The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

 

Having read reviews, this book seems a little like marmite - you love it or you don't - I am in the later!  
This book had the feeling of a Charles Dickens novel in some ways; the strange pacing, the somewhat caricatured characters and the atmosphere were reminiscent of The Old Curiosity Shop for me. I loved her detail of Victorian life - the social issues, descriptions of early medical advance.
The Essex backdrop was brilliantly written though, and I loved the imagery and Perry's descriptive style. I also thought that the letters the characters exchange throughout the novel were nicely done. 
I liked all the symbolism - the serpent itself, possibly a multi faceted metaphor, representing at different times superstition, the general darkness of human nature, self doubt and destructiveness, the threat of adultery to a happy marriage, and indeed there could be a reading of the book in which Cora is the Essex Serpent.
However, I didn't really warm to the characters and at times I felt the book dragged!

 

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

This book contains no Miss Marple or Poirot. But I really enjoyed this story as it has interesting characterization and well-crafted plot. Infact this was one of Christie's own favourites! It is a dark story! 

What will remain by Dan Clements

 
What will remain is a war novel born out of the author's own experiences of serving with the Royal Marines in Afghanistan. It consists of a series of distinct but closely interwoven stories told against the backdrop of the conflict. It is on the Guardian's "Not the Booker" shortlist. 
At times, it felt a jumbled mixture of background, emotion and opinion - which at times meant I didn't enjoy it.

THE LESS THAN PERFECT LEGEND OF DONNA CREOSOTE by Dan Micklethwaite

 
This is on  shortlist for the not-the-booker-prize 2016. It tells the story/love-live of  a wine guzzling twenty-two year old whose life revolves around the stories she reads in books. Though it has some very funny moments, this is a very sad book. But it wasn't for me - I didn't connect at all with the main character, Donna!

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Out of all the man Booker longlist I enjoyed this the most. It is a study of and commentary on race - very wittily done with so much in this book usually off limits and taboo. I loved the idea of employing humour to deal with serious subjects.
The pace of the book moves fast.
However, it is not an easy read - there were no 'normal sentences' and that was very tiring and there was lots of linguistic humour which as a white english person it meant it was hard to follow.