By Katie

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I haven’t done a bookish post in while, which may lead you to believe I haven’t been reading.  You would be wrong.   My life has not changed so much that I would put down my book!

In 2017, I read 146 books.  I have read some expected gems, some unexpected  gems, some expected disappointments and some unexpected disappointments.  Overall, it was a good reading year, though not as good as 2015 – it felt like every book I picked up that year was astounding.   It will be a hard year to beat.

Because list writing is fun, I am going to try to do my Top 10 books of 2017.

But before I start, there will be some caveats and disclosures:

There may be some honourable mentions, because I find it impossible to list my best books.  Some people have a Top 10 of all time.  I don’t think I would be able to limit myself to 10 – I could possibly do a Top 100, but not listed in order of favourite-ness.  I don’t think I am decisive enough (see what I did there :P) to list my favourites, but  mostly, I don’t want to hurt the feelings of books that I love, and there are definitely more than 10 books that I love.

Also, I finished re-reading the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia series this year.  We all know that these are incredible books that would make it into pretty much any Top lists.  I will not list them in mine though because I don’t want them to take precious spots in my list.

So, here is a not-so-definitive list of My Top 10 Books of 2017 with a Few Extras Thrown In.

The Shadow of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (along with the 2^nd  book: The Angel’s Game).  This was a completely unexpected gem.  I picked this book up from the library as I was walking by the shelf because I liked the cover.  I couldn’t put it down.  This is a gothic mystery and romance, but not an icky romance.  Its a romance about love.  And books.  And the love of books.    Which makes this a perfect novel.   Dealing with the loss of his mother, Daniel’s father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books where he is allowed to choose one book.  The book he chooses is so arresting he tries to find other books by the author.  But they all have been systematically destroyed.  If you want to know why, I suggest you pick up the book.

The Sparrow/Children of God by Mary Doria Russell– I actually read The Sparrow last December, and spent the next 11 months scouring used books stores for the sequel Children Of God.  These 2 books read like it should be 1 very large novel as The Sparrow ends in a very unsatisfying way.   These novels tell the story of a distant planet, and the Jesuits journey to discover it, both for science and for God.  Like any exploring group, they misunderstand the social and economic structure of people living there and so disrupt the order.  The outcomes are both devastating and beneficial for all involved.   Children of God tells the story of the long-term outcome of the interference from Earth.  I loved these books because they dissect the devotion a believer has to God, both in dealing with other’s tragedy and his own.  The journey back to faith can be difficult and seemingly impossible, but also earth-shattering and beautiful.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena  by Anthony Marra –  This was a re-read for me and I loved it this time around as much as the first time.  The story of the decades (centuries?) long war in Chechnya is told in one of my favourite ways: slowing walking through the present while diving deeply into the past of the characters.   Set in 2004, but reaching back far into history, we learn the story of a few inconsequential people whose lives are torn apart because of wars that don’t benefit them.   Unravelling the mystery of what binds them together, Sonja and Akhmed learn of betrayal, coincidence and forgiveness.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker– This was a completely unexpected gem! Set in turn-of-the-century New York, 2 mythical creatures unexpectedly meet, one a Kabbalistic creature made of Clay, the other a fire-born Syrian creature captured in a copper flask.  Their connection is mystical and their story is a combination of fairy tale, folk lore, magic and ancient history.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys– Telling the story of the little-known sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, this novel weaves the story of refugees in Eastern Europe fleeing before the Red Army in World War II.  With incredible character development, (the Shoemaker has become one of my all time favourite characters.  And that list is also not definitive), the outcome of horrible tragedy made my mother’s heart weep.

The DoveKeepers by Alice Hoffman-  When I picked up this book, I was informed by a number of people that it was in their (definitive) Top Ten of All Time list.  I can see why.   Telling the story of Fall of Masada and expounding on historian Josephus’ claim that 2 women and 5 children survived the mass killing, Hoffman creates 4 strong, independent and very different women through whose eyes we can witness the lives, loves and losses of 900 people 2000 years ago.

When Breathe Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi– This memoir deals with death and dying and knowing that its going to happen to you.  After nearly completing all his training, neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi learns he has aggressive, stage IV cancer.  Wrestling with questions of what makes life worth living, even in the face of dying, this book is a must read.

The Circle by Dave Eggers – I enjoyed this book immensely, but  I am mostly including it because I think it’s a must read for everyone who got an Amazon Echo or Google Home for Christmas  :D.   In a world where everything can be known, should it be?  How close is our society to believing that Privacy is Theft?  This fictional tale tells the story of large online company that connects people socially, economically and finally politically.  What are we giving up in order to be connected?

The 100 year Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson– I loved this book because its about a journey while reflecting on the past.  This book is unbelievable and funny but also well written and engaging.  Allan Karlsson has lived an unbelievable life and decides he isn’t done living it on his 100^th birthday at the old age home.  So he leaves, and continues to live, while stealing $50 million from a gang.  You can imagine what happens next…

The Orphan’s Master’s Son by Adam Johnson– After reading Escape from Camp 14 a few years ago, I have sought out books about North Korea.  This Pulitzer Prize winner delves into many different areas of life in North Korea using Jun Do, a professional kidnapper, to navigate the treacherous political landscape of the corrupt and cruel dictatorship.

