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Thanks for starting this Nigeyb:What was the best book you read in 2017?
Reservoir 13. No contest, but a couple that ran it close are A Line Made by Walking and Autumn.
To mention a few older ones, I also loved A Month in the Country, Wizard of the Crow and Alias Grace
What was the worst book you read in 2017?
The Orphan Master's Son - to me this felt like a book that was trying too hard and never rang true.
Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
Best discovery was Joanna Kavenna, though Sara Baume runs her very close
What are your reading plans for 2018?
Just to get the to-read list under control. I have learned from recent experience that the problem with having too many plans is that there is never enough time to follow them through.
Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
I have a few already on the to-read pile that I may manage before the end of the year, but Ali Smith's Winter, and Nadeem Aslam's The Golden Legend are up there. I believe Aminatta Forna has a new novel on the way too.
What else do you want to say about what you read in 2017?
I have read more books and more pages than ever before, largely because of the inspiration I gained from my wonderful friends here and various GR groups.
Mod
Here's my tenpenneth.
What was the best book you read in 2017?
Unquestionably 'Jerusalem' by Alan Moore, the reluctant graphic artist (always “comics� to the great man), who is more accurately an artist, magician, film maker, illustrator, musician, poet, performer, essayist, journalist, commentator, and all round fascinating human being.
It’s funny, beautiful, profound, ribald, energetic and absorbing.
I’d give six stars if I could...
Click here to read my review
What was the worst book you read in 2017?
A friend of mine suggested I listen to the audiobook of The Martian. So I did. I abandoned it at around 75%, once I'd confirmed the book ended as it seemed obvious it would. It’s just a repetitive cycle of problems or disasters followed by technically complicated if improbable solutions. Beyond that there's nothing. No inner life. No insights. No descriptions of Mars. Just problem/scientific solution/problem/scientific solution etc. which quickly got boring. Fine if you like that sort of thing, and clearly millions do, but I was expecting a lot more.
Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
I discovered two authors writers in 2017
(1) Frank Norman
Here's what it says on Wikipedia...
Frank Norman (9 June 1930 � 23 December 1980) was a British novelist and playwright. His reputation rests on his first memoir Bang to Rights (1958) and his musical play Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be (1960), but much of the remainder of his work remains fresh and readable. Norman's early success was based in part on the frankness of his memoirs and in part on the style of his writing, which contained both renditions of cockney speakers and his own poor spelling. Jeffrey Bernard in an obituary of Norman wrote that he was...
'....a 'natural' writer of considerable wit, powers of sardonic observation and with a razor sharp ear for dialogue particularly as spoken in the underworld.'
The rest is here....
(2) John le Carré
I'd wanted to read the George Smiley books since watching the BBC adaptation of 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' back in the 1970s. I subsequently loved the 2011 film adaptation directed by Tomas Alfredson, which I saw in the cinema, and rewatched again this year. Everything I had heard about the source material suggested joy and wonder would await and, I’m pleased to report, that’s exactly what I found.
Timing-wise the new George Smiley book by John le Carré could not have come at a more opportune time for me. Between February 2017 and May 2017 I read the entire Smiley series...
'Call for the Dead' (1961)
'A Murder of Quality' (1962)
'The Spy Who Came In from the Cold' (1963)
'The Looking Glass War' (1965)
'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' (1974)
'The Honourable Schoolboy' (1977)
'Smiley's People' (1980)
'The Secret Pilgrim' (1991)
...and, to varying degrees, each is wonderful. Predictably, having reached the end of the series, I was left with a sense of loss. And then, to my delight and amazement, a new George Smiley book, 'A Legacy of Spies' arrived on 7 September 2017. Another five star read it was too�.
Click here to read my review
What are your reading plans for 2018?
More of the same. As Susan observed on the Gordon Burn favourite author thread, one writer leads to more writers, to more writers, and so it goes on. I accept I will never read all the wonderful books I want to read but it won’t stop me trying
Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
The new Bernie Gunther book - Greeks Bearing Gifts: Bernie Gunther Thriller 13 by Philip Kerr
Anthony Powell: Dancing to the Music of Time by Hilary Spurling - I loved reading A Dance To The Music Of Time in 2014. Calling his series ''A Dance" is a perfect metaphor, as Anthony Powell is akin to a choreographer, who intricately keeps track of over four hundred characters across more than a million words. It's a stunning achievement, and throughout, his beautiful writing is as much of a joy as the ingenious plot and his ambitious, and completely successful, cultural and social history of England throughout the twentieth century.
