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A review by kiwi_fruit
2016 on Goodreads by
2.0
This year Goodreads rating won’t be as good as the past few years, 2 stars from me: just OK.
---- Warning, personal ranting follows, feel free to skip ahead.
For the last four years, Goodreads has been my favourite site to visit in the mornings. I got used to starting my day sitting down with a good coffee, looking forward to catching up with the news of what my friends were reading and sharing a few comments with them. Sadly, two big updates to the site in one year (for the worse) and Goodreads refusal to listen to feedback from its longstanding and loyal users (feedback that GR itself asked for), have been almost too much for me. To keep the infinite scrolling under control Goodreads has forced me to change my setting and habits.
My feed had become so cluttered that I had to cut some of my GR friends (with which I didn’t interact often, had little reading interests in common or had very different tastes) and change the feed setting to friends reviews only. My participation to group discussions is down to virtually zero.
I often miss the friends I am no longer in contact with, and other news (non-reviews) from current friends I used to get in my morning feed. But, I got frustrated trying to sort updates from my friends from the ones from strangers while dodging the blatant ads, besides, what usually took 20-30 minutes became at least twice as much time at the screen, time I do not have, and that, frankly, I’d rather spend reading.
These days, I don’t feel like spending too much time and effort on my reviews either. I don’t think it is fair for Goodreads to benefit from free and independent reviews from its users while: a) consistently ignoring what the same users were asking for and provided as feedback on its site changes, b) rejecting any compromise solution, hiding instead behind so called “positive feedback”.
I have not found a real alternative to this site yet. Goodreads best assets are the discerning, helpful and supportive reading community and the large number of book reviews, for which I am sincerely very grateful and can’t do without, so I’m hanging on.
--- Rant Over ---
On to happier things, namely how my reading year went.
2016 was a great reading year, with 290 total number of books and 94,000+ pages read, the highest numbers since I started keeping track. It breaks down as follows:
1 star (includes DNF): 4%
2 stars: 19%
3 stars: 41%
4 stars: 29%
5 stars: 7%
For me, a 3 star book is a good one, 4 one that I’d recommend, 5 stars is worth of a reread. 224 books were 3 stars and up for an yearly average rating of 3.2 stars. 2016 was a good year for reading!
74% of my reads have been by authors new to me, with a more or less equal split between male and female authors. I like to read a variety of genres, this year looks like this:
fiction: 76%
non-fiction: 24%
and now the awards:
Best Mystery / Thriller: [b:Shutter Island|21686|Shutter Island|Dennis Lehane|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329269081s/21686.jpg|1234227]
Runners up: [b:The Snowman|9572203|The Snowman (Harry Hole, #7)|Jo Nesbø|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355881478s/9572203.jpg|2697052], [b:Rubbernecker|16071656|Rubbernecker|Belinda Bauer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357425539s/16071656.jpg|21865648], [b:Rain Dogs|26067711|Rain Dogs (Detective Sean Duffy #5)|Adrian McKinty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446579608s/26067711.jpg|46002985], [b:The Lewis Man|12782865|The Lewis Man (The Lewis Trilogy, #2)|Peter May|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328645011s/12782865.jpg|17929545], [b:Bruno, Chief of Police|6622705|Bruno, Chief of Police A Novel of the French Countryside 1 (Bruno Chief Of Police)|Martin Walker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328332291s/6622705.jpg|3300619], [b:Confessions|19161835|Confessions|Kanae Minato|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1401076501s/19161835.jpg|4371200]
Best Historical Fiction: [b:Suite Française|43944|Suite Française|Irène Némirovsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320445773s/43944.jpg|3433584]
Runners up: [b:An Officer and a Spy|18007532|An Officer and a Spy|Robert Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1378711003s/18007532.jpg|24349001], [b:The Denniston Rose|113238|The Denniston Rose|Jenny Pattrick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1182295556s/113238.jpg|109027], [b:The Long Ships|6900710|The Long Ships|Frans G. Bengtsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327902585s/6900710.jpg|427306], [b:City of Thieves|1971304|City of Thieves|David Benioff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392015757s/1971304.jpg|1974537], [b:Kingmaker: Winter Pilgrims|17999108|Kingmaker Winter Pilgrims (Kingmaker, #1)|Toby Clements|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384941009s/17999108.jpg|25375766], [b:Orhan's Inheritance|22859573|Orhan's Inheritance|Aline Ohanesian|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423486689s/22859573.jpg|42295759], [b:The Tigress of Forlì|10229683|The Tigress of Forlì Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici|Elizabeth Lev|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1302740091s/10229683.jpg|15129535]
Best Fantasy: [b:A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms|18635622|A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #1-3)|George R.R. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423281810s/18635622.jpg|24992268]
Runners up: [b:The Serpent|25210813|The Serpent (The Gameshouse, #1)|Claire North|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444911850s/25210813.jpg|44924384], [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods (American Gods, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1258417001s/4407.jpg|1970226], [b:The Last Wish|1128434|The Last Wish (The Witcher, #1)|Andrzej Sapkowski|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1181224890s/1128434.jpg|2293675], [b:The Broken Sword|715287|The Broken Sword|Poul Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408925194s/715287.jpg|1205843]
Best Sci-fi: [b:Pump Six and Other Stories|2819368|Pump Six and Other Stories|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391343246s/2819368.jpg|2845301]
Runners up: [b:Beacon 23: The Complete Novel|26771521|Beacon 23 The Complete Novel (Beacon 23 #1-5)|Hugh Howey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444683708s/26771521.jpg|46093269], [b:The Windup Girl|6597651|The Windup Girl|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1278940608s/6597651.jpg|6791425], [b:Alas, Babylon|38169|Alas, Babylon|Pat Frank|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440605255s/38169.jpg|37962], [b:Join|25982541|Join|Steve Toutonghi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439834731s/25982541.jpg|45894010]
Best Children: [b:Tales of Terror from the Black Ship|2934112|Tales of Terror from the Black Ship (Tales of Terror, #2)|Chris Priestley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433281794s/2934112.jpg|2961560]
Runners up: [b:Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror|1900124|Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror (Tales of Terror, #1)|Chris Priestley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429587759s/1900124.jpg|2047392], [b:Heidi|93|Heidi|Johanna Spyri|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388462714s/93.jpg|1738595], [b:Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH|9822|Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Rats of NIMH, #1)|Robert C. O'Brien|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351191064s/9822.jpg|839692], [b:All-of-a-Kind Family|20150409|All-of-a-Kind Family (Paperback)|Sydney Taylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387739458s/20150409.jpg|361114]
Other top fiction reads (in no particular order):
• [b:Middlesex|2187|Middlesex|Jeffrey Eugenides|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437029776s/2187.jpg|1352495]
• [b:Bel Canto|5826|Bel Canto|Ann Patchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1352997328s/5826.jpg|859342]
• [b:I Know This Much Is True|227711|I Know This Much Is True|Wally Lamb|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1373532198s/227711.jpg|1191096]
• [b:Cold Mountain|10920|Cold Mountain|Charles Frazier|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442416348s/10920.jpg|1006369]
• [b:The Bartender's Tale|13593541|The Bartender's Tale|Ivan Doig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1337638575s/13593541.jpg|19181689]
• [b:The Pecan Man|18815695|The Pecan Man|Cassie Dandridge Selleck|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384794418s/18815695.jpg|19263822]
• [b:The Other Side of the Bridge|129783|The Other Side of the Bridge|Mary Lawson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1171989412s/129783.jpg|25378]
• [b:The Lock Artist|6811221|The Lock Artist|Steve Hamilton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442590100s/6811221.jpg|7018945]
• [b:Our Souls at Night|23602562|Our Souls at Night|Kent Haruf|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418766517s/23602562.jpg|43166999]
• [b:Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore|71608|Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore|Italo Calvino|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461524332s/71608.jpg|1116802]
• [b:One Foot in Eden|545981|One Foot in Eden|Ron Rash|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438280091s/545981.jpg|533253]
• [b:Heft|11381910|Heft|Liz Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327958826s/11381910.jpg|16313425]
Best Memoir/Autobiography: [b:The Glass Castle|240126|The Glass Castle|Jeannette Walls|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388201277s/240126.jpg|2944133]
Runners ups: [b:You're Never Weird on the Internet|23705512|You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)|Felicia Day|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440565049s/23705512.jpg|43314655], [b:Just Mercy|20342617|Just Mercy A Story of Justice and Redemption|Bryan Stevenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420795201s/20342617.jpg|28323940], [b:Tender at the Bone|53645|Tender at the Bone Growing Up at the Table|Ruth Reichl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388325309s/53645.jpg|52320], [b:Born Standing Up|773858|Born Standing Up A Comic's Life|Steve Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348034328s/773858.jpg|3315115], [b:A Child al Confino|9407089|A Child al Confino A True Story of Escape in War-Time Italy|Enrico Lamet|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349121508s/9407089.jpg|14291071], [b:Screw You Dolores|20932049|Screw You Dolores|Sarah-Kate Lynch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393538897s/20932049.jpg|40301756]