I can not fathom that while I sit in my warm house with a full belly there are still labour camps and  starvation and deprivation of individual autonomy to this magnitude in this world.   I realize there are a lot of places where social injustice runs rampant, but there is something about North Korea that seems to strip its people of their humanity.  While reading Escape from Camp 14, what struck me to my core was how the author told of competing for food with his mother.  What kind of life does one have to live in order to see your children as competitors not your loves for whom you would give up your life?  I would argue that mothers facing a wide variety of horrors have continued to put their children’s lives ahead of their own:  what does one have to experience in order to have that mother’s-love stripped away so completely?

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett – I love Ann Patchett.  Her ability to weave a tale is almost unparalleled.  This novel is of a hostage situation in a South American country in which unexpected love blossoms.  The only thing that would make this novel better is if you skip the last 3 pages.  While they don’t ruin the book, they take it down a few notches.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – Imagining the Underground Railroad as an actual Railroad with trains and conductors and stations, Whitehead tells the story of an escaped slave looking for the freedom to live her life while always running from the slave catcher who just sees himself as upholding the law.    The gross injustices that blacks faced in pre-civil war America are investigated and laid bare as a people try to build a community that welcomes them.  This novel won a Pulitzer with good reason.

Well.  There you have it.  My Top 10 as told with 14 books.

Have you read any of these titles?  Do any sound interesting enough to pick up?  What were your favourites in 2017 – hit me up – my TBR list has only 2 or 3 hundred books on.  I need to bulk it up 😉

By Katie

October has been a slow read month. (After I typed that, I had to check the date to make sure it is still October.  This year is zooming by!)  I doubt I will finish even 8 books this month – which is low for me.

There are a number of reasons why I am reading less, mostly to do with the twins.  We are trying to get a lot of work done around here so that we all fit comfortably in our house when they arrive.  The current state of my house is somewhere between “Disaster” and “Apocalyptic-type Devastation.”  I am antsy because the nesting bug has bitten me, but I can’t nest because everything is everywhere.  We are re-flooring our whole upstairs while living in it, which means furniture is constantly moving and being shoved in inconvenient locations.

All this is to say, that my brain is as scrambled as my living quarters.  And I am having a hard time focusing on anything, let alone books.

Also, when I do manage to sit for a few moments, I am uncomfortable.  Which isn’t any different from when I am standing, but less taxing.   I don’t know how the twins are going to keep growing for the next 6 weeks, because there isn’t any more room in there.

But, despite all my trials and tribulations, I have still managed to crack a book or two. I know, I am a modern-day hero.  Joan of Arc and Florence Nightingale have nothing on me.

What I read:

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk is a Newberry Honor Book from a year or two ago.  It is an American war time book of a 12 year old girl, Annabelle, who becomes the target of a bully.   The bully goes on to target a local hermit who is battling demons from the First World War.  Annabelle does her best to save her friend the hermit but disaster strikes none-the-less.

This is a well-written book that is reminiscent of two of my favourite Newberry Medal Winners: The War that Saved My Life and Moon over Manifest.   I love kid’s lit that deal with the Wars, or other traumatic events in history, because I think they add a level of humanity that we can sometimes forget to have.  If you enjoy war time tales, another fantastic YA war novel is Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys.  The shoemaker in this novel is one of my favourite characters, and is as well developed as Francie Nolan in A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, or characters by literary giants Wendell Berry, and Wallace Stegner.

What I am Reading:

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, first published in 1938, is a delightful tale of a spinster governess/maid on the verge of destitution who is sent by her employment agency to an upscale address.  She is greeted by damsel in distress with too many lovers and too few morals.  Miss Pettigrew steps out of her comfort zone to help her, partially because the workhouse is her next and last option, but mostly because the life she stumbles on is nothing like the life she has known.  The light-hearted antics that ensue hour by hour make for a fun, easy read.

The only draw back to this novel is that I find it too dialogue-y.  (This is also my complaint about The Picture of Dorian Gray)  I find dialogue-heavy books make me feel anxious – kind of like when I am in dialogue-y situations in real life 🙂

What Will I read Next:

This is tougher to say:  I have 2 behemoths waiting for me from the library, Island of the World and The Father’s Tale.   They are by author Michael O’Brien, whom I have never read.  I heard about him on a (somewhat) recent episode of What Should I read Next, where the guest said that these two books were among her favourites of all time, and her descriptions intrigued me.  I thought they would make a great fall read as the weather cooled down, but we are having a rather warm fall (which is not helping my discomfort.)  I will pick one of them up next: I will let you know what I choose!

What I am Listening too:

And, of course, my current audio:  The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.  This book has won a number of awards and has been long-listed and short-listed for a bunch of other awards, but only has a 3.7/5 rating on Goodreads.  I am only 1 hour into and can’t say I am loving it, but it may be a book I need to read in written form.  I have a few other audio books queued, so I may abandon it (which is something I have only recently started to do!) to take up another audiobook.

But I need to mention a recent audiobook I just finished:  A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra.  I read this book a few years ago, and absolutely loved it.  I loved it just as much in audio.   Set in war-torn Chechnya, the book starts in December 2004 with 8 year-old Haava hiding in the woods.  She is taken to a local hospital by a family friend who bargains with on the only remaining doctor, Sonja, to allow Haava to stay in the hospital with her.   The novel bounces back and forth between the end of 2004 and the past few decades, and between different characters to tell the story of what happened to Haava’s family, to Sonja’s sister, and to many families during the war years in Chechnya. This book is beautifully written with a sweeping storyline.  The details you learn about each character you meet show Merra to be an absolute genius story teller.

What have you picked up lately?  Anything I should add to my TBR pile?

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