61 books in 2017

See the books I read in 2016, 2015 and 2014.



1. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather.
This book was the featured title in the latest issue of The Happy Reader, and I picked it up with the promise of tales of family, falling in love and pickles on the Nebraska prairie. What really drew me in, however, is that the main character is a woman - the stedfast and strong willed Alexandra Bergson - and it's as much about her role within this rapidly emerging new community, as the settling of a new landscape.
Finished January 2017.



2. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink.
Finished January 2017. 



3. Looking for the Possible Dance by AL Kennedy.
There's one brutally shocking scene in this book but that's not what I'll remember this for. It's great at everyday relationships - centred on Margaret relationship with both her father and her boyfriend, but also in the workplace and with passing strangers. Its characters are, by turns, selfish, loving, funny, mean, inspirational - in other words fully human.
Finished January 2017. 





4. Let Them Call It Jazz and Other Stories by Jean Rhys.
Jean Rhys is one of my literary heroines but I've been thinking about the whys of that a lot recently - she's an important figure in two of my favourite books from last year - Flaneuse and The Dead Ladies Project. While I'm still mulling that over, I enjoyed reminding myself of her unique style with this slim three story volume. Finished January 2017. 

5. Little Deaths by Emma Flint.
Read my interview with the author on the Oh Comely blog Finished January 2017. 

6. Delta of Venus by Anais Nin. Finished January 2017. 

7. Self-Portrait by Man Ray. Finished January 2017. 




8. The Muse by Jessie Burton.
I love Jessie Burton. In interviews and social media, she's such a lovely force - honest, warm, wise. I just wished I loved her books more. For me, this suffered the same fate as The Miniaturist - brilliant premise and a gripping start that tailed off to... disappointment. Finished February 2017. 

9. Tigers are Better-Looking. With a selection from The Left Bank by Jean Rhys. Finished February 2017. 




10. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.
My first Le Guin book. I heard this described as a feminist sci-fi classic and I'd recently read Zadie Smith raving about her, but I was initially so underwhelmed by this book. However, it crept up on me, both the story and her intentions. The more I thought about it, the more skilful I realised it really was and I think I need to step into her world again. Finished February 2017. 




11. How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell.
This book has attracted lots of controversy for its depiction of its authors addiction, and it is like witnessing something you probably should look away from but it's too enthralling to stop. If you liked/could stomach Cat's columns on XO Jane, you'll probably like/stomach this. Additional points if you are obsessed with Conde Nast and glossy mags for the honest insight into that world and its personalities. I realised I was used to reading books like this at a distance of time, or through the eyes of an independent biographer. Cat is roughly my age, hammering home how recent - and present - her experiences are. Finished February 2017. 




12. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.
The first selection for the Oh Comely book clubFinished March 2017. 



13. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
I devoured Towles's first book, Rules of Civility - a tale as glamorous as the flappers it portrayed. His new novel encourages reading at a much more considered pace. This is a story about detail, about living life slowly but richly, what it is to be gentle or genteel. It's a fabulous jewel of a book. Finished March 2017.

14. Border by Kapka Kassabova. Finished March 2017. 

15. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. Finished April 2017. 

16. Close to the Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration by David Wojnarowicz. Finished April 2017.

17. Jane Austen at Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley. Finished April 2017. 

18. The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon. Finished April 2017. 

19. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Finished April 2017. 




20. Peyton Place by Grace Metalious.
I re-read this for 'What We're Reading' feature on banned books in issue 37 of Oh Comely magazine. On publication, this book was banned in more conservative US States, forbidden in Canada and heavily censored elsewhere. The result: sales in the millions. Pick up a copy for my full review. Finished April 2017.




21. The Lucky Ones by Julianne Pacheco.
I read this for #ohcobookclub for issue 37 (which I edited, yay!). Pick up a copy here to see what we thought. You can also hear me talking about it on my friend Laura's podcast, The Book Club ReviewFinished May 2017. 

22. Persuasion by Jane Austen. Finished May 2017.

23. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Finished May 2017.

24. Emma by Jane Austen. Finished May 2017.

25. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Finished May 2017. 




