To all of those unaware, I love
Goodreads, a website/app that allows you to keep track of the books you previously read, books you want to read, and currently reading. It's a great book community site that, frankly, is a lot better than Facebook. It's been a real help for me when I enter a bookstore, or a library, or Amazon.com and my mind freezes and I can't remember what book I want to read next.
Well, I bring this up because, every year, I enter a reading challenge. It's sort of a motivator to kickstart my book-reading for the year. This year, I didn't do too shabby ...
That said, I came across a number of great books. Some good. Some bad. Most of which weren't printed in 2017. But, who cares, I'm playing catch-up with other decades (as you'll see below). Enjoy the list.
And, if you have time, send me the favorite book you've read in 2017. Of course, I'll toss it on my Goodreads 'to-read' queue. Links to Amazon.com if you're interested in purchasing.
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
Although J.D. Vance is from Kentucky and grew up in Middleton, Ohio. And although he had more difficult parental issues than I could ever imagine, his account of life as a 'hillbilly' and the economic struggles his family entailed hits close to home. Great autobiographical, warts-and-all account of Vance's youthful upbringing. On a personal note, I grew up in Martins Ferry, Ohio (near Wheeling, West Virginia). I had a great life. I have great childhood memories. I was also very fortunate to have both a mother and father and loving relatives that helped raise me. But, I also grew up with a lot of poverty. You could honestly toss Vance's story into my hometown and not miss a beat. The cast of real-life family characters in his book echoes a lot of families in my small town (including my own). Look, I echo Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's sentiment that if you're born white, you automatically have a monstrous advantage — educationally, economically, culturally, in this society. But, for whatever reason, it doesn't feel like it if you grew up in this part of the country. Regardless if you're black or white, right or left, you have to feel for a lot of the other people that are trying to make ends meet in the hollers of Appalachian America. Again, good read. Highly recommended.
Great modern-day fantasy novel. The begining starts off a bit slow, but give it time - you'll be happy you did. I admire Hawkins creative mind and this is definitely a unique idea - one that hasn't been rehashed that's for sure. Don't want to give too much away, but there's a mixture of gods, lions, packs of wild dogs, people getting burned alive and resurrection. Just an oddly fantastical book that I would recommend to my fantasy-loving friends.
From a writing and structure perspective, this book is uniquely written - shooting from past to present with narrative and character changes in truly a unique fashion. And, surprisingly, it all works. I'm trying to jar my brain for a book that's been written in this exact way, but I'm at a loss. Perhaps Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five minus the time traveling? No. Through each chapter, we learn more and more about the passengers of a plane that crashed into the Atlantic traveling from Long Island back to New York. We also learn more about our main protagonist Scott Burroughs - with the police, FBI and national media on his tail. Is he a hero? Is he behind the crash? Is he in it for the money? It's interesting how Hawley (of Fargo TV series fame) weaves this rather mundane story into a page-turner of a novel. Check 'er out!
As someone that's (a) growing older, (b) currently going through career existentialism and (c) in the advertising field, this books hits home on a lot of different ways to me. Gill, is a much more successful advertising figure than myself and - after more than 15+ years at JWT finds himself out on his ass, due to seemingly two things (a) his big salary and (b) his age. Such is the life of a marketer. I've been told that 50-years old is the cut-off, termination point for many top creatives in the field. I guess old people can't be creative or something. They can't speak to the current purchasing generation, which I find is both insulting and bullshit. If this is the case, then I'm about 6 years away from searching for a new identity. Gill was as well. And, with his back against the wall, he decided to take a job at Starbucks - mainly for the insurance. But, in this transformation, from the man who had it all , to the man shilling drinks at a local coffee shop - Gill finds true happiness. This is a great read. Again, it hits home for me. But I think it could speak to people of all ages who are looking for something new, something different, something drastic change in their career.
For the past 20 years, I was dragging my feet on this book. "How could a book about a hermaphrodite be any good?" I would naively ruminate as I circled this book over and over again. Well, two thumbs up from three of my co-workers motivated me to give it a shot and color me impressed. This book is more than a person with male and female organs. It's a history lesson about Greece, it paints a picture of growing up in hustling-bustling pre-poverty stricken Detroit. It's filled with humor and action and fantastic dialogue. It's a wonderful, pleasant surprise! Should have read it about 20 years ago!
Great read. Merging two stories 50 years apart - one illustrated, one written - into one beautiful story. Not going to give away the ending, but, now, I would love to head to the two museums highlighted in the book and check out the creations that they discuss. Again, highly recommended. Almost could be compared to The Invention of Hugo Cabret in the sense that this book is a mystery that unfolds like the peels of an onion as each chapter continues.
Fantastic illustrations. Believable teenage dialogue. And a strong storyline. Highly recommended for everyone. Kids and adults.
I'm not a big business type of guy. Financially, I understand how the world works, but that's just about it. Sometimes I need a visual representation to get me through some of the heavy topics of life. In this case, capitalism. Kasser's book is good. But with added illustrative representation by Larry Gonic, it's a fantastic read. It reminds me of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics but with Capitalism. Kasser and Gonic take you through a history of capitalism in our country and around the world followed by it's steady rise into hypercapitalism. But it doesn't stop there, they also highlight ways to reverse the trends of corporate greed, low pay, and gluttonous buying. All in all, a great read - even for those people who have a hard time grasping these heady concepts ... like yours truly.
Great book. Originally I thought this was going to be a yawner. A big slog through the JFK assassination. But, man, it turned out to be a suspenseful thriller, a history lesson on Lee Harvey Oswald and the fateful day, a romantic novel, plus a little science-fiction dabbled in - all in one. It's long. You've been warned. But, nevertheless, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. One piece of feedback. The narrator kept saying the word 'obdurate' and 'harmonize' over and over again. I get that he was trying to set this up for something to come in the novel, but that's very minor. Stephen King never fails to surprise me though. Just a big fan of his writing, even when I think I'm going to hate it.
Quick, fast read. There are better time travel books out there, but you have got to tip your hat to the imagination of H.G. Wells. He laid the groundwork and the inspiration for all of the other time travel books and movies that you see today. If you've seen the 1960 film, then - pretty much - this book will be very familiar (with the exception to the size and features of the two creatures). All in all, it's a pretty bleak look into the future. But, again, hats off to Wells and his fantastic vocabulary and writing style.
Other Top Reads From Year's Past:
