Every year I try to keep my reading list varied. I get bored reading the same kinds of things over and over. So when I assemble a list of what to read I try to include older works I’ve never read, recent books, and Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of books that are about to be published. I have found wonderful books in all three categories.
As always, let me remind you of my guidelines when it comes to this list. I am not presenting them as “great” books, or the “best of the year”. That’s not how I approach my reading. I love stories, and I love reading. After decades of reading and writing, my understanding of what makes good writing and a good story has been honed. But it remains my personal judgment. I prefer great storytelling to “great writing”. When the way an author writes gets in the way of what they are writing about, you lose me. Books like that may receive critical acclaim but they won’t score highly here. This list is of the books that stuck with me after I read them.
I read/reviewed around thirty books this year. Here are the Top Nine:
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The Djinn Falls In Love by Various Authors (2017) – In my personal “Year of the Short Story”, it’s not surprising that four of the list are short story collections. This one was listed as one of the best collections of 2017. It offers a different look at the cultural icon of the djinn, what most of us think of as “genies”. Written from a different cultural point of view than most readers know, the stories are amazing.
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Flappers and Philosophers by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1920)– The only author to make the list twice. My experience of Fitzgerald was zero prior to this year. I’d never read anything. Last Christmas I was given a huge anthology of American short stories which included “A Diamond As Big As The Ritz”. Which I hated! A kind of science fiction thing with strong racist overtones, it didn’t do a thing for me. But F. Scott Fitzgerald is F. Scott Fitzgerald. So I tried again. This collection turned me around. Some brilliant wordsmithing in service to the storytelling. That led me to read…
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) – The first reaction from most people is “How have you never read this before?” I can’t explain it. I don’t remember it ever being required reading for me. After loving the short stories so much, I decided it was time to read his best-known work. It was every bit as stunning as promised. That he could bring such depth to characters who are so shallow is the work of genius.
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The Power by Naomi Alderman (2016) – Another Christmas present book. The story of the cultural changes when women receive a great physical power that changes the relationship between the male and female of our species. This is an “I couldn’t stop reading” kind of book. Loved the story, loved the writing.
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Male of the Species by Alex Mindt (2011) – Third of the short story collections on the list. Recommended by my writer/editor child, I didn’t know Mindt’s writing at all. These are stories of men and boys and fathers and sons. The quality of the collection has moved him firmly onto the “Must Find More” list.
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Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer (2016) – The first of a series, I suppose you might call this a post-apocalyptic novel. The world as we know it is gone, replaced by a new system of worldwide clans and laws. The punishment for the worst crimes has changed as well. These criminals must serve society, owning nothing but what is given to them by the people they serve. It is a punishment to serves justice and offers a level of punishment that makes our current system look comfortable. In the middle of this comes a special boy with what may be very special powers. One of two books where the author took me someplace unknown, unexpected and utterly amazing.
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Seven Icelandic Short Stories by Various Authors (1950s?) – This collection was put together in the 1950s by the Icelandic government to highlight great writing going back to the earliest days of their culture. The stories begin in a different writing tradition and take the reader to some very different places. This selection was a total flyer. I was looking for something different for the Year of the Short Story, something unlike anything I’d ever tried before. The collection was all that I hoped for and more.
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The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuinn – Another author that I had little to no experience with, despite their reputation. I have read in the science fiction and fantasy genres for decades but I don’t think I’ve read anything by LeGuinn. Here she creates a human species that has adapted to its environment on another world. The adaptation is an ability to shift their physical gender between male, female and a neutral form. A human from the mainstream of the species finds himself trapped on the world and in an increasingly complicated relationship with one of the natives. The story is fascinating, complicated and legendary in the genre.
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The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (2018) – A first novel and the book I have recommended most often to fellow readers this year. The book is part mystery, part horror, part science fiction and endlessly fascinating. The main character finds themselves jumping from body to body in the mystery, trying to determine why and how Evelyn Hardcastle is killed. As the mystery slowly unwinds, more questions are added. Still, the book that I am most excited about reading this year.
There were lots of other great books on my reading list this year. Looks like 2019 is already shaping up as another great year.
Agree? Disagree? Want to make a comment or a suggestion? Put it in the comments!
Peace,
JD
Stories Are My Life 
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