The average dedicated reader in North America goes through 12 books a year. That's one a month for those of you who haven't read a lot of math books. I have you covered for the rest of the year with 5 books I've recently read and 5 books I'm gonna read. That even gives you one to spare in case you're slightly above average.
Funny story. I've tried to sit down and write this post for the past 3 days and just haven't been able to do it because my mind is on a book. It's not that I keep leaving my post at the computer to go and read the book, it's that I just can't focus because I want to be reading the book. I didn't even like the book to begin with. You know how you can read the first few paragraphs and know immediately if you're going to enjoy a book? I read the first few paragraphs of this book and knew immediately I was not going to enjoy it. Not. Not, not, not. It was a stupid book and the writing was trying way too hard and it was just not my kind of thing. A math book would have been better. A book about a math book would have been better.
But because I paid for the book, felt bad for the writer who had put SO much wasted effort into their ridiculous, elaborately constructed sentences, and still liked the premise of the book, I kept reading. Because I'm a good human being like that. The sort of person who goes out of their way to help people, who sees the good in the storm clouds and who sometimes even shares her french fries. A. Good. Human. Also, I didn't have anything else to read.
It took a few chapters to get past my annoyance. By the middle of the book I was shocked to realize I really liked the book. And by ¾s of the way through ( the point I'm at right now ) I can't stop thinking about getting back to reading it.
The moral of this story? I'm not sure. But I think it's to never share your french fries.
There are three genres of books that I always gravitate towards: Circus folks, WWII and slavery. I've yet to hit a trifecta with a book about all three.
For me, the past year was a bit of a dud for books. There really wasn't a single book that I went nuts over like I have in the past with Tell The Wolves I'm Home or We Were Liars (you can read about those in this post and this post.) But I did read some solidly good books.
SOLIDLY GOOD BOOKS
Click on the title of the book to read a more complete description or to buy it.
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County was one of my favourite reads from last year. It follows the birth and life of Truly Plaice. A recordbreakingly giant of a girl making her way through life in the small minded, small town of Aberdeen, New York. Just bordering on Magical Realism (Much like The Snow Child) The Little Giant of Aberdeen County confronts themes of body image and assisted suicide.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will convince you of two things. England has way cooler named little towns than anywhere else on Earth and ... you're never too old to do something remarkable. Retired beer salesman Harold Fry sets off one morning to mail a letter but passes by the letterbox and just keeps going. Suddenly determined to deliver the letter in person he travels by foot across 600 miles of England. What's not to love about that?
The Remains of the Day is another pilgrimage through England, this time by car. The book follows Stevens, the quintessential English butler, as he travels across the English countryside in the last years of his fading career, reminiscing about and coming to grips with the truth of his past glory days. Set in post WWII England, The Remains of the Day raises questions about memory, perception, social constraints and the decline of the British Aristocracy.
Who Moved My Cheese O.K., here we go. A reader has been trying to get me to read the book Who Moved My Cheese for the past 500 years. It's categorized as a Self Help book which might as well be categorized as a Hey Karen You'll Hate This with All of Your Heart book. So I just couldn't bring myself to read it. Years went by. Finally last year I bought it and when it arrived I realized it was just a little wisp of a book and I whipped through it in one sitting. It was like reading a comic book. And I will wholeheartedly now agree to recommend it to other people. The message in it is so simple and easily applicable to pretty much everyone on the planet.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry I forgot one other genre of books that I gravitate towards. I love books about books. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is one such book. A.J. Fikry owns an independent book shop in an out of the way seaside tourist town. He is alone and miserable until one day when a package that will change the course of his life shows up. BAM! You want to read it now don't you?! And you should.
