One of our go-to sources of book recommendations is the annual end-of-year “Best Books of the Year” lists put out by various publications. At the beginning of each year, we pick a few books that sound interesting to use but we either hadn’t heard of before, or just didn’t get around to reading.
❧ Tanya – Looking back at last year’s list of 7 Books From the “Best of the Year Lists” That We Missed {On Our Reading List} – I only got to 2/3 – both of which I really enjoyed – Commonwealth, Ann Patchett and The Changeling, Victor LaValle.
This year, I’m only picking 2 books. The first, selected from Publisher’s Weekly Best Fiction of 2017 list.
Kintu, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
In 1750, Kintu Kidda unleashes a curse that will plague his family for generations. In this ambitious tale of a clan and of a nation, Makumbi weaves together the stories of Kintu’s descendants as they seek to break from the burden of their shared past and reconcile the inheritance of tradition and the modern world that is their future.
The next one is on NY Times The Top 10 Books of 2017 (and quite a few other lists too).
The Power, Naomi Alderman
In The Power the world is a recognisable place: there’s a rich Nigerian kid who lounges around the family pool; a foster girl whose religious parents hide their true nature; a local American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But something vital has changed, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power – they can cause agonising pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world changes utterly.
❧ Kim – Last year on our 7 Books From the “Best of the Year Lists” That We Missed {On Our Reading List} I ended up reading 2/4 books I mentioned. I read Stiletto, Daniel O’Malley and The Trespasser, Tana French. There’s one other that I’d still like to read but I’ve lost interest in the last one.
This year I’ll be starting out with two books from Barnes and Nobles Best of 2017 list. I picked both of these books mainly because they’ve been in my Audible library for a long time and I’m trying to clear out the backlog first thing this year.
Artemis, Andy Weir
Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you’re not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you’ve got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.
Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales.
[Buy Norse Mythology @ Amazon]
Which book(s) did you see on the Best Books of the Year list – that is now on your reading list?
(Photo by Victoria Bilsborough on Unsplash)
// Comments //
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
One of these days I’m going to read Neil Gaiman too. Who knows? Maybe this’ll be the one.
Lindsey
I have to confess to loving reading lists of best books and adding to my tbr list, but I somehow missed Kintu completely. I’m going to have to check that one out!
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