I had set a goal on Goodreads to read 50 books in 2017 and I....didn't quite make it. Counting audiobooks, I read 45 this past year. Maybe in 2018 I can get 50. But, I thought I'd look back over the past year and sum up what I read.
Audiobooks
One of my favorite experiences with books this year was listening to the Harry Potter books on CD as we road-tripped around Europe. Paige and I have both read and re-read the series, watched all the movies multiples times, gone on a Harry Potter-themed walking tour in Edinburgh, and even visited the movie studios outside London where are the films were made. So, we had a great time listening to all the books over again starting in July 2016. We finished the last disc of the last book in May of 2017 as we drove home from the Munich airport after finishing up our last trip to Oslo, Norway.
I also listened to Max Brooks' excellent World War Z which I had originally read in April, 2014 and I've also been slowly making my way through the A Song of Fire and Ice saga by George R.R. Martin, but only finished A Storm of Swords this year. I'm currently listening to A Feast for Crows.
Now, on to the real books:
Best Book I read in 2017
I gave this book a sky-high 9.5!
In my review I said, "This was a great book. Well written, well researched, and Howarth’s conclusions were well argued. I had the basic knowledge of the events of 1066 before reading this, but now I feel like I really understand it all. Plus, Howarth did a great job explaining what life was like for an English villager in the middle ages."
Worst Book I read in 2017
This was easy, it was a tie between Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan (515 pages) and Conclave by Robert Harris (286 pages).
Both books scored a 2.0 on my scale. Scarlet Sky was not a good book, but Conclave was much more disappointing for me. I love Robert Harris. He's my favorite contemporary author and I own all his novels. Not only that, but this book had the potential to be great. From my review of Conclave: "This book ticked me off. If it had ended ten pages earlier than it did I would have given it an 8.0 rating. The setting was interesting, the characters were well rounded and full, and getting to learn some of the ins and outs of the Vatican was fascinating. Harris had crafted a great novel that was far from boring even though it largely involved old men sitting in the Sistine Chapel voting. BUT, HE HAD TO GO AND SCREW IT ALL UP BY UNNECESSARILY INVOLVING CONTROVERSIAL POLITICS! So stupid."
Most Underrated Book I read in 2017
Everyone should read this. Mass migration is the most important issue facing every advanced Western nation and ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
From my review of Murray's excellent book: "I thought the book was well written, clearly organized, and persuasively argued. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone interested in immigration, Western Civilization, Europe, history, or demographics, etc. I am glad Murray was able to write and publish this book so that a broader audience could understand what has happened—and still is happening—in Europe and everything that is at stake."
I gave The Strange Death of Europe an 8.0
Most Overrated Book I read in 2017
Another easy one, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (374 pages)
All of my friends who have read this book loved it. And they're not alone as none other than Steven Spielberg is releasing a big-budget movie of this book very soon.
My thoughts on the book? From my review: "Honestly, Cline’s story is so clichéd and predictable that even with the fun that nostalgia can bring, the book was a chore to read. He constantly defaults to tired tropes like “fascist corporations are out to destroy the cool things we love, man” and “we used up all the fossil fuels now we don’t have power!” (What about nuclear?). Anyone that uses the word “fascist” without irony to describe something in the modern world just cannot be taken seriously."
I rated Ready Player One 5.5--generously.
Most Surprisingly Enjoyable Book I read in 2017
World War I is really kind of an overlooked event in most popular culture. How many movies about WWI can you name? Now, what about WWII? See what I mean? So I loved reading an entertaining, funny, insightful, and historically accurate book about the War to End All Wars.
From my review: "First, this was a great book. It was well written, the protagonist Otto was a great character whom the reader couldn’t help but root for, and Higgins deftly presented a look into a largely forgotten time and culture."
I rated A Sailor of Austria 8.0 and thankfully my wonderful wife bought me the complete four-book set of this series for Christmas so I look forward to reading more of Otto Prohaska's adventures in 2018.
Book That Absolutely Everyone Should Buy I read in 2017
My mom's book, of course! I gave M.J. Evans' The Stone of Courage a perfect 10.0 out of 10.0!
From my review: "Wow! I’m know I’m a little biased since my mom is the author, but I thought this was a fantastic young adult fantasy. I’ve been able to read my mom’s books since the very early drafts of Behind the Mist (#175), and it has been so fun watching her grow as a writer. Here she has created a fun, layered world that fits squarely in with other Fantasy novel worlds and is true to the genre. While many of the creatures that populate the land of Crystonia will be familiar to fans of mythology or fantasy, e.g. centaurs and cyclops, Evans has given them new, interesting qualities and civilizations that brings a fresh feel to them. I can’t wait to continue on with Carling and her friends in Book 3!"
Visit Dancing Horse Press to buy this and all her other fantastic books!
And that wraps up 2017! Maybe next year I'll do more traditional categories like Best Fiction and Best Non-Fiction. But, I hope you enjoyed this round-up of my 2017 reading.
Happy New Year!
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