BOOKS I'M HOPING WILL BE GOOD
The Kitchen House I have a tendency to save books if I think I'm going to really love them. I don't want the experience to be over. It's like when you love a movie or television show so much you think I wish I could see that for the first time again! Knowing (or at least being pretty sure) that I'm going to love a book results in my putting it at the bottom of the pile time and time again. I'm doing that with The Kitchen House. The Kitchen House is the story of a 7 year old girl from Ireland whose parents die during their passage to America. Orphaned, she finds herself on a Tobacco plantation as an indentured servant working with the kitchen house slaves.
A Man Called Ove This is one of those backwards cases where I was aware of the movie but not of the book. I stumbled onto the Swedish movie A Man Called Ove over the winter and loved it with all of my heart. I included it in my Dinner and a Movie post where I paired unusual movie ideas with dinner ideas for your weekend enjoyment. Because as previously proven with the whole french fry sharing thing, I'm a good human being. It was in the comment section of that post that I learned the movie was based on a book. I bought that book.
Dear Committee Members I have absolutely no idea how or why I bought this book. I must have read about it on a list or heard about it somewhere but for the life of me I have on idea where or from who but from the description on Amazon I can't wait to read it!
Eventide is the second book in a trilogy by Kent Haruf. I loved the first one Plainsong. Just the title of it evokes the emotion of the book and author Kent Haruf's writing. Haruf was a bare bones writer who constructed his novels in the back shed of his house on a manual typewriter and his quiet stories of rural townspeople and their lives reflects that.
In a Dark, Dark Wood is a book I impulse bought at Costco. One review describes it as the next "Girl on the Train", which isn't a big selling point for me since I didn't like the book and couldn't even watch the movie. On the upside the back of the book jacket proclaims Reese Witherspoon liked it so there's that I guess. It's a murder mystery I think. Or maybe just scary. I guess I'll find out and let you know.
As is always the case I expect you'll be making and leaving your own recommendations in the comment section. Now if you'll excuse me I have a book to read.
Codi
Every time a book post comes out, I keep it in my Feedly inbox for a week so that I can look later and read all of the comments!! Yay for books!
Karen
I try to remember to add the books that interest me to my wishlist. These book recommendation posts are some of my favourites. :) ~ karen!
Lynne Burna
This post couldn't have come at a better time. I am dragging out finishing the book I am reading now....'cause I don't want it to end!!!!
Becky
Life after Life by Kate Atkinson was the book from last year that I keep thinking about. I have told/asked/begged my friends and family to read it so I can talk about it with someone and nobody has.
Jill
I loved "Tell the Wolves I'm Home"
Karen
GReat, eh? ~ karen!
Sharon
I loved A man called Ove and Backman's other books. Everyone knows a curmudgeon like OVE. Our book club is reading it starting April. We are just finishing The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton which is wonderful. Long, but a great story.
I just finished The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy. Historical fiction about Sarah Brown, Civil War and the Underground Railroad. I recommend it.
Also, just recently read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (?). Loved that the protagonist was a homeless girl who used the meaning behind flowers to build relationships. Fun story and there is actually a language of flowers dictionary of sorts.
But, my all time favorite read lately is The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. The protagonist is a rare book re-binder and they trace a Jewish haggadah back to it's inception based on the artifacts that she finds in the old binding she is replacing. A wonderful fiction, with a great story line.
That's my story....
Katie
A Man Called Ove is so good. SO SO SO Good. Buy kleenex.
Katie Newcomb
Oh crap, you saw the movie. You know, then. Hopefully you enjoy the book!
Mindy
Just finished Modoc yesterday. LOVED it. The circus is involved. ;)
Sera
12 books, huh? I'm behind already. My excuse is that I have a toddler. But it's not a very good excuse. I have finished one book this year, but I'd already read it. It's one of my favorite books because it's about vacation, sort of. It's quirky and weird and easy. The main character actually has the goal of reading one book per day on her vacation where she spends the rest of the time in a Welsh pub and walking along the cliffs. It's called Gold by Dan Rhodes.
I then started reading a book I put down in 2009. I'm 3/4 through it but now I remember why I put it down in the first place. And I started 1984, but promptly had two nights filled with terrible nightmares.