Best History & Biography: [b:Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman|10414941|Catherine the Great Portrait of a Woman|Robert K. Massie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403395276s/10414941.jpg|15319151]
Runner ups: [b:Julius Caesar|1701815|Julius Caesar|Philip Freeman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349034194s/1701815.jpg|1698868], [b:The Sea Wolves|23796654|The Sea Wolves A History of the Vikings|Lars Brownworth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441453705s/23796654.jpg|43410943], [b:Venice: A New History|13588369|Venice A New History|Thomas F. Madden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1337692442s/13588369.jpg|19175771], [b:Life in a Medieval City|100352|Life in a Medieval City|Frances Gies|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327349287s/100352.jpg|96760], [b:Sparta: The Warrior State of Ancient Greece|29384183|Sparta The Warrior State of Ancient Greece|Duncan Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456848515s/29384183.jpg|49632649], [b:The Rush|19161817|The Rush America's Fevered Quest for Fortune, 1848-1853|Edward Dolnick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400843067s/19161817.jpg|27202209], [b:The Black Death|5582077|The Black Death|Sean Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328807562s/5582077.jpg|5753297]
Best Science and Technology: [b:Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World|25571952|Unstoppable Harnessing Science to Change the World|Bill Nye|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442840436s/25571952.jpg|45372148]
Runner up: [b:A Short History of Nearly Everything|21|A Short History of Nearly Everything|Bill Bryson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433086293s/21.jpg|2305997]
Other top non-fiction reads (in no particular order):
• [b:Hiroshima|27323|Hiroshima|John Hersey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327719015s/27323.jpg|1014091]
• [b:Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)|522525|Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts|Carol Tavris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328876733s/522525.jpg|2171014]
• [b:We Should All Be Feminists|22738563|We Should All Be Feminists|Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1430821222s/22738563.jpg|42278179]
• [b:Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil|386187|Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil A Savannah Story|John Berendt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1427166915s/386187.jpg|300461]
• [b:Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World|655570|Island of the Lost Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World|Joan Druett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404580151s/655570.jpg|641668]
• [b:Stai zitta e va' in cucina|27433063|Stai zitta e va' in cucina Breve storia del maschilismo in politica da Togliatti a Grillo|Filippo Maria Battaglia|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446709654s/27433063.jpg|47484505]
• [b:Pompeii: The History, Life and Art of the Buried City|882|Pompeii The History, Life and Art of the Buried City|Marisa Ranieri Panetta|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312041761s/882.jpg|5106]
Best 2017 Release: [b:The Ballroom|26797014|The Ballroom|Anna Hope|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447061656s/26797014.jpg|46819607]
Runners up: [b:The Trespasser|29430013|The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad, #6)|Tana French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462998307s/29430013.jpg|48321130], [b:The Couple Next Door|28815474|The Couple Next Door|Shari Lapena|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471502242s/28815474.jpg|48284103], [b:Join|25982541|Join|Steve Toutonghi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439834731s/25982541.jpg|45894010], [b:What Was Mine|25111142|What Was Mine|Helen Klein Ross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451843092s/25111142.jpg|44804835], [b:Home|29430007|Home (Myron Bolitar, #11)|Harlan Coben|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458586751s/29430007.jpg|49018983], [b:Jungle of Stone|25817482|Jungle of Stone The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya|William Carlsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442171939s/25817482.jpg|45625973]
I sincerely thank my GR friends and the wider community for the time spent on writing insightful reviews, they provide much needed inspiration and food for thought. Even if we disagree on the rating, reading a different point of view fosters understanding and opens minds.
With a new year around the corner, another pile of books awaits. Best wishes for the holidays and happy New Year to all. Here’s to 2017, let it be full of wonderful books!
-----
Kiwi’s year in books
---- Warning, personal ranting follows, feel free to skip ahead.
Spoiler
For the last four years, Goodreads has been my favourite site to visit in the mornings. I got used to starting my day sitting down with a good coffee, looking forward to catching up with the news of what my friends were reading and sharing a few comments with them. Sadly, two big updates to the site in one year (for the worse) and Goodreads refusal to listen to feedback from its longstanding and loyal users (feedback that GR itself asked for), have been almost too much for me. To keep the infinite scrolling under control Goodreads has forced me to change my setting and habits.