I plan to read Simon Raven's Alms for Oblivion, Vol. I & the subsequent volumes chronologically (not in the order in which they were published)....
1. Fielding Gray
2. Sound the Retreat
3. The Sabre Squadron
4. The Rich Pay Late
5. Friends In Low Places
6. The Judas Boy
7. Places Where They Sing
8. Come Like Shadows
9. Bring Forth The Body
10. The Survivors
What else do you want to say about what you read in 2017?
It’s been another wonderful year of reading - with many a five star read - and that has been an effective way of retreating from one of the most depressing and scary years of my life. Here’s hoping our world leaders start to engage with the important stuff again: climate change, equality, justice, lifting people out of poverty, education, public services etc etc
I’d also add how delighted I am by how, in a relatively short time, we’ve all established this group. So thanks to everyone who has joined, who reads the posts, who writes posts, who has engaged with the books, the writers, the opinions, the ideas, and quickly made this group an absolute pleasure to be a part of. Have a wonderful festive period and let’s keep it going in 2018, and beyond. Thanks so much.
Nigeyb wrote: "Here's my tenpenneth..." More inspirational stuff! Thanks for your part in setting up the group. I would like to participate more but I can't keep up with all of the groups I follow.
What was the best book you read in 2017?It is difficult to pick just one, but The Golden Legend is definitely one of the top three, so you are in for a treat Hugh. (See the 'discoveries' question below for the others, plus an honourable mention for Solar Bones.)
What was the worst book you read in 2017?
The One: set up a ridiculous premise, don't use it consistently and tell a series of weak stories where someone dies in most of them. I did know this was going to be terrible before I read it however, so the most disappointing book was Elmet.
Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
New to me: Roy Jacobsen, The Unseen
Rediscovery: Truman Capote, In Cold Blood (with the discuss-it book group).
What are your reading plans for 2018?
There are a few books on the Costa list I haven't read and want to, including two by debut authors set in the aftermath of WWI: The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times, which has been on my to-read list for a while, and The Haunting of Henry Twist. Then there is the Women's Fiction Prize and the Booker International lists to look forward to.
I also seem to have bought and started several series, so I will revisit them and decide whether to read on or abandon them.
Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
Another vote for Ali Smith and "Winter".
I am also looking forward to re-reading Muriel Spark and reading more by Elizabeth Bowen.
What else do you want to say about what you read in 2017?
It has been a better than average year for non-fiction for me, not just In Cold Blood, but several newer ones as well: The Vanquished: Why the First World War Failed to End, 1917-1923, A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Stories in Our Genes, Conundrum, Black and British: A Forgotten History, Summer Before the Dark: Stefan Zweig and Joseph Roth, Ostend 1936 and more. I also have The Rest Is Noise: Listening To The Twentieth Century on loan and Citizen Clem: A Biography of Attlee on order from the library.
P.S. Although none of the 2017 books were read with this group, we have discussed some of them, and I am looking forward to whatever gets chosen for the coming years.
I didn't read that many during with one thing or another.Did enjoy The Spy Who Came in From the Cold so maybe I'll read more of the genre.
For 2018, firstly finish the books I've already started!
By more efficient with my time to make room for reading.
I want to read more about Cuba and it's Revolution, the causes, the people, the world view and treatment etc.
I want to read From Russia With Love, I went to Pinewood for a James Bond event, met a few Binds girls (like you do) had your, met people associated with the film and watch the film in theatre No7.
-What was the best book you read in 2017?Probably either The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra, Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President, or New World Coming: The 1920s And The Making Of Modern America.
-What was the worst book you read in 2017?
I didn't finish three, Lucrezia Borgia, Uprooted, and A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18. Obviously I thought they were bad enough that I didn't want to finish them, but I finished a few doozies, so I'm going to go with Exit, Pursued by a Bear. It was just so nothing and wrapped up too perfectly. Runner up would be The Alienist, but it gets a pass because I found out at the end of the recording that it was abridged. I might not have liked the full book either, but I'm not going to count it against it here right now.
-Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
I read another Kate Summerscale and it was really good. Read more Sarah Vowell, too; I'd forgotten how much I enjoy her. Aziz Ansari's book was really good and I'd read more from him.
-What are your reading plans for 2018?
I'd like to get back to Evelyn Waugh and read the books by him I haven't yet, but that will probably be dependent on audiobook availability... Get back to Agatha Christie. Just keep plugging away at my to-read pile. :)
-Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
I can't think of anything offhand... I don't really keep up with new books, but I'm sure there will be new bios and non-fiction to get excited by as I hear of them.
-What else do you want to say about what you read in 2017?
