187 ratings | 7 reviews | avg rating:3.79

Christopher’s Year In Books

Christopher’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Christopher’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Christopher Shevlin’s Followers (125)

Christopher’s Bookshelves

to-read (3)
currently-reading (9)
read (190)
abandoned (2)
books-i-ve-written (0)

Christopher’s Friends (75)

Hector Jimenez

701 books | 51 friends

Lukas N.P. Egger

758 books | 84 friends

Lianne Marie

2,172 books | 173 friends

Mark Speed

753 books | 123 friends

Mark Edwards

148 books | 1,033 friends

John Blumenthal

1,241 books | 2,392 friends

Michele

1,551 books | 79 friends

Nazia Kiria

385 books | 9 friends

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Christopher Shevlin

Goodreads Author

Born

in Stafford, The United Kingdom

December 31

Website

http://christophershevlin.com

Twitter

chrisshevlin

Genre

Humor and Comedy, Nonfiction

Influences

Douglas Adams, P.G. Wodehouse, John O'Farrell, Henry Howarth Bashford, ...more

Member Since

June 2012

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Christopher Shevlin is, essentially, an older, bearded and slightly shorter version of Jonathon Fairfax. He grew up in Yorkshire and spent his whole adult life in London, before going to Berlin to write his second novel, Jonathon Fairfax Must Be Destroyed. The book is set in London.

When life is hard, he has always turned to books for comfort. His favourites include his battered old Jeeves Omnibus, Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently books, 1066 And All That, the Molesworth books, and Augustus Carp By Himself. His ambition is to write books that are even a tenth as comfortingly odd.

To find out more about Christopher Shevlin, his books, and the disturbingly assertive squirrels of Helsinki, please visit www.christophershevlin.com

(Author photo by Matth ...more

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Combine Editions
Christopher Shevlin’s books

Average rating: 4.05 · 9,444 ratings · 556 reviews · 8 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Perpetual Astonishment of Jonathon Fairfax (Jonathon Fairfax, #1) 3.79 avg rating — 4,902 ratings — published 2012 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jonathon Fairfax Must Be Destroyed (Jonathon Fairfax, #2) 4.34 avg rating — 2,142 ratings — published 2017 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Spy Who Came in from the Bin (Jonathon Fairfax, #3) 4.30 avg rating — 1,550 ratings — published 2020	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fairfax Redemption: A Jonathon Fairfax Novel (Jonathon Fairfax, #4) 4.45 avg rating — 632 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Pursuit of Coconuts 4.08 avg rating — 208 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Penguin Writers Guide Writing For Business 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2005 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Simple Guide to E-mail it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2002	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jonathon Fairfax (2 Book Series) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Christopher Shevlin…

56 posts
Christopher Shevlin's Blog

On mishearing myself in a dream

I had a dream last night in which I bumped into a friend in a shop. She said she’d just come from a new women’s yoga studio called HerLimberLimbs. ‘Hurlimbalims?’ I said, not understanding what I’d just heard. ‘Her Limber Limbs,’ she said slowly and clearly. ‘Oh! Right,’ I said. ‘Good name.’ Isn’t that a […]

The post On mishearing myself in a dream first appeared on Christopher Shevlin.

Series by Christopher Shevlin

Jonathon Fairfax (3 books)
by

Christopher Shevlin (Goodreads Author)

4.02 avg rating — 8,592 ratings

Jonathon Fairfax (3 books)
by

Christopher Shevlin (Goodreads Author)

4.02 avg rating — 8,592 ratings

Christopher is Currently Reading

Christopher Shevlin is currently reading

Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 03, 2026 11:23AM

Christopher Shevlin is currently reading

1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed

by Eric H. Cline (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Feb 21, 2026 03:05PM

Christopher Shevlin is currently reading

Vindolanda (Vindolanda, #1)

by Adrian Goldsworthy

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Feb 14, 2026 12:21PM

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Christopher’s Recent Updates

Christopher Shevlin is currently reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 03, 2026 11:23AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Christopher Shevlin is currently reading 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 21, 2026 03:05PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 1177 B.C. by Eric H. Cline. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 1177 B.C. by Eric H. Cline <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Christopher Shevlin is currently reading Vindolanda (Vindolanda, #1) by Adrian Goldsworthy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 14, 2026 12:21PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Christopher Shevlin is currently reading Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self by Claire Tomalin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 02, 2026 02:22PM · like
Christopher Shevlin is currently reading A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 02, 2026 01:07PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Christopher Shevlin is currently reading Swann's Way by Marcel Proust	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 13, 2026 02:49PM · like
Christopher Shevlin is currently reading Pompeii by Robert Harris (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 28, 2025 06:46PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pompeii by Robert Harris. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pompeii by Robert Harris <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Christopher Shevlin rated a book liked it The Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 28, 2025 03:05PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Christopher Shevlin is currently reading Pax Romana: War, Peace and Conquest in the Roman World by Adrian Goldsworthy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 05, 2025 03:21PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Christopher Shevlin rated a book it was amazing Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor by Adrian Goldsworthy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 04, 2025 03:05PM · 2 likes · like

More of Christopher's books…

Quotes by Christopher Shevlin (?)

“Both still stood in the same positions, ready to deal with a conversation, should one break out.”
― Christopher Shevlin, The Perpetual Astonishment of Jonathon Fairfax

3 likes

“Well, I've got tomorrow morning off, so I thought I might spend that thinking about her. Basically, my plan is to maybe just romantically obsess over her but not really do anything about it.”
― Christopher Shevlin, The Perpetual Astonishment of Jonathon Fairfax

tags: funny, humorous-quotes

1 likes

“Home’s all right for a visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”
― Christopher Shevlin, The Perpetual Astonishment of Jonathon Fairfax

0 likes

See all Christopher Shevlin's quotes »

Christopher’s Quotes

“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

tags: hope

4017 likes

“Thus it has come about that our theoretical and critical literature, instead of giving plain, straightforward arguments in which the author at least always knows what he is saying and the reader what he is reading, is crammed with jargon, ending at obscure crossroads where the author loses its readers. Sometimes these books are even worse: they are just hollow shells. The author himself no longer knows just what he is thinking and soothes himself with obscure ideas which would not satisfy him if expressed in plain speech.”
― Carl von Clausewitz

14 likes

“One needs no particular talent to be polite. On the contrary, being nice is what's left when you've failed at everything else.”
― Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale

tags: politeness

103 likes

“Beethoven tells you what it's like to be Beethoven and Mozart tells you what it's like to be human. Bach tells you what it's like to be the universe.”
― Douglas Adams

tags: music, power-of-music, universe

1103 likes