Hello everyone,
It is time for the next alphabetical list. For anyone who has not come across one of my previous posts in this series, here is where I look back at all the standout characters, authors, titles, and settings from the books I read between the start of 2018 and the end of 2022 – my first five years of book blogging.
The last post for ‘C’ was very long. In this one there is still lots to get through, but it is a little shorter. Let’s make a start!
Daedalus
An inventor in Greek mythology who worked for King Minos of Crete. He escaped the island using a pair of wings he forged together – a famous scene which I saw most notably in Ariadne by Jennifer Saint.
Daisy Jones/Daisy Jones And The Six
An amazing book by Taylor Jenkins Reid which I loved after finally deciding to pick it up in the summer of 2021. It is about the reflections of a band called the Six who were joined by solo artist Daisy to become a supergroup – and Daisy is a compelling character in so many ways.
Daisy Mason
A girl who goes missing in Close To Home by Cara Hunter, providing the first fictional case for DI Adam Fawley and his team.
Damaris
An 11-year-old girl who is one of the main characters in The Song Of Isolation by Michael J. Malone. It was an excellent book and her story in particular broke my heart.
Daniel
A farmer’s boy who falls in love with Sarah, a girl who everyone in the nearby village believes to be a witch with evil powers, in Cunning Women by Elizabeth Lee. He was very likeable; perhaps one of the kindest characters I have come across.
Mrs Danvers
The fearsome housemaid at Manderley in Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. She revered Rebecca and is instantly resentful of the second Mrs de Winter, going on to take ultimate revenge.
Daphne du Maurier
The author of Rebecca, Mrs Danvers and all. Her writing was atmospheric and gripping – somewhat ahead of its time, you might say. One of the most famous authors of the 20th century.
Darcey
A mean girl at school in Threadneedle by Cari Thomas, who bullies Anna and her friends until she is made to suffer at the hands of their magic.
The Dark Room
A crime novel by Sam Blake, which was the first book I read in 2021. Set in Ireland, I really enjoyed the storytelling and the two main characters.
Darkling
The main villain of the Shadow And Bone series by Leigh Bardugo. A power-hungry character who looks to bring terror to Ravka by enveloping it in the Shadow Fold, he brings darkness and aims to harness the sun summoning power of Alina Starkov. The Darkling is known by several different names.
Daughter Of The Moon Goddess
The best book I read in 2022. Gorgeously written by Sue Lynn Tan, with amazing characters and settings, everything about it was thrilling and captivating and it tells the story of titular protagonist Xingyin.
David Eastman
A wayward pupil at Ellingham Academy in the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson. He is evasive but also enigmatic, and that is what draws main character Stevie to him…
David King
A really egotistical police offer who appears in The Whole Truth by Cara Hunter, to take over a case when Adam Fawley is investigated in connection to a murder.
David Kostyk
A Fabrikator in the Shadow And Bone series. He loves his machinery as well as Genya.
Dead Popular
A young adult thriller by Sue Wallman. This one is set in a boarding school where the main character Kate attempts to throw an epic party, only to find herself caught up in a life-or-death scenario.
Dead Secret
A thriller by Ava McCarthy which I picked up at random from the library and it turned out to be one of my best reads of 2018. The twist was completely jaw-dropping.
Declan
I have read about two characters called Declan. One was Felix’s art school rival in Felix Ever After by Kacen Callendar, and the other was a man suspected by many to be guilty of murder in Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus.
Dee
A Scottish nanny who is charged with looking after Felicity, the mute daughter of a Dean at the University of Oxford in Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins. When Felicity goes missing, Dee is interviewed at length by the police.
Deity
The fifth instalment of the Six Stories series by Matt Wesolowski, where online journalist Scott King presents a podcast about allegations of sexual abuse against a musician. One of the most thought-provoking entries in the series.
Delia Owens
The author of Where The Crawdads Sing, one of my favourite books and among the most popular books worldwide in the past few years. It was her debut novel.
Denmark
The setting of The Chestnut Man by Soren Svelstrup, which I read in 2021 and it became one my favourite books that year.
Department in Charge of Magical Youth
The department that Linus Baker works for in The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune.
Derry Dynes
A supporting character in I Found You by Lisa Jewell. I include Derry because she was the first real person to give her name to a character in a Lisa Jewell book, and others have followed as a result of that initiative ever since.
The Devil And The Dark Water
The second book by Stuart Turton, about a series of curious murders which take place on a ship bound for Indonesia.
Diana Urban
The author of INTENSE young adult thrillers, All Your Twisted Secrets and These Deadly Games. Though far fetched in places, I have enjoyed them both and her next one is on my TBR. Diana also kindly took part in a Q&A post for me.
Diane Setterfield
The author of Once Upon A River, which I awarded five stars to back in 2019 for its gorgeous storytelling. Her previous book is The Thirteenth Tale, which has been on my unread pile for too long to admit.
The Dictionary Of Lost Words
A powerful coming of age story by Pip Williams which I read in 2022, about a woman who works with her father on compiling the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Diego
One of the characters trapped in a locked room with a ticking time bomb in All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban. He is described as academic and attractive.
Dionysus
The wine god in Greek mythology. When Ariadne is abandoned to his island, she ends up marrying him.
Discussion post
During my years of blogging I have written a number of discussion posts about a whole range of bookish topics. They are some of my favourite posts to write, but also the most time-consuming!
The Doll Factory
A dark and atmospheric historical fiction by Elizabeth Macneal, set in Victorian London and including a young woman who falls in love with an artist, but is also an object of dangerous fascination for Silas, a taxidermist.
Dominican Republic
The Caribbean nation that is one of the settings for Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Camino lives there and loses her father to a plane crash.
Don
Evelyn Hugo’s first husband; a fellow actor who subjects her to domestic violence.
Don’t Turn Around
An excellent thriller by Amanda Brooke that is set in Liverpool, about a woman who sets up a hotline after her daughter killed herself. I read this early in 2019.
Donna de Freitas
A police officer in the Thursday Murder Club series of books by Richard Osman, who gets lovingly caught up in all the crime-solving escapades of the residents of Cooper’s Chase retirement village. I really like Donna, she is one of my favourite characters in these books.
Doors
Doors with a capital D. These provide access to different worlds in The Ten Thousand Doors Of January by Alix E. Harrow.
Dorothea
A young woman in The Corset by Laura Purcell who likes to practice phrenology and works with prisoners. She is struck by the story of Ruth, a teenage girl accused of murder.
Dottie Epstein
A pupil of Ellingham Academy in the Truly Devious series, who was killed by the kidnapper of Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter in 1936 when she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Drake
I have read about two characters called Drake, and both of them were very unlikable! First we have a boy in The One Memory Of Flora Banks who Flora remembers but is unable to work out why, and then Libby’s awful former boyfriend in The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Drummer
One of the main characters in Lies Like Wildfire by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez. Definitely one of the most annoying characters I have encountered.
Duct Tape Killer
The name given to a serial killer in As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson, who used duct tape to bind his victims.
Dylan
A young boy diagnosed with cancer in After The End by Clare Mackintosh. The story revolves around the decision by his parents whether to put him through life-extending treatment.
Dystopia
I only read dystopian fiction from time to time, but I have found some good ones in the past few years. Several focus on the topic of climate change, while others have some very innovative concepts.
Let’s Chat
And that’s the lot!
Have you come across any of these books, authors, or characters? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading 🙂
Stephen Reads Books 