My feed had become so cluttered that I had to cut some of my GR friends (with which I didn’t interact often, had little reading interests in common or had very different tastes) and change the feed setting to friends reviews only. My participation to group discussions is down to virtually zero.
I often miss the friends I am no longer in contact with, and other news (non-reviews) from current friends I used to get in my morning feed. But, I got frustrated trying to sort updates from my friends from the ones from strangers while dodging the blatant ads, besides, what usually took 20-30 minutes became at least twice as much time at the screen, time I do not have, and that, frankly, I’d rather spend reading.
These days, I don’t feel like spending too much time and effort on my reviews either. I don’t think it is fair for Goodreads to benefit from free and independent reviews from its users while: a) consistently ignoring what the same users were asking for and provided as feedback on its site changes, b) rejecting any compromise solution, hiding instead behind so called “positive feedback”.
I have not found a real alternative to this site yet. Goodreads best assets are the discerning, helpful and supportive reading community and the large number of book reviews, for which I am sincerely very grateful and can’t do without, so I’m hanging on.
--- Rant Over ---
On to happier things, namely how my reading year went.
2016 was a great reading year, with 290 total number of books and 94,000+ pages read, the highest numbers since I started keeping track. It breaks down as follows:
1 star (includes DNF): 4%
2 stars: 19%
3 stars: 41%
4 stars: 29%
5 stars: 7%
For me, a 3 star book is a good one, 4 one that I’d recommend, 5 stars is worth of a reread. 224 books were 3 stars and up for an yearly average rating of 3.2 stars. 2016 was a good year for reading!
74% of my reads have been by authors new to me, with a more or less equal split between male and female authors. I like to read a variety of genres, this year looks like this:
fiction: 76%
non-fiction: 24%
and now the awards:
Best Mystery / Thriller: [b:Shutter Island|21686|Shutter Island|Dennis Lehane|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329269081s/21686.jpg|1234227]
Runners up: [b:The Snowman|9572203|The Snowman (Harry Hole, #7)|Jo Nesbø|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355881478s/9572203.jpg|2697052], [b:Rubbernecker|16071656|Rubbernecker|Belinda Bauer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357425539s/16071656.jpg|21865648], [b:Rain Dogs|26067711|Rain Dogs (Detective Sean Duffy #5)|Adrian McKinty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446579608s/26067711.jpg|46002985], [b:The Lewis Man|12782865|The Lewis Man (The Lewis Trilogy, #2)|Peter May|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328645011s/12782865.jpg|17929545], [b:Bruno, Chief of Police|6622705|Bruno, Chief of Police A Novel of the French Countryside 1 (Bruno Chief Of Police)|Martin Walker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328332291s/6622705.jpg|3300619], [b:Confessions|19161835|Confessions|Kanae Minato|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1401076501s/19161835.jpg|4371200]
Best Historical Fiction: [b:Suite Française|43944|Suite Française|Irène Némirovsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320445773s/43944.jpg|3433584]
Runners up: [b:An Officer and a Spy|18007532|An Officer and a Spy|Robert Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1378711003s/18007532.jpg|24349001], [b:The Denniston Rose|113238|The Denniston Rose|Jenny Pattrick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1182295556s/113238.jpg|109027], [b:The Long Ships|6900710|The Long Ships|Frans G. Bengtsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327902585s/6900710.jpg|427306], [b:City of Thieves|1971304|City of Thieves|David Benioff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392015757s/1971304.jpg|1974537], [b:Kingmaker: Winter Pilgrims|17999108|Kingmaker Winter Pilgrims (Kingmaker, #1)|Toby Clements|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384941009s/17999108.jpg|25375766], [b:Orhan's Inheritance|22859573|Orhan's Inheritance|Aline Ohanesian|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423486689s/22859573.jpg|42295759], [b:The Tigress of Forlì|10229683|The Tigress of Forlì Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici|Elizabeth Lev|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1302740091s/10229683.jpg|15129535]
Best Fantasy: [b:A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms|18635622|A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The Tales of Dunk and Egg, #1-3)|George R.R. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1423281810s/18635622.jpg|24992268]
Runners up: [b:The Serpent|25210813|The Serpent (The Gameshouse, #1)|Claire North|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444911850s/25210813.jpg|44924384], [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods (American Gods, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1258417001s/4407.jpg|1970226], [b:The Last Wish|1128434|The Last Wish (The Witcher, #1)|Andrzej Sapkowski|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1181224890s/1128434.jpg|2293675], [b:The Broken Sword|715287|The Broken Sword|Poul Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408925194s/715287.jpg|1205843]
