2017 Overview and Favorites

(List of all books read in 2017 here; personal Goodreads 2017 overview here)

In October of 2017, I started using Goodreads and cross-posting my reviews there. While I've liked using Goodreads overall so far (I love having the visual representation of what I've read, and it's a great way to keep track of books I want to read), I've struggled a little bit with the 5 star rating system.

In terms of what I read in 2017, I was a little surprised to look back and find that I'd read a lot more male than female authors this year (about 3/4 male, 1/4 female). I think this was largely because I finally started getting into Terry Pratchett's Discworld books and reading L. A. Meyer's entire Bloody Jack series. However, it was also interesting to me that my 2017 favorites list is split about 50/50 male/female. I'll note also that it was particularly hard for me to narrow down a list of top picks for this past year, partially because the subject matters and genres of what I read over the year was pretty varied.

All that said, here are some of the stand-out reads for me in 2017 (in no particular order). Links are to the post with the original review.

Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
Beautiful, immersive, lyrical. This was both a relaxing read with some surprisingly heavy interwoven discussion of religion. It ticks my history-buff box, too.

Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
This was my "bridge" book between Gaiman (I'd previously read almost all of his books) and Pratchett (this being first thing of his I'd read).  I really enjoy the humor of both authors.With my background of being raised in strict Christian Fundamentalism, I've found it's taken me quite a long time to get comfortable reading books that discuss magic, witches, and/or religion. This book happens to contain a mix of all of the above. But it's brilliantly done, with just the right balance of humor and irreverence. This was one of the books that my husband read this year as well.

Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett
This was the first Discworld novel I picked up, and (though there have been some close contenders) it's remained my overall favorite of the dozen or so that I've read so far. I really appreciated the female-heavy character cast of the Witches storyline. We'll see if my opinion of this as the favorite holds as I read more Discworld books in 2018.

It's Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool, Too) - Nora Purmort
There Is No Good Card for This - Kelsey Crowe & Emily McDowell
Both of these are essential reads for people who are going through a difficult life event (or who know someone that is). Not only do the two of these books come across as accessible and down-to-earth, they also offer practical advice.

The Little Friend - Donna Tartt
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
So, first off: these were both very long and admittedly imperfect books. I wouldn't label either of them as satisfying, and there were actually portions of each that I didn't enjoy that much (for varying reasons). But despite this, I found both books very worthwhile journeys with pieces of truly stunning prose. The focus in both of these works is on the journey, not the destination. Though I'd have to recommend both these books with caveats, I'd be remiss in leaving them off my favorites list.

My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell
Durrell's book is an exercise in lovely writing and stuffed full of the wonder and beauty of nature as seen through the eyes of a child. I wanted this memoir to go on and on.

Narconomics - Tom Wainwright
A thorough, eye-opening analysis of the drug trade. Though it doesn't feel entirely even, I was pleasantly surprised by the author's writing style, and I feel like it's an almost necessary read in today's political climate.


Bonus: Runner-ups (these may not have quite as wide-spread appeal as the above books, but they still stood out to me personally)

The Mint - T. E. Lawrence
T.E. Lawrence is one of my favorite historical figures, and I was excited just to get my hands on this book. An excellent, deeply personal read to round out your knowledge of Lawrence, the RAF, and WWI.

The History of Hell - Alice K. Turner
A thought-provoking, in-depth look at the history of the underworld as we perceive it today.

Deep Secret - Diana Wynne Jones
A little strange, a little quirky, and more than a little British. Unexpectedly good.

December 2017 Part 2

(Continued from Part 1)

Birds, Beasts, and Relatives - Gerald Durrell (1969)
"One day we had one of those freak storms when the sky turned blue-black and the lightning fretted a silver filigree across it. And then came the rain - great, fat, heavy drops, as warm as blood. When the storm had passed, the sky had been washed to the clear blue of a hedge-sparrow's egg and the damp earth sent out wonderfully rich, almost gastronomic smells as of fruit-cake or plum pudding; and the olive trunks steamed as the rain was dried off them by the sun, each trunk looking as though it were on fire."

