The five best books I read this year:
Bess of Hardwick by Mary S. Lovell
Biography of the matriarch of the Cavendish family (today the dukes of Devonshire). A fascinating, shrewd, and incredibly wealthy Elizabethan woman (second only to Elizabeth herself), Bess was involved in all the political intrigue of the day: she and her fourth husband “hosted” Mary, Queen of Scots, in their assorted country homes before her execution, and even attempted to position a willful granddaughter to ascend the throne. We happen to live right in the middle of her vast property, about halfway between her two primary residences, Hardwick Hall and Chatsworth House. We’re practically related!
Kingsblood Royal by Sinclair Lewis
Fictional account of the repercussions of a mid-century Midwestern man accidentally discovering that he has an African-American ancestor.
Lady Into Fox by David Garnett
Fictional account of the repercussions of a new bride turning into a fox.
Independent People by Halldór Laxness
Fictional account of an early 20th-century rural Icelandic family struggling to survive against totally surmountable odds. All the dude ever wanted was his independence.
Great Tales From English History by Robert Lacey
Bite-size historical niblets of the events that shaped England’s history, now in one handy volume.
54: Number of books I read.
5: Number of books I’m currently reading.
1: Number of books I abandoned midway.
Bonus
The one best book Stephan read this year:
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick.
Non-fiction accounts of the ordinary lives of six North Korean defectors.
1: Number of books Stephan read.
2 Comments
That is an amazing amount of books you read. I’m in the same boat as Stephan. I was hoping you could refer me to some history books that are easy readers. I am trying to read more this year and do not want it to be all fiction. Let me know if you have any suggestions. Hope everything is going good.
I hope I’m not too late! I made a list at work today, as I thought of authors I like (not all history, but all non-fiction) (the titles are meant to be italicized instead of in quotes, but I don’t know how to do that in comments :) ):
History books I’ve been planning on reading, so I can’t personally comment on their readability, but I’ve heard good things:
“A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn
“A Little History of the World” by Ernst Gombrich (actually written for children)
“Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong” by James Loewen
“The Wordy Shipmates” by Sarah Vowell
Assorted non-fiction:
Bill Bryson—my favorites are “A Walk In The Woods,” “A Short History of Nearly Everything” (mostly about the history of science, and quite long, but easy enough to read. I think there’s also an abridged/illustrated version), and “At Home: A Short History of Private Life.”
Elizabeth Gilbert—she wrote “Eat, Pray, Love,” but I liked “The Last American Man” better.
Malcolm Gladwell—three or four books about understanding success (but not in a self-help way—just interesting observations); my favorite is “What The Dog Saw.”
Mary Roach—interesting science-y things. My favorite: “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.”
You should have a chat with Brandon (Ward) next time you see him. He will tell you that you should read some Edward Abbey (“Desert Solitaire” is good) and Farley Mowat (I haven’t read these because I can’t find any over here!), and other good ideas. :)