26. The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks.
I re-read this ahead of the Forgotten Fiction book club at Gower Street books. We read it alongside Jean Rhys' Voyage in the Dark. I'm a huge Rhys fan and she is an amazing, stark writer – Reid Banks is a completely different kind of writer. I feel like she talks as you think, so that you forget that someone has sat there constructing this world for you, that it's fiction at all. Finished May 2017. 




27. A Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume.
This book is a beautiful exploration of loneliness, nature and art. It’s a book driven by imagery, rather than plot, a continued encouragement to look again – to press your nose against grubby windows, into moth-infested sheds and confront the entrails of a frog. Conceptual art, too – used as one of the ways its narrator tries to make sense of her experience. I loved the value it gives to the ordinary, to patches of carpet, childhood pets and family holidays, and – most importantly – to the worth of its mid-20s something female narrator’s perception of her world.  Finished June 2017. 

28. Smile Please by Jean Rhys. Finished June 2017. 




29. I was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelssohn.
A re-reading of this magical book, which speculates on what might have happened to Earhart after her plane disappeared over the Pacific. I can guarantee it's not what you think. Finished June 2017. 

30. Stet by Diana Athill. Finished June 2017. 

31. Poppies for England by Susan Scarlett (Noel Streatfeild). Finished June 2017. 

32. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Finished June 2017. 

33. Wanderlust: A history of walking by Rebecca Solnit. Finished June 2017. 

34. Eveline: The Amorous Adventures of a Victorian Lady by Anonymous. Finished June 2017. 

35. The Idiot by Elif Batuman. Finished July 2017. 

36. The Dark Circle by Linda Grant. Finished July 2017. 

37. The Militant Muse: Love, War and the Women of Surrealism by Whitney Chadwick. Finished July 2017.

38. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. Finished July 2017. 

39. Tove Jansson: Work and Love by Tuula Karjalainen. Finished August 2017. 




40. The House of Secrets by Sarra Manning. After plodding through Work and Love, this was such a welcome breather. It tells the story of two women’s lives, linked through one London home. The characters feel real and relatable, but it was some of the little details I really loved – from mentions of period fashion designers to Noel Streatfeild. And I loved that the excellent twitter account of @robnitm got a thanks in the acknowledgements as well. Finished August 2017




41. Strange Heart Beating by Eli Goldstone. Finished September 2017. 



42. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy. Finished September 2017. 





43. Eve's Hollywood by Eve Babitz.
Why do we revere the culture of New York and not Los Angeles? I became intrigued by Eve Babtiz because of tales of her breasts and her boyfriends – while both remain legendary, I suspect the portrayal of her as such has something to do with the east versus west coast snobbery. These short essays forced me to reconsider LA: whether the quality of the city's high school gene pool or the sheer beauty of some blooming bougainvillea.
Finished September 2017. 

44. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. Finished October 2017. 

45. Guard Your Daughters by Diana Tutton. Finished October 2017. 

46. Too Much and Not the Mood by Durga Chew-Bose. Finished October 2017. 

47. Autumn by Ali Smith. Finished October 2017. 




48. Innocents and Others by Dana Spiotta.
The latest read for #ohcobookclub: cinema, friendship and how we construct our stories. Finished October 2017. 

49. Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles. Finished October 2017. 

50. The Battle of Versailles by Robin Givhan. Finished November 2017. 

51. All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg. Finished November 2017. 

52. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym. Finished November 2017.

53. A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit. Finished November 2017. 

54. Madame Zero by Sarah Hall. Finished November 2017. 

55. The Sixties by Jenny Diski. Finished November 2017.

56. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. Finished November 2017. 

57. Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman. Finished November 2017

58. LA Woman by Eve Babitz. Finished November 2017. 

59. Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer. Finished November 2017.

60. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch. Finished December 2017. 

61. The Book of Forgotten Authors by Christopher Fowler. Finished December 2017. 

62. Ponti by Sharlene Teo. Finished December 2017. 

63. Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood. Finished December 2017. 

64. Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood. Finished December 2017. 

65. Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. Finished December 2017. 

66. Swing Time by Zadie Smith. Finished December 2017. 
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