This is another lovely book from Durrell, taking place concurrently with his first (My Family and Other Animals). Like its predecessor, its writing style is lyrical and beautifully descriptive, it's generally humorous and light, and it captures a sense of childlike joy and wonder as the author describes his childhood years of exploring the Greek island that he called home.

I do feel that this offering is little less kid-friendly than the previous book due to a few situations; namely, the main character inadvertently stumbling upon and witnessing a neighbor give birth, a (humorously portrayed) seance, a lengthy scene involving drunken house guests, and some scattered cursing. There are also a few of-the-time-period pejoratives (a few things in nature likened to an "oriental face," and a visiting gay friend of Durrell's adult brother described by the brother as "homo" and "queer").

Related Reads:
(See review for My Family and Other Animals)

Her Privates We - Frederic Manning (1929)
"Death, of course, like chastity, admits no degree; a man is dead or not dead, and a man is just as dead by one means as by another; but it is infinitely more horrible and revolting to see a man shattered and eviscerated, than to see him shot."

Her Privates We is based on the author's experiences fighting in WWI. Written in surprisingly refined prose, the book is an illustration of both the physical and psychological aspects of war - the dehumanization, the impossibility of coping with sudden losses, the confusion of battle, the drudgery of camp life, even the capacity to find beauty in the midst of despair. It's a devastating read.

Related Reads:
All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque)
The Mint (T.E. Lawrence)
The Things They Carried (O'Brien)

Short Stories 1907-1908 - L. M. Montgomery 
"There's not much comfort, or help either, praying one way and believing another."

I would go so far as to describe this collection as "soothing." There are few real surprises in these stories, no content issues, and nearly all the endings are happy; the differing main characters of the stories serve to give a good overall snapshot of the era. This is a nice collection to peruse if you're a fan of any of Montgomery's novels.

Bonus: you can currently find L. M. Montgomery's various short story collections for free on Kindle.

Related Reads:
The Story Girl and other short-story collections (Montgomery)
Eight Cousins (Alcott)
Life's Little Ironies (Hardy)

Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood (1996)
"When you are in the middle of a story it isn't a story at all, but only a confusion; a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood; like a house in a whirlwind, or else a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the rapids, and all aboard powerless to stop it. It's only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all. When you are telling it, to yourself or to someone else."

I finished this book before I realized (from the author's afterword) that it's a fictionalized account of a real historical event. I'm not sure if my failure to realize this added or detracted from the reading experience at all (I'm generally intrigued by historical accounts and guesswork).

Alias Grace has similar themes and not a dissimilar feel to Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale; the role of women in a patriarchal society is an obvious motif. Though the story has something of a mystery feel, there weren't necessarily big surprises, reveals, or tidy explanations - it's more about the exploration of themes (the reliability of memory, mental illness, gender roles, hierarchical society) than conclusions. Atwood's prose draws you in and pulls you under before you realize what's happening.

As of this writing, I haven't yet watched the Netflix series, but I plan on doing so soon.

Related Reads
The Handmaid's Tale (Atwood)
The Little Friend (Tartt)

The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher (2016)
"I wish I could go away somewhere, but the only problem with that is that I’d have to go, too."

If you're looking for a complete and detailed tell-all book, you'll probably be disappointed here. Fisher largely writes about her brief relationship/affair with Harrison Ford during the filming of Star Wars:A New Hope - though this is discussed somewhat obliquely and through a sampling of her diary entries during that time. She also spends a large section of the book writing about the strange phenomenon of celebrities being paid for autographs. While the book might come off as somewhat uneven, it was interesting for me to see the difference between her diary writings as a 19 year old and the writing style of her books today. And as was a theme throughout her life, Carrie Fisher gives an unflinching look into what it's like to struggle with mental health.

This book will probably make more sense if you've read her other books in order to get more of an overall background for her life and get used to her writing style. I'd have to say that I liked Fisher's previous autobiographical books better than this one, although The Princess Diarist is a little milder in tone than those.

Related Reads
Shockaholic (Fisher)
Wishful Drinking (Fisher)
Little Girl Lost (Barrymore)

December 2017 Part 1

With the publishing of this two-part post, I've officially completed my goal of writing reviews for every book I read in 2017! I'm still a little unsure of how I'll proceed in the coming year now that I'm using Goodreads (and cross-posting my reviews there), but I do know that I want to continue recording my thoughts on what I read in some form or another.

