (out of 10)

Does it make sense? Is it engaging?

Theme (out of 10)

Does the book have a particular subject, or message? Is it engaging? Does it make you think about the topics or ideas? 

Style & Language (out of 20)

Does the language and style fit the book? Is it entertaining to read?

Emotional Resonance (out of 20)

What's the instinctive gut reaction to the book?

Originality (out of 10)

Does the book do something different? Or does it do something familiar in a new way, or with a new voice?

Immersion (out of 10)

Does the book draw you into its own world?

Authenticity (out of 10)

Does the voice and depiction of the world feel authentic in terms of the setting?

Genre Expectations (out of 30)

How well does the book do what it sets out to? If it's literary fiction, does it ask questions or look at things from an interesting angle? If it's a mystery, does it intrigue? If it's a horror, is it unsettling or frightening?

Physical Book (out of 10)

Does it have a well-designed cover? Nice paper? What about the type setting?

All these add up to a score out of 140. Prior to 20th January 2026 I scored books differently, giving them a score out of 100, based mainly off gut feel. I think I was slightly more generous with this score, and so to convert it to a score out of 140 (to make the books directly comparable), I multiplied it by 1.265193. 

This initial score is then reduced by 0.01% every day, giving a weight to more recent books and allowing the volatility which makes a top ten so exciting.