Books Of 2017
Once again, my list of "notables" is quite short. If my list were "enjoyables" it would be considerably longer. As I have stated before, this is not intended as a revue of these books, but just a mention to indicate that they earned a special place in my mind.
1. The Lost City of the Monkey God – Douglas Preston – a true story of discovery in Honduras, and a compelling look at reasons for abandoned civilizations and the lessons for today.
2. The Lost City of Z - David Grann -non-fiction account of early 20th century explorations of the Amazon to map, and to find El Dorado. Incredible hardships.
3. Steal away home - Karolyn Smardz Frost – non fiction by Toronto author archeologist/historian – also wrote “I’ve Got A Home In Glory Land” - a fascinating and meticulously researched story of the era of slavery and abolition in both the US and Canada.
4. Earthly remains - Donna Leon – To class this author’s books as “detective stories” would be misleading. Her main characters are in Venice and the stories are rich in geographical detail and human interactions.
5. Mississippi Blood – Greg Iles – this is the third book in the Natchez Burning trilogy. I had read the first two – Natchez Burning and The Bone Tree – and finally this recently released book. The copy I read is large print and runs to 1204 pages. A deeply disturbing look at racial issues past and present, as well as looking at past wars (the Korean War specifically in this last book).
6. The Road To Little Dribbling – Bill Bryson. Non fiction. If Bill Bryson writes a book, you can safely bet it will be in my notable books list. This one is a followup to his earlier “Notes From A Small Island”. Enough said.
7. Hillbilly Elegy – J.D.Vance. Non fiction. The cover calls it “A memoir of a family and culture in crisis”. Read about it on the internet if you are interested. I will remember it for a very long time, and will perhaps find I have been changed by it.
8. Prussian Blue – Philip Kerr. German detective Bernie Gunther is a wonderful character created by an excellent writer. Having read the whole series I am always eager for the next one.