That said, on to my quick thoughts on December's batch of books:

Waking Gods - Sylvain Neuvel (2017)
"How many people get a second chance? I got one. Look what I did with it."

This book is the second in the Themis Files series, the first being Sleeping Giants. Much of what I said for that review would be applicable here. The story is an interesting concept, but I didn't care all that much for the way it was told. And I still don't think the author did a great job with the different voices throughout the book. I'll probably read the next book in the series when it comes out, but I'm not on pins and needles for it.

Related Reads:
Insistence of Vision ["Mars Opposition"] (Brin)
Three-body Problem (Liu)
The Martian (Weir)

The History of Hell - Alice Turner (1993)
"Christianity would have had a much easier time without Revelation, though it would be a less colorful religion."

First, I'll note that the author is not religious and does not write from a Christian perspective (I think some might go into the book expecting a Biblical analysis of Hell). I actually appreciated this, as I felt it removed the bias I had been expecting. This book is set up and reads something like a textbook, though not in a detrimental way. For me, it got more interesting as it went on. The book also includes a good number of illustrations and reproductions of art pieces.

Overall, I thought this book was a good compilation of the various and changing viewpoints and concepts of Hell throughout the ages. Though there's surely enough material out there to write a book on each of the chapters here, I felt the author was able to synthesize and encapsulate a lot of information well. One of my slight quibbles was that I do wish the author had cited sources more throughout. The book left me with the feeling that I would be interested to discuss more deeply with a person who's studied specific time periods more.

Related Reads:
(See bibliography)

A Long Way Home - Saroo Brierley (2013)
"Despite having so many memories that I wish I could forget, there are some that I wish I could remember."

This book is an exploration of the author's journey of trying to remember and process his pre-adoption past. It's engaging, though I found the first portion of the book a little more interesting and well-written than the last. Brierley seems (and portrays himself as) well-adjusted and happy with his life and adoptive family, though he stresses that this isn't the case for everyone, and he gently brings up some common issues that vulnerable children in similar situations may have faced (abuse, trauma, hunger, potentially having families despite being assumed to be orphans). It's a worthy read for anyone, but perhaps especially for those interested in the subject of international adoption.

Related Reads:
Shantaram (Roberts)
A Long Way Gone (Beah)

A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J. Maas (2016)
"Love can be a poison."

After getting through this book, I don't think that I'll be able finish the series. I found A Court of Mist and Fury to be less tolerable than the preceding book (A Court of Thrones and Roses). There were at least five fairly explicit sex scenes - one almost right away, which threw me off since it's a YA book (is this what the kids are reading these days?). Many of the same problems I had with the first book also apply here; the main character is too perfect; the various characters aren't really well defined, and despite the peril aspects, there aren't really many surprises. There were interesting pieces of the story, but not enough to keep me fully engaged. The best I can say about it was that this book was a fairly quick and escapist read.

Related Reads:
Twilight (Meyer)

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro (1988)
"A 'great' butler can only be, surely, one who can point to his years of service and say that he has applied his talents to serving a great gentleman - and through the latter, to serving humanity."

After reading this, I find that it's hard to come up with a worthy description of this book. It's surprisingly humorous, unexpectedly sad, and sometimes exasperating. A beautifully poignant read, and a pointed exploration into political and personal issues surrounding pre- and post-WWII Great Britain.

Related Reads:
The Road to Wigan Pier (Orwell)

Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook - Christina Henry (2017)
"I didn't know how to explain to him that for all that I still looked young, I had been feeling old. The years had passed, so many of them, and they were starting to wear on me. After a while it wasn't fun to always feel like you had to have fun."

When I picked up this book, I was worried that it would be straight horror and I wouldn't be able to finish. However, while there are some violent/gruesome aspects, it wasn't as bad as I might have expected. It's well-written, and an interesting and different retelling of the classic story; here, Peter Pan is unquestioningly evil. In the end, though, the reader already knows what's going to happen - giving a "so why did I put myself through this sad retelling" feeling once the book is finished.

Related Reads:
Lord of the Flies (Golding)
Everland (Spinale)

(Continued in Part 2)