This meme was floating around for several weeks last month and I intended on posting my responses before the end of the year, but time got away from me with all the holiday fun and house guests. In preparation for posting my Best of 2017, I decided to go ahead and answer these prompts. Better late than never seems to be my usual January mantra.
1. First Read of the Year -- A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff. This was lurking on my shelves for quite a few years and I decided to finally give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised.
2. Shortest Book You Read -- 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. I reread this in November and loved it just as much as all the previous times I've read it. It's a quick read and the movie is just as wonderful.
3. Best Sequel You Read -- No sequels this year.
4. Favorite Book Cover - 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff because who doesn't love a bookstore?
5. New-To-You Favorite Authors -- Anne Hood (The Book That Matters Most), Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine), Paulette Jiles (News of the World), Amor Towles (A Gentleman in Moscow) and Martha Hall Kelly (Lilac Girls).
6. Beautifully Written Book -- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons.
7. New Favorite Characters -- Count Alexander Rostov and Sofia (A Gentleman in Moscow); Eleanor Oliphant (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine); Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (News of the World).
8. Books You Reread -- High Tide in Tuscon by Barbara Kingsolver; Night by Eli Wiesel; From Beginning to End by Robert Fulghum; 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. I originally read all four of these in 1996 (see my post here) and decided to read them again during the Nonfiction November Challenge. Sadly, I wasn't as impressed with High Tide in Tuscon and From Beginning to End as I was in 1996. The other two were just as impressive and remain on my shelves.
9. Book With A Magical Setting -- Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen.
10. Longest Book You Read -- In print: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (462 pages); On audio: Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (17 hours and 30 minutes).
11. Book You Finally Read This Year -- The Meaning of Names by Karen Gettert Shoemaker. I met this local Nebraska author at our store on several occasions and after hearing such great things about the novel, I finally got a copy. Very good!
12. Best Conclusion to a Series -- See #3
13. Most Read Genre -- Contemporary Fiction (followed by Memoirs)
14. Last Read of the Year -- The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons. What a great book with which to end the year! Excellent!
15. Favorite Reads of 2017 (I'm only sharing those with 5-star ratings) -- The House at Tyneford; The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying (by Nina Riggs); A Gentleman in Moscow; Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine; 84, Charing Crossroad; and Night.
Now to start reviewing the books I read in 2017. I am so far behind, but I want to keep a written record of my thoughts for each book, so I'll keep plugging away!
