Fiction Reads 2018

So, surprise, for real, I didn’t drown after all in the sea of non-fiction that described the decay of a civilization.  I came up for air, from time to time, for longer and longer periods.  How did I choose the books?  Favorite authors,  Canada Reads selections, incidental recommendations, language, and, of course, pure chance.

English Language, in order of enjoyment, not necessarily literary merit:

Dear Girl,  by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Parish Rosenthal (2017)

Readers of this blog know my obsession with AKR’s books.  Her last book celebrates girls, and encourages them to be everything they can be, with practical suggestions for how to do that.  A must for every young girl.  "Dear girl, Keep that arm raised!  You have smart things to say!"

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (2017)

Best fiction of the year in my set.  Frankel tackles the subject of transgender children, with empathy, relatable characters, and language at once fresh and delicate.  Masterfully written.

Origin, by Dan Brown (2017)

I loved the book, and was surprised that some people I talked to thought it formulaic in the Dan Brown style.  Somehow, although I’ve read all the books in the Da Vinci Code series, the historic, geographical, and architectural detail about Spain swept me up as much as the plot.  " 'There is only one way Christianity will survive the coming age of science.  We must stop rejecting the discoveries of science.  We must stop denouncing provable facts.  We must become a spiritual partner of science, using our vast experience—millennia of philosophy, personal inquiry, meditation, soul-searching—to help humanity build a moral Framework and ensure that the coming technologies will unify, illuminate, and raise us up . . . rather than destroy us.' "

American War by Omar El Akkad (2017)

Very powerful novel, dark, and intricately connected to the non-fiction I read on a similar topic.  In Canada Reads, it finished second to Forgiveness (comments below).

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (2017)

John Green’s quirky characters and authentic voice will always bring me back.  I’ve read all his books (e.g. The Fault In Our Stars, Looking for Alaska) and never tire.  " 'We are about to live the American Dream which is, of course, to benefit from someone else’s misfortune. ' " (p. 23)

A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva audio book

The English Assassin by Daniel Silva (2002)

The Confessor by Daniel Silva (2003)

The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva (2000)

The Daniel Silva run began quite by accident with an audio book from the library that I thought might keep me awake and, optimally, intrigued, during a nine-hour drive home solo from Calgary.  Worked in spades.  The world of spies and assassins, and the people mixed up in it, made the kilometres fly.  I hunted down three other books by Daniel Silva, whom I had never read before, and they bridged some serious non-fiction.  I will go back.

The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve (2017)

Anita Shreve died of cancer at age 71 while I was reading this book.  Based on a historic fire in Maine in 1947, this is the fictional story of Grace Holland’s self-discovery as she struggle to survive in that crisis.

A Darkness of the Heart by Gail Bowen (2018)

On her book tour, Gail Bowen dropped in to our local library for a chat.  She delighted and inspired.  This read reminded me of how subtly she contextualizes each new Joanne Kilbourn novel and establishes the threads for the next one.

Drums in Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

I love the Outlander series, especially the first three volumes.  Season four of the television series prompted me to refresh my memory of volumes four and five, that I had never reread.  Without six or seven years between tomes, I was able to make connections that had eluded me.

The Color of Rain by Micahel and Gina Spehn (2011)

Simply the book that inspired a TV movie that I enjoy overcoming tragedy and blending families.

Macbeth by Jo Nesbø (2018)

An author courageous enough to retell the Macbeth story in 1970’s America has my attention. Slow and dreary for the first forty pages or so, the novel did grapple with the essential questions Shakespeare asks in his play.  What catalysts  could trigger the "secret man of blood"  that lies dormant people?

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (2017)

Forgiveness:  A Gift From My Grandparents by Mark Sakamoto (2017)

Two Canada Reads choices that, in my mind, didn’t meet the expectations the reviews and comments had set. Worthwhile reads, both.  The first explores indigenous issues with which Canadians continue to grapple, and the second honours the character of Japanese Canadians imprisoned in Canada during World War II and stripped of their possessions, and still able to forgive.

The Winners’ Circle by Gail Bowen (2017)

Another Joanne Kibourne novel.  Unfortunately, Bowen gets caught in the recapitulation trap, and her trademark invisible weaving of past threads gives way instead to a whole chapter of catch-up that detracts from this book.

French Language

Chanson douce de Leïla Slimani (2016)

Disponible en anglais sous le titre The Nanny (2018).  Une femme se rend indispensable à une famille professionnelle après la naissance de leur deuxième enfant, avec des conséquences tragiques.  « Son cœur s’est endurci.  Les années l’ont recouvert d’une écorce épaisse et froide et elle l’entend à peine battre.  Plus rien ne parvient à l’émouvoir.  Elle doit admettre qu’elle ne sait plus aimer. » (p 230)

La meilleure façon de marcher c’est celle du flamant rose de Diane Ducret (2018)

Un roman déprimant, et difficile à lire pour cette raison, à mon avis.  Simplement un surcroit de peine et de défis.  « Mais celui qui a inventé le bateau a aussi inventé le naufrage, il ne faut donc pas s’enorgueillir de ses succès passagers; il est nécessaire d’œuvrer toujours avec vertu, courage et humilité, se vaincre soi-même pour triompher de tout. » (p 154)

Madame Tout-le-monde de Juliette Thibault (2011)

Premier roman d’une série; le deuxième tome m’attend toujours.  Ce livre est une recommandation d’une amie, et je comprends pourquoi.  La langue presque archaïque me distrait, cependant.  Je me rends compte de nouveau que je préfère les romans français que j’ai lu dernièrement, pour leur langue beaucoup plus naturelle.

