This year ended up being one of excitingly diverse reading: almost every genre! Books written hundreds of years apart! It looks almost erratic as I examine my goodreads, but I enjoyed the vast majority of what I read, and [it seems] made my goal. It was a very moderate goal, but I have two kids under the age of three, so I’m calling it good.
(Forgive if the genre categorization is a bit off. It’s not my strength)
Without further ado, the books of 2017
Sci-fi/Fantasy
Wolf by Wolf, by Ryan Graudin: Technically an alternate history/dystopia in which Germany won, and a Holocaust survivor can alter her physical appearance at will as a result of experimentation. She enters a motorcycle race for a chance to kill Hitler. I liked it okay, but note that it is lighter fare, despite the heavy subject matter.
The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner: Um…it was okay for me. Lost me towards the end and I had to fight not to skim. I don’t read a lot of mid-grade, and I found the world-building lovely, but the general tone of the story dull. I was surprised, as it is much beloved by many.
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley: Classic dystopian novel. Really enjoyed it in the sense that “wow this is horrifying and accurate to trends in our society.” Immediate satisfaction of all desires, shallow discourse, extreme fear of intellectual complexity or diversity. Sex as simultaneously horribly degraded and elevated as a deity. Likewise replacing religion with “society” and sensation as god. There were some things I disliked, namely the weird, shallow, and frankly confusing portrayal of Native Americans. Otherwise, excellent.
Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis: A re-read. Excellent philosophy-and-theology-laden Sci-fi. Read it out loud to my husband, and he liked it too.
Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis: Another re-read, and an even more powerfully theological Sci-Fi book. Also, my favorite world ever built. I long to go to Perelandra as Lewis writes it.
Uprooted, by Naomi Novik: A lovely, atmospheric fantasy, about a corrupting evil forest, and those who fight it. A story full of striking metaphors…though slightly marred by a needless and uniquely unromantic sex scene. Enjoyable enough that I will be reading Novik’s upcoming Spinning Silver, though, an unrelated but similarly styled fairy-tale fantasy.
A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan: A more formal, Victorian-England-flavored fantasy featuring the memoir of a young aristocratic woman who develops a scientific interest in Dragons, and who later becomes a famous dragon naturalist. I liked it a reasonable amount. I plan to read the next.
Literary or Contemporary
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel: this book was very well written, but I strongly disliked it. I expound a bit on why here.
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson: A calm, rich narrative of an elderly pastor knowing he will die soon, who wants to pass wisdom on to his son. Lovely, lovely, lovely. In the top two of the year.
Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: About immigration experiences, and non-American black experiences (specifically Nigerian). I found this book well-written, very interesting, and I am glad I read it, but I can’t quite say I liked it because both the protagonists…well, they troubled me deeply, not just due to ALL THE INFIDELITY, but also their utter indifference to its wrongness and effects (particularly Ifemelu’s indifference, though Obinze was no angel). So, lots of intriguing insights, and moments creating intense empathy, but morally just…awful. Any book that excuses infidelity within the narrative by either One True Love philosophy, or mere ennui, cannot get my recommendation, no matter how it might have otherwise deserved it.
Dear Martin, by Nic Stone: A novel about a boy who is racially profiled and mistreated by a cop, and tries to deal with his experiences of racism through the lens of Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy. While that framework is not as deeply utilized as I would have liked, I think this book does a good job of examining contemporary race issues through one young man’s personal experience.
Non-fiction/History
The Bookseller of Kabul, by Asne Seierstad: A narrative non-fiction about one Afghani family. Written by a journalist who lived with that family for a time. Very informative and generally well-written, but often infuriating…one gets the sense of the author’s condescension and contempt from time to time, and it mars the reader’s intimacy and empathy.
In the Garden of Beasts, Erik Larson: Narrative non-fiction about the US Ambassador to Germany–himself an unlikely candidate for the position–covering the year 1933-1934. Very informative about US and German attitudes at the time. I know far more than I would like about his daughter’s love life, but was still a very good read.
Republic of Fear, by Kanan Makiya: About the Ba’ath party’s rise, consolidation of power, and methods of control and intimidation. Excellent. A slower, more academic read, but well worth it. Highly recommended for anyone interested in modern Iraqi history.
Iraq’s Last Jews: Stories of Daily Life, Upheaval, and Escape from Modern Babylon, edited by Tamar Morad, Dennis Shasha, and Robert Shasha: A collection of oral histories documenting the persecution and flight of the 2500 year old Jewish community of Iraq. Devastating to read, seeing such an ancient and rich community utterly uprooted in a scant handful of decades.
