It was a decent fiction year for me: not too many absolute standouts, but quite a few solid reads. Thanks to the International Booker, I read a number of translated works (into English) – it was a very mixed bag, with several favourites, a couple of mehs and a winner (Heart Lamp) that didn’t work for me at all. But reading more than half of the longlist was a very enriching experience, which I think is the point of the International Booker. I also read a few of the big commercial releases of the year, not something that I always do. It confirmed my experience that I tend to like these books, but they are rarely my firm favourites (although one of them is on this list).