I'm hoping to still get to Philip Pullman this year (stupid library holds keep coming through and delaying me, lol). I want to reread His Dark Materials before I read the new one, La Belle Sauvage. I'm surprised how much I've been able to read the second half of the year. When I was home on leave I didn't read much because the tv was there and it was easier, but audiobooks have really helped me get back on track for my goal for the year and then pass it. Thanks to audiobooks from the library I was able to read a number of books I didn't want to buy a copy of, I read books I have in print that I hadn't gotten to, and I read books that I'd previously abandoned. (And I don't feel quite as bad abandoning audiobooks.) It was a good year overall.
Mod
1. What was the best book you read in 2017?
I'm still gutted that Home Fire was knocked out of the Booker at an early stage. My Absolute Darling caused a furor of controversy, but is so bold, so dark, so courageous that it blew me away. And In The Name of the Family finished off Dunant's Borgia 2-book series brilliantly.
2. What was the worst book you read in 2017?
New Boy took Othello and placed it in a primary school with all the protagonists being just 7... Hogarth Shakespeare editors, what were you thinking when you passed this one? A Separation took pointless navel-gazing to new depths; and sorry Ali Smith fans but Autumn was just unreadable for me.
3. Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
This was the year I fell in love with Elena Ferrante and her wonderful Neopolitan Quartet, a series that puts female friendship at its heart. And I rediscovered Henry James, an author I'll be carrying forward into 2018.
4. What are your reading plans for 2018?
I say this every year but I'd like to try to keep ARC numbers down so that I have space for my own reading - problem is, they always look so tempting! I also want to make some headway into Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, taking it in his own advised reading order.
5. Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
Virginia Woolf and the Hermione Lee biography with this group; also a re-read of Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady which I rushed through for the story but which warrants a re-read. More Henry James, including The Golden Bowl, and I have to finally get to The Patrick Melrose Novels.
Best book? A Very Long Engagement which I just found fascinating.Worst book? For me, probably On the Road. I would hate to judge The Witches: Salem, 1692 just because I didn't like the reader on the audiobook.
Rediscovered author? Can't really think of one offhand. Although I did enjoy The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History by Lewis Buzbee.
Reading plans for 2018? I hope to work my way through at least some of the books cluttering the floor in my reading room.
Which books looking forward to reading in 2018? Other than the ones I already have on my floor (and on my Kindle), can't really think of any specific ones off the top of my head. Maybe get further into my John Dickson Carr collection.
Mod
What was the best book you read in 2017?A tie between Lincoln in the Bardo and The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times. Both weird and not what I would usually pick, but ultimately uplifting and books that stayed with me for a long time.
What was the worst book you read in 2017?
Nothing terrible this year, I haven't rated anything lower than 2 stars. Death Comes to Pemberley was a surprising disappointment.
Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017? Can't say I fell in love with a particular author but I definitely rediscovered my love for crime novels, and enjoyed reading a variety of authors from Agatha Christie to Arnaldur Indriðason.
What are your reading plans for 2018?
Read more of what I enjoy, read more of what I already own and read 8 more collections of short stories.
Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
In this group I'm already excited about The End of the Affair and A Far Cry from Kensington, I'm also looking forward to reading Moby-Dick or, The Whale after listening to an inspiring episode of In Our Time on Radio 4
Mod
Just one? Goodness! I will do my top 5, in no particular order, which is the least I can manage �
Take Courage: Anne Bronte and the Art of Life
Slow Horses by Mick Herron (and the rest of the series)
Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World
Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994
Dunbar
What was the worst book you read in 2017?
My recent read of Ngaio Marsh: Her Life in Crime Too many spoilers and no real insight into her life.
Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
Fell utterly in love with Mick Herron. There are few authors I have time to really read their whole series � however, having read the first in the Slow Horses series, everything else got shunted aside until I had completed every book. Love them!
Also have to say that I sort of re-discovered Salman Rushdie, who I have a hit and miss reading relationship with, but I loved The Golden House. Another great discovery was Anthony Horowitz
What are your reading plans for 2018?
To take less review books and make time for personal reading goals. To re-read Jane Haddam and her Gregor Demarkian novels. To finally read Phil Rickman Merrily Watkins series. It will never happen, but that's my hope!
Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
The new Mick Herron in the Slow Horses series and Philip Kerr's new Bernie Gunther
What else do you want to say about what you read in 2017?
Loved reading along with all my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ friends. Always welcoming, accepting and forgiving. Reading is a solitary occupation, and that is part of the joy, but sharing the love of the books we read is a pleasure.
