This was not one of my stellar years for reading. In part,
it was because I read a lot of sub-par books for publicists. Sometimes, it is
apparent that I don’t know how to say no. On the other hand, I read several
great books that I wouldn’t have read if I hadn’t gotten an advanced reader’s
copy from the publisher. Not sure what the solution is to the problem of too
many books and too little time.
Memoir
Hillbilly
Elegy: A memoir of a family and culture in crisis by J.D. Vance. This
was, of course, one of the year’s most popular books. In it, JD Vance tells
about a childhood in Ohio, but his family was attached deeply to Kentucky. Vance
became an eloquent voice of conservative Republicanism and Trump followers
during the election. My husband and I read this book during the weeks following
the election.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Oops, for some reason, I didn’t
post a review of this book, but I loved, loved, loved it. Read it for my book
club. Then in November, Noah was in town at our local auditorium. He is a brilliant
commentator on society, in part, because of his childhood in apartheid South
Africa. This is the theme of his book. Besides, you gotta love a guy who gives
credit to his mother.
The
Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alesandria Marzano-Lesnevich. This
book purports to be two things—a true
crime nonfiction narrative and a memoir. In actuality, the memoir is far more
engrossing than the true crime, but in combination, the book is so compelling
that it made it to my list of favorites for the year, primarily because it is
genre busting.
Nonfiction
The
Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World by Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman. My
husband and I read this book aloud and we were entranced. The book discusses
the creative process and how it bends, breaks, and blends with the scientific
process. This book is really important as people learn how science and the arts
are so intimately connected.
Literary Fiction
Manhattan
Beach by Jennifer Egan. This is my favorite book of the year. Egan
is a master of intense and complicated plots, but this book is much more
traditional than her groundbreaking A
Visit from the Goon Squad, which won the Pulitzer Prize. World War II
New York City and a feisty young woman.
A
Hundred Small Lessons by
Ashley Hay. A lovely, reflective book about choosing and being chosen,
about motherhood, and a meditation on the many decisions that a person makes
that changes the course of a life.
A
Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. A most incredible novel with
the slimmest of premises: an aristocrat stuck in a hotel (albeit a grand hotel)
for 30 years. A meditative book with a breathtaking and ingenious ending.
Mystery and Thriller
I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers over the course of
the year. Far and away the best books were those by Louise Penny. As you
probably remember, I was in Three
Pines, Quebec, the home of Inspector Gamache, for the launch of Penny’s
thirteenth mystery. Here are the ones I reviewed this year: Still
Life; A
Fatal Grace; The
Cruelest Month; A
Rule Against Murder; and Bury
Your Dead.
Audio
Norse
Mythology by Neil Gaiman. We listened to this book, read by the
author, on our way to our summer trip to Norway. Equally brutal, poignant, and humorous,
the retellings were a perfect introduction to my imagination. We learned
the legends of Odon, Thor, Loki and Freya in a clever, non-threatening way
.
Al
Franken Giant of the Senate by Al Franken. Although we loved
listening to Al Franken read his humorous memoir, I hesitated to put it on this
list because of the sexual allegations surrounding him and his resignation from
the US Senate. On the other hand, we really loved listening to the book. Hence,
I put it on my list.
Other notables.
Most Overrated: The
Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
Biggest Surprise: Oil
and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo by Stephanie Storie
Most Painful to Read:
Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh
Best Kid’s Book: Whatis Hip Hop by Eric Morse and Anny Yi
Best Book Title:
Deadbomb Bingo Ray by Jeff
Johnson
Most messed up: Ill Will
by Dan Chaon
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