So now I'm actually reading Dinner A Love Story before bed. Does a cookbook count toward my reading goal?
Sharon
1984....that is a must read in our political climate!
Sera
Oh, I know. I thought I read it in high school but now that I've started it I don't think I did. But the nightmares were real! The only time I get to read is before bed. I also have The Handmaids Tale. I'm not sure if that will be better or worse.
Martina
Plus they are almost comically easy to make. Like, worryingly easy... like I could make these 5 times a week easy. Maybe I was better off before I knew about these!
Alisa Kester
Circuses and WWII? This book is both! https://www.amazon.com/Orphans-Tale-Novel-Pam-Jenoff-ebook/dp/B01HB9Q7CW/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490671271&sr=1-4&keywords=orphan+train
Karen
Yay!! LOL. Thx Alisa. ~ karen!
Martina
Totally on subject... have you tried Smitten Kitchen's new french fry recipe? It's life changing: https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/03/easiest-french-fries/
It produced the best fries I've ever made, and I've made a few in my day.
Karen
You start them in COLD oil!!?? That's bizarre! I'll absolutely give them a shot. I LOVE my french fries, but yeah, they're the Heston Blumenthal method which is boil, fry, fry! ~ karen!
Martina
I know, right!!? It's magic. The cold to warm oil does the job of the pre boiling, but somehow seals them from absorbing too much oil. They tasted *just* like the fries we'd get at the shack by the beach as kids, aka, dream fries.
Naomi
Loved a Man Called Ove. Loved it so much that I then went and read all of Frederick Backman's other books. I have a new favourite genre - Scandinavian without violent death.
If you liked The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, you might like The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Catherine Bivald, which is another fantastic book about fantastic books. Plus, it contains an awesome tribute to Fried Green Tomatoes.
If you liked the Harold Fry book, there's a good Canadian one with more magic realism and coyotes called Etta and Otto and Russell and James, by Emma Hooper.
Have you read the Woefied Poutry Collective by Susan Juby? You'd probably like that one, too.
Tiff
In my younger days I read a lot of books to edify and educate; thought provoking and so on. These days I like to enjoy, be able to read in one sitting (3-5 hours) without stressing the brain too much. Just finished ( in one week) the ten Angela Marchmont mysteries by Clara Benson. If you enjoy agatha Christie 's Miss Marple or Poirot, you will enjoy these cozy books set in the years between the wars.
Lois M Baron
Hey, I just received a list of circus book today. Hmm, I thought to myself, who told the universe that circus books might be a topic of conversation today? Have you read all these already?
http://www.booklistreader.com/2017/03/27/books-and-authors/twelve-circus-novels-for-the-end-of-ringling-bros/
SusanR
There will come a time in life when, after you've seen a TV show or movie that you absolutely loved, you just have to wait 3-6 months and you can watch it again, and it will be just like you've never seen it before! You can pick up a book that sounds interesting, and get halfway through it before realizing you've read it before!
I don't have any recommendations, I'm afraid. Two of my favorite books read in life were Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul, both by the late Douglas Adams. I just love the way he describes things in unique ways. I can't recommend them, though, as they are definitely not books everyone would love. An example of how he describes things: "The ships hung in the sky, much like bricks don't." and "Toe Rag reacted like an iguana to whom someone had just complained about the wine."
Anyway, no recommendations. But on the plus side, my ancestors were the tailors and seamstresses who made the costumes for the Ringling Brother's Circus (and later adding Barnum and Bailey) in the late 1800s through some time in the first quarter of the 1900s. I wish I knew more about that history.
Nancy Eggert
Nancy the reference librarian here. I've read all ten of your choices and agree, they are wonderful reads. Here are a few titles that I've read over the last few months - enjoy!