What was the best book you read in 2017?I have read tons of good books, but the one taht captured me the most has been Embers by Sándor Márai, maybe beacause it is about a friendship and I found my-self in some pages.
What was the worst book you read in 2017?
I don't actually have one, beacause I was pretty documented about every book I wanted to buy (except for gifts), so it's been a good year!
Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
I discovered Georges Simenon. I've read The Blue Room, it was his first book for me and I fell in love with the story and his style. I will definitly read more of this author.
What are your reading plans for 2018?
I think I will read more classics. For example, I already have on my shelves Madame Bovary (the debut novel ofGustave Flaubert),Pride and Prejudice (by Jane Austen) and Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse (by Virginia Woolf).
Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
My favourite author during highschool has always been Stephen King, but during the last two years I haven't read any of his books (don't know why actually). So I can't wait to read his new novels (like Sleeping Beauties, that attracts me a lot) and some older ones.
What else do you want to say about what you read in 2017?
I may have not read a lot, at least not as much I excpected or wanted, but I have enjoyed all my reads!
Mod
Very difficult to pick just one! One of the best was Broken April by Ismail Kadare, a short, haunting tale about a blood feud in a remote area of Albania. I also loved The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain, about two boys in Switzerland who become lifelong friends, and Amberwell by D.E. Stevenson, a delightful family saga set in Scotland around World War Two.
What was the worst book you read in 2017?
Belshazzar's Daughter by Barbara Nadel was probably my biggest disappointment - a crime novel set in Turkey which starts quite well, but has a ridiculous plot and characters and some creepy sex scenes. Ice Blue by Emma Jameson was an exceptionally silly mystery with an aristocratic police chief whose servant serves his breakfast on a silver salver at the police station!
Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
I really like medieval mystery writer Ann Swinfen - have read all her books set in Oxford so far and look forward to more of them. I also fell in love with Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö - so far I've just read the first two of the Martin Beck books but aim to read the others. And I'm back in love with Evelyn Waugh after our buddy read of The Loved One.
What are your reading plans for 2018?
I'm hoping to read a greater variety than in 2017 - it's been a busy year and I've read fewer classics and non-fiction books than I usually do. I also want to read and see the last few Shakespeare plays on my list - there are still a few I've never seen or read!
Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
A difficult question. I'm looking forward to another great year of reading, and we have quite a few great books coming up here - I'm looking forward to discussing The End of the Affair, which is a long-time favourite for me, and to finally reading Mrs. Dalloway.
What else do you want to say about what you read in 2017?
I've been taking part in a personal challenge to try to read at least one book set in every European country - this is still under way and has led me to quite a few excellent authors who I might well never have discovered otherwise.
I've had Amberwell on my Kindle for quite some time. I'll have to move it up on my TBR list.
Mod
Thanks for the prompt to reflect on this!What was the best book you read in 2017?
The book that has stuck with me since reading it, and that I've been recommending to other people, is Hillsborough - The Truth by Phil Scraton. The author supported the families of the 96 in gathering evidence and the book as a result is detailed - and devastating. In terms of reading and understanding the 20th century in the UK, this book has a lot to say.
What was the worst book you read in 2017?
I couldn't identify a worst book, though I did have a fair few in the 'abandoned' pile, partly as a result of trying new things.
Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
Sadly none in this category!
What are your reading plans for 2018?
I want to embed the reading habit and am going to try a few things - aiming for a book a week, reading hard copy books rather than digital versions, reading in company / through the recommendations of others, including non-fiction as well as fiction to see if that helps me find a reading 'groove'.
Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
Nothing specific just now.
What else do you want to say about what you read in 2017?
I enjoy reading crime fiction as a way of getting lost in a book, although it doesn't always feel satisfying afterwards. Towards the end of the year I tried a few different Irish and Northern Irish crime stories, and one in particular stood out, Little Criminals by Gene Kerrigan. I'm definitely going to try more of his work in 2018.
Mod
Reading the 20th Century
Books mentioned in this topic
Hillsborough: The Truth (other topics)Little Criminals (other topics)
Belshazzar's Daughter (other topics)
Ice Blue (other topics)
The Gustav Sonata (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
D.E. Stevenson (other topics)Ismail Kadare (other topics)
Evelyn Waugh (other topics)
Rose Tremain (other topics)
Emma Jameson (other topics)
More...
What was the best book you read in 2017?
What was the worst book you read in 2017?
Which author(s) did you fall in love with, or rediscover, in 2017?
What are your reading plans for 2018?
Which author(s) or book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2018?
What else do you want to say about what you read in 2017?