I had a tough time
choosing a title for this post, as everything short and interesting seemed to
suggest a list of books of 2017 that I had read. Though this title is
unassuming, the books that are listed here are not.
2017 was a great year
in books for me, especially due to the Goodreads Reading Challenge. The
Challenge gave me a sense of direction and discipline in choosing and reading
the books for the year. I completed my target of 22 books, which I sneakily
brought down from 24 when I realised I wouldn’t be able to complete on time,
only to overshoot the target by exactly 2 books. Here are a few recommendations
for interested souls :D
Of the books I had
read in 2017, the stand outs were:
- Room - Emma Donoghue
- Wild - Cheryl Strayed
- Anne of Green Gables - L M
Montgomery
- Rules of Civility - Amor
Towles
- A Man Called Ove - Fredrik
Backman
- Our Souls At Night - Kent
Haruf
- A Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret
Atwood
Some books inspire,
some books make us aspire, some books move us and some books may have all of
the former. Every one of the books I have listed above has inspired me to
either write or read more. These books all have such good language and style;
they were all un-put-downable. Artfully written were Rules of Civility, Anne of
Green Gables and A Handmaid’s Tale. Reading each of these books felt like a
lesson in writing fiction. I loved the flair and the style of writing. Story
wise, Room, Wild, A Man Called Ove and Our Souls at Night tugged at my
heartstrings. But most importantly, this year will always be counted as the year I completed A Handmaid's Tale. Initially I ploughed through the book, though the writing was superb. By and by I got caught up in the story, and then I just couldn't put it down.
The ones below were
good time pass and made for an interesting and sometimes riveting read. The
books however were casual and adventurous except for perhaps Night Circus and
The Ocean at the end of the lane which were very different from what I have
generally read. A Case of Exploding Mangoes was a really good book by Pakistani
writer Mohammad Hanif. Another book that truly made a mark was part of the
Inheritance series. The story line was unusual and it took some getting used to.
Now after having read Book #2 of the same series, I can’t wait to get my hands
on the final book of the series.Crazy Rich Asians played out like a good
Barbara Bradford meets Lauren Weisberger - an
indulgence considering the kind of books listed here.
Pick up one of these
books for a good read. You shall not regret.
- Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
(Book #1 of The Inheritance Series)
- Broken Kingdoms (Bookd #2 of
Inheritence
- Dark Places - Gillian Flyn
- The Song of Achilies -
Madeline Miller
- The Ocean At the End of the
Lane - Neil Gaiman
- Night Circus - Erin
Morgenstern
- A Case of Exploding Mangoes
- Mohammad Hanif
- Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin
Kwan
- Veerapan: Chasing the
Brigand - Vijay Kumar
Award books and
seemingly important reads left me slightly ungratified. Whether it was 2014 Man
Booker Prize winner, The Narrow Road to Deep North or Washington Post’s 2012
Book of the Year, Flight Behaviour, I didn’t feel much connect. Perhaps I
needed to come of age to appreciate the reason why they feature in the Awards
list or perhaps those kind of books with their picky language and rambling
prose is difficult for me to decode when my mind is on a hundred different
things. Flight Behaviour dealt with climate change and has in it the story of a
woman who has to make some hard decisions. What I liked about the book was the
juxtapositioning of a rural life with that of the city. I realised that we
Indians pretty much seem to live the rural life...and I say that in a good way.
There have been a few
other books too, you may have noticed, of which Padma Lakshmi’s Love, Loss and
What We Ate - A Memoir, was super disappointing. So too was Longbourn by Jo
Baker. It was insipid and rather sketchy and is quite unfairly compared to Jane
Austen.
So how has your
reading been in 2017? Do share.
Looking forward to a
book-filled 2018. Happy New Year folks!
Comments