Historical Fiction
The Slave, by Isaac Bashevis Singer: About a Jewish man’s sojourn as a slave in a 17th century Polish village, his relationship with a gentile woman, and his wrestling with his faith under circumstances of great sorrow and duress. Full of Jewish and Polish history and mythology. Recommended.
Old Men at Midnight, by Chaim Potok: Three stories relating to Jewish history, linked only by a woman named Davita, who herself is given scant and erratic characterization. The stories are very powerful, although the third one dips slightly into a different genre than the other two, and leaves some confusion. Regardless, I still recommend it, especially for The War Doctor section, and the scene about the boy preparing the reading passage for his Bar Mitzvah
The Promise, by Chaim Potok: The Promise is the follow-up to Potok’s more famous The Chosen, and while I like The Chosen, The Promise was one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It deals quietly with the collective trauma of the Holocaust and questions how to see the future of Judaism (I wrote a tiny bit about it here). I had to set the book down occasionally just to breathe and process. A painful, beautiful book.
Mara Daughter of the Nile, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw: An ancient Egyptian drama I first read when I was about twelve or thirteen. It is suited to that age, but I love it still. More details in this review.
Memoir
A Long Way Gone, by Ishamel Beah: a memoir of a child soldier from Sierra Leone. Depressing to read, but needful to hear.
Saddam’s Secrets, by Georges Sada: An Assyrian Iraqi General’s account of his years serving under Saddam Hussein. He has a very plain, personable, chatting-over-coffee way of writing and while not much of what he writes is unknown information, it is still a worthwhile read for one man’s perspective and experience of living in a very precarious position.
Surprised by Joy, by C.S. Lewis: A re-read. One of my all time favorite books, and a great companion to Lewis’ The Pilgrim’s Regress. An account of Lewis’ spiritual and intellectual journey up to the point of his conversion to Christianity.
Refusenik, by Mark Ya Azbel: Excellent memoir of a Jewish scientist in the Soviet Union who applied to immigrate to Israel but for many years was refused (hence refusenik), giving a thorough account of the prejudices and stifled intellectual atmosphere of even the “freer” times in the USSR, of anti-semitism cloaked as “anti-zionism,” of incredible endurance and moral fortitude. Definitely recommended.
Essays/Theology
Eugenics and Other Evils, by GK Chesterton: I have discovered that I love Chesterton’s essays and such far more than any of his fiction. It is easy to discuss Eugenics as evil now that we have seen where it can lead (the Nazis were big fans and, incidentally, some modern European nations have implemented certain fundamental Nazi goals with a quiet fervor) but Chesterton–who certainly has his flaws–was ahead of his time in this. He saw the terrible danger of a government and society that could collectively decide whose life was worth living without their own input.
Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer, by C.S. Lewis: Does what is says on the tin and, since it’s Lewis, does it well. More questions than answers, though, which is atypical.
On Stories, by C.S. Lewis: Lovely collection of essays on writing, youth fiction, SFF, and literature in general. Wrote a bit about it here.
Heretics, by GK Chesterton: A re-read. Essays critiquing the philosophies of various authors, thinkers, and public figures. Mostly Chesterton’s contemporaries. Excellent.
Classics
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: My first Great Russian Novel. It was daunting, and took a while to get through, but I am glad I read it. I don’t actually like Dostoyevsky’s writing style, which is tedious and rambling, but not at all beautiful. It is his explorations of human nature and folly and his intertwining of theological struggles that draw readers to him, not his prose, I imagine. (Perhaps the former’s a matter of translation?). I’ve heard tell it’s better to start with Crime and Punishment, which shall be my next.
Persuasion, by Jane Austen: A re-read of my favorite Austen. It is still good, in case you’re wondering. It is the most mature romance, and has excellent tension, and is an ode to the constant and long-suffering character.
My Antonia, by Willa Cather: Beautiful, atmospheric prose, really offering a visceral feel of Nebraska prairie life. Somewhat an account of immigrant experience as well. I liked it well enough to recommend it, though it’s not topping my lists. A few really gorgeous, moving scenes make it quite worth it.
Conclusions
30 books total (not a lot, but I feel pretty good about it!) 6 of this year’s books were re-reads, which I count an accomplishment. One of the hallmarks of a good book is that it’s one you want to read again, so I do not want to neglect those. I read books that came out this year, and books that were published a hundred or two hundred years ago. I read books that were “not my thing” and books that were my old, cozy stand-bys. I read books about contemporary issues, and books about historical issues that felt quite relevant to the present. I feel tremendously grateful for the opportunity to read all these books! A good book year, to be sure.
J. L. Odom 