• CONTACT US if you have any problems registering for the forums.

What did you read this year?

Pauline

Forums Admin
Looking back through my Kindle list, these are the books I read and liked this year. I have a bad memory for books, if I liked them or not, so I set up a collection where I list the books I loved.

So Much for That by Lionel Shriver - captivating story about a man who wants to escape from the regular working life

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - great family novel

The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver - sci-fi but not far from a reality that could happen of the way of life collapsing in the US

Wild by Cheryl Strayed - I loved the description of this 1000 mile walk on the Pacific Rim Trail, starting in California and going to the Oregon/Washington border.

Picnic in Provence by Elizabeth Bard - I enjoyed this memoir of life in a small town in Provence.

The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle - Northern California, modern day story.

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout - A mother and daughter story which was not the least bit sappy.

I reread Brideshead Revisited - still fabulous.

---------------------------

I read His Bloody Project by Graeme MaCrae Burnet and it was a good read but not one of my favorites. Same with Hot Milk by Deborah Levy (I hardly remember the plot) and Girls by Emma Cline (retelling of the Charlie Manson story).
 
I've only read one from your list -- Commonwealth! I'll make a list of mine soon.

I like the idea of making an end-of-the-year list, and it's easy with the Kindle!
 
Yes, the Kindle makes it so easy! Here's my 2016 reading -

Fifteen Dogs, André Alexis. ‘smart, exuberant fantasy’ (Guardian) where two Greek Gods (while drinking in a Toronto pub) decide to grant some local dogs human intelligence.

The Silver Pigs, Venus in Copper, The Iron Hand of Mars, Lindsey Davis (Falco 1,3,4). Great entertainment. I’d read the second in the series a couple of years ago, and thought I’d do some catching up. Perfect, undemanding reading for long flights.

The Improbability of Love, Hannah Rothschild. A lightly satirical look at the London art scene.

The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry. Fabulous! Set in late-Victorian London and Essex, it mixes Gothic horror, science, religion, and much more. Beautifully written, and winner of the Waterstones Book of the Year prize.

Underground Airlines, Ben Winters. ‘Alternate History’, set in a present-day USA where slavery is still legal in the ‘Hard Four’ Southern States.

The Cuckoo’s Calling, Robert Galbraith

The Silkworm, Robert Galbraith. Novels 1 & 2 in JK Rowling’s Cormoran Strike detective series: highly recommended.

Saints of the Shadow Bible, Ian Rankin. Book 19 in his ‘Rebus’ detective series, set in Edinburgh. I’ve read around half of them: consistently enjoyable.

His Bloody Project, Graeme Macrae Burnet I think I enjoyed it more than Pauline, but not as much as some reviewers did.

Where I’m Reading From, Tim Parks. Recent essays from the NYRB, on all aspects of writing, reading, translation.

Skyfaring, A Journey with a Pilot, Mark Vanhoenacker. An airline pilot's thoughtful exploration of his experiences.

Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia and the Biggest Funeral… , Anthony Doerr. An American writer spends a year in Rome – much of the usual transplanted foreigner stuff, but life, and insomnia, with newborn twins was interesting to read at the same time as experiencing our newborn granddaughter, and her parents’ lack of sleep.

Only one real dud this year: Not Quite Nice, Celia Imrie Oh dear: stick to the day job!
 
Thanks for the list Jonathan! I've read the two by Robert Galbraith and liked them. I think I was expecting too much from His Bloody Project - it was a good read and I still remember the story!

I will add The Essex Serpent to my list!
 
One of the best books I read last year was Heat and Light by Jennifer Haigh, and I see it is on sale right now on Amazon for $1.99.

A few others I especially enjoyed, with links to Amazon:
Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubrey

The Paris Librarian: A Hugo Marston Novel by Mark Pryor

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith

Pauline, I know you used to live in Santa Fe, and my son just moved there, so I've been reading some books set in that area. The Pot Thief is a very entertaining series, mostly set in Albuquerque, but also the surrounding area in New Mexico. Here's a link to the first in the series, called The Pot Thief who Studied Pythagoras. Others in the series are also on that page. If you've ever read any of the Bernie Rhodenbarr series by Lawrence Block, the author seems to have been inspired by that character, and in fact many of the Bernie books are mentioned in the stories.

I was actually able to get all the Pot Thief e-books free from my library through a service called TotalBoox. It doesn't seem to be in too many libraries right now, but if you can get it, it's terrific. The books you download are yours to keep forever, unlike other library ebooks which you can only borrow for a short time. They are mostly not the new and most popular books but I've found quite a few that I've enjoyed.
 
We lived in Santa Fe for 20 years. A wonderful place. How nice that your son is there. I haven't heard of those books. Will look out for them.
 
The Painter by Peter Heller is another terrific novel set in Santa Fe, Roz. And I loved The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols, set in the hills between Santa Fe and Taos.
 
Here's my Kindle list from 2016. This isn't all I purchased, just the ones I purchased and read.

The Muralist, B.A. Shapiro

Foreign Affairs, Alison Lurie

The High Mountains of Portugal, Yann Martel

The Trespasser, Tana French

Nutshell, Ian McEwan

Commonwealth, Ann Patchett

Human Croquet, Kate Atkinson

The Paris Librarian, Mark Pryor

Three Souls, Janie Chang

Ninety-Nine Stories of God, Joy Williams

A Great Reckoning, Louise Penny

Brass in Pocket, Stephen Puleston

The Wrong Side of Goodbye, Michael Connelly

Being Mortal, Atul Gawande

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, Dominic Smith

The Art Forger, B.A. Shapiro,

Pardonable Lies, Jacqueline Winspear

Neapolitan Novels, Elena Ferrante

When the Music’s Over, Peter Robinson

The Ancient Minstrel, Jim Harrison

The Summer Before the War, Helen Simonson

The Heart Goes Last, Margaret Atwood

The WindUp Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami

The Martian, Andy Weir
 
love these lists. have read many from both jonathan and chris' list. bookclub just did 15 dogs. fascinating. will add mine
when can write better with left hand or wrist out of cast. now have more to read.:dancingcow:going to read dominic smith. never heard of that book till now. looks great. i still go to library and bookstore so all not on kindle.
 
Last edited:

How to Find Information

Search using the search button in the upper right. Search all forums or current forum by keyword or member. Advanced search gives you more options.

Filter forum threads using the filter pulldown above the threads. Filter by prefix, member, date. Or click on a thread title prefix to see all threads with that prefix.

Sponsors

Booking.com Hotels in Europe
AutoEurope.com Car Rentals

Recommended Guides, Apps and Books

52 Things to See and Do in Basilicata by Valerie Fortney
Italian Food & Life Rules by Ann Reavis
Italian Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
French Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
She Left No Note, Lake Iseo Italy Mystery 1 by J L Crellina

Share this page

Back
Top