-Setting Free the Kites by Alex George - a coming-of-age story, just released in 2/2017
-The Golem and the Jinni by Helen Wecker - magical realism with a historical setting
-Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - perfect if you like something lighter or need a little "mental sorbet" if you've been reading heavier titles
-Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor - pure fantasy fun, time traveling historians who are disaster magnets
-Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance - nonfiction about a hidden American underculture
-The Dry by Jane Harper - mystery fiction set in Australia during a severe drought
Carrying Albert Home by Homer Hickam - entertaining fiction filled with history, family lore and tall tales by the author of Rocket Boys (October Sky)
cbblue
I just finished listening to A Man Named Ove. I really enjoyed it. Perhaps if I had seen the movie I could have read it, but the narrator did such a good job with the character's voices that I was blown away. I think here in America the title subject should be played by Ed Asner. Really, really good. I am so happy I listened to this book.
NinaMargo
Am obsessed by all, and I mean all, the Western crime Walt Longmire mysteries written by Craig Johnson - and I usually hate western literature. Got hooked by watching the Longmire series on Netflix. I dare you. It really helps to read them in order as they build chronologically.
Can't wait to add all these great recommendations to my list of must reads. Thank you!
ronda
i love the Longmire books as well. one of many mystery series i have had to purchse ALL the books in! however, the actors in the TV series didn't match the characters' appearances in my head, so i passed on watching. happens all too often lol!
just finished three books in three days, so your list is very timely! thanks Karen!
Teresa
I'm watching the Longmire series on Netflix now and love it! I started the first book and then read this post and got distracted and am reading another recommendation because of reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy).
I'm from Wyoming and have been to Craig Johnson events at the Wyoming Library Association conferences (I'm a librarian) and I didn't think it would be something I'd enjoy either but I was wrong!
Already very sad that Season 6 that they are working on now will be the last (and though the story is in a fictional Wyoming town it is filmed in New Mexico....better weather for filming probably).
Alena
I normally eat books for breakfast but I go through phases. Phases when I read nonstop and phases when I don't read at all (which is right now). I don't know how that happens.
Last year, somebody I follow on Instagram said her goal was to read 50 books in 2016. So I started to keep a list of books that I read (easy to do because my library keeps the list for me). By mid September, I read 37 books. Then I went on vacation and I have not read a book since. Can't explain it - except I work a lot from home (after work, and without pay) because the corporate shit keeps piling up and I feel constantly behind. So it weren't for that, I would have easily finished 50 books last year.
I give a book max. 50 pages. If I am still interested after 50 pages, I give up (though this is really rare). You will laugh because one of the few unreadable books (for me) was Water for Elephants which you probably liked because it's circus-y. I just couldn't read it.
Is Kazuo Ishiguro the same due that wrote Never Let Me Go (not sure if I remember the title correctly). That was one morbid book. Not sure if I want to read anything else from him. But, I am always collecting titles to put on my To Read list so thanks for the suggestions.
Alena
Dude, not due.
Susan
Yes, same author, but the books are SO different. Completely different era, genre, philosophy, etc. I wasn't crazy about Never Let Me Go (just not the type of book I enjoy), but The Remains of the Day is truly exquisite.
Alena
Hi Susan,
Thank you very much for letting me know. I will give it a try (how could I know after reading your enthusiastic review). :-)
Have a good summer with lots of good books.
Linn Caine
The Dirty Life, by Kristin Kimball
"This book is the story of the two love affairs that interrupted the trajectory of my life: one with farming—that dirty, concupiscent art—and the other with a complicated and exasperating farmer." KK
I dream that in my next life, I will be her!
ellen
I must agree, this is a wonderful book. So much truth in it, and so gracefully written. My recommendations: anything by Barbara Kingsolver, and for the knitter Sweater Quest, My Year of Knitting Dangerously by Adrienne Martini. Bleak House, by Charles Dickens is a cracking good read too.
Linn Caine
I completely agree, Ellen about Barbara Kingsolver! Thanks for the other recommendations. I have read every word that Gail Tsukyama has ever written. Start with Women of the Silk.