Non-fiction Reads 2018

My goal for 2018  was to submerge myself in non-fiction, the better, I decided, to make a stab at understanding events in my  hemisphere and in the world.  True confession:  I almost drowned (life raft in the next post).  So, this column of my favorite non-fiction reads is not for the faint of heart.  It’s for the resilient, the agents.  It targets those who need perspectives and information to get truth and rationality out there in the trenches,  to « rouse a disaffected humanity and press the world’s physical truths into its palms » as Barbara Kingsolver says, in Unsheltered (p. 193).  I’ll begin with my daily news sources, and end with my book-of-the-year selection.

Journalism

Throughout the year, I continued to get my news from online newspapers:  The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, the Washington Post, and my two local papers.  I continue to follow the courageous  columnists I recommended in last year’s best-reads post.   This year, I stumbled on unconventional news sources, namely :

•     Chris Hedges in Truthdig; his most recent article The Election Circus Begins, exemplifies his lucid and frank prose.  

•     Jonathan Chait (cf Trump Literally Did NotUnderstand What a Shutdown Would Do)

•     Ryan Holiday, a personal strategist often published in Medium, (cf How toDevelop Better Habits in 2019) who led me to

•     Umair Haque, an uncompromising chronicler of American collapse  and the menace of authoritarianism.

Politics

•     No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need (2017) by Naomi Klein—the Canadian activist’s call to action

"To have a hope of changing the world, we’re going to have to be willing to change ourselves."   (p. 261)

•     Trumpocracy:  The Corruption of the American Republic (2017) by David Frum

•     The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House (2018) by Ben Rhodes.              Fascinating account of the critical events of the Obama presidency.  Here’s the difference between what really happens and what we know about what happens. 

•     America,  The Farewell Tour (2018) by Chris Hedges

More on the American collapse, with a stark message on the caveats of citizenship: "Resistance entails suffering.  It requires self-sacrifice.  It accepts that we may be destroyed.  It is not rational.  It is not about the pursuit of happiness.  It is about the pursuit of freedom."  (p. 305)

•     War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence (2018) Ronan Farrow 

Understand the cumulative effect of decades of budget cuts in diplomatic offices and preferences for military solutions.

Indigenous Issues and Truth and Reconciliation

Unsettling Canada:  A National Wake-Up Call (2017) by Arthur Manuel and Grand Chief Ron Derrickson

Manuel and Derrickson write a history of the Indigenous peoples of British Columbia.  The authors describe their experiences growing up, as well as their roles as activists in the events that shaped the directions of relations with First Nations on the federal and provincial levels.  They are frank in their assessments, and provide singular perspectives and insights.  

The Comeback (2014) by John Ralston Saul

Indigenous peoples are reclaiming their power and influence in Canada.  "The situation is simple [he says].  Aboriginals have made and will continue to make a remarkable comeback.  They cannot be stopped.  Non-aboriginals have a choice to make.  We can continue to stand in the way so that the comeback is slowed and surrounded by bitterness.  Or we can be supportive and part of a new narrative." (p. 6)

Being Human

Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship by Gregory Boyle (2017)

“Seek first the kinship, and watch what happens,” Boyle says.  The path to reconciliation is relationship, and all of us have a responsibility to make it happen.  Why all of us?  We have a pulse, Boyle says.  “This larger sense of belonging to each other acknowledges that many are the things that connect us, and those things that divide us are few and no match for our kinship.”  This book is the cumulative wisdom of Boyle’s decades of developing relationships with former gang members to support them in building a solid life.

The Widower’s Notebook (2018) Jonathan Santlofer.  Memoir

Santlofer’s wife dies in his arms in their living room a few days after surgery.  The book describes his reaction and his efforts to rebuild his life. 

Hockey Matters

Game Change: The Life and Death of Steve Montador and the Future of Hockey (2017) by Ken Dryden

Breaking Away (2015) by Patrick O’Sullivan

Both accounts provide insights into the physical and emotional toll a hockey life can exact.

Yvette’s Book of the Year

Conspiracy:  Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker and the Anatomy of Intrigue (2018) by Ryan Holiday

Hands down, this was the best book I read in 2018.   Not only did this real-life drama read like a mystery novel, Holiday supplemented the account judiciously with lessons in strategy from his vast reading.  He explains a complex matter with unerring clarity, and provides frequent summaries of names and events without ever sounding condescending.  A masterful job on all levels—research, structure, storytelling, and language.  This was an unexpected page-turner.  In fact, after I read the library copy, I purchased a copy to keep.  It was that good.  My favorite aspect, however, is the emphasis on agency, on the power of the individual to make change:  "If you want to have a different world, it is on you to make it so.  It will not be easy to do it—it may even require things that you are reluctant to consider.  It always has.  Moreover, that is your obligation [author’s italics] if you are called to a higher task.  To do what it takes, to see it through." (p.  294)  Very timely message.