Best Sci-fi: [b:Pump Six and Other Stories|2819368|Pump Six and Other Stories|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391343246s/2819368.jpg|2845301]
Runners up: [b:Beacon 23: The Complete Novel|26771521|Beacon 23 The Complete Novel (Beacon 23 #1-5)|Hugh Howey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444683708s/26771521.jpg|46093269], [b:The Windup Girl|6597651|The Windup Girl|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1278940608s/6597651.jpg|6791425], [b:Alas, Babylon|38169|Alas, Babylon|Pat Frank|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440605255s/38169.jpg|37962], [b:Join|25982541|Join|Steve Toutonghi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439834731s/25982541.jpg|45894010]
Best Children: [b:Tales of Terror from the Black Ship|2934112|Tales of Terror from the Black Ship (Tales of Terror, #2)|Chris Priestley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433281794s/2934112.jpg|2961560]
Runners up: [b:Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror|1900124|Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror (Tales of Terror, #1)|Chris Priestley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429587759s/1900124.jpg|2047392], [b:Heidi|93|Heidi|Johanna Spyri|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388462714s/93.jpg|1738595], [b:Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH|9822|Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Rats of NIMH, #1)|Robert C. O'Brien|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351191064s/9822.jpg|839692], [b:All-of-a-Kind Family|20150409|All-of-a-Kind Family (Paperback)|Sydney Taylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387739458s/20150409.jpg|361114]
Other top fiction reads (in no particular order):
• [b:Middlesex|2187|Middlesex|Jeffrey Eugenides|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437029776s/2187.jpg|1352495]
• [b:Bel Canto|5826|Bel Canto|Ann Patchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1352997328s/5826.jpg|859342]
• [b:I Know This Much Is True|227711|I Know This Much Is True|Wally Lamb|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1373532198s/227711.jpg|1191096]
• [b:Cold Mountain|10920|Cold Mountain|Charles Frazier|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442416348s/10920.jpg|1006369]
• [b:The Bartender's Tale|13593541|The Bartender's Tale|Ivan Doig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1337638575s/13593541.jpg|19181689]
• [b:The Pecan Man|18815695|The Pecan Man|Cassie Dandridge Selleck|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384794418s/18815695.jpg|19263822]
• [b:The Other Side of the Bridge|129783|The Other Side of the Bridge|Mary Lawson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1171989412s/129783.jpg|25378]
• [b:The Lock Artist|6811221|The Lock Artist|Steve Hamilton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442590100s/6811221.jpg|7018945]
• [b:Our Souls at Night|23602562|Our Souls at Night|Kent Haruf|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418766517s/23602562.jpg|43166999]
• [b:Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore|71608|Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore|Italo Calvino|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461524332s/71608.jpg|1116802]
• [b:One Foot in Eden|545981|One Foot in Eden|Ron Rash|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438280091s/545981.jpg|533253]
• [b:Heft|11381910|Heft|Liz Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327958826s/11381910.jpg|16313425]
Best Memoir/Autobiography: [b:The Glass Castle|240126|The Glass Castle|Jeannette Walls|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388201277s/240126.jpg|2944133]
Runners ups: [b:You're Never Weird on the Internet|23705512|You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)|Felicia Day|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440565049s/23705512.jpg|43314655], [b:Just Mercy|20342617|Just Mercy A Story of Justice and Redemption|Bryan Stevenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420795201s/20342617.jpg|28323940], [b:Tender at the Bone|53645|Tender at the Bone Growing Up at the Table|Ruth Reichl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388325309s/53645.jpg|52320], [b:Born Standing Up|773858|Born Standing Up A Comic's Life|Steve Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348034328s/773858.jpg|3315115], [b:A Child al Confino|9407089|A Child al Confino A True Story of Escape in War-Time Italy|Enrico Lamet|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349121508s/9407089.jpg|14291071], [b:Screw You Dolores|20932049|Screw You Dolores|Sarah-Kate Lynch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393538897s/20932049.jpg|40301756]
Best History & Biography: [b:Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman|10414941|Catherine the Great Portrait of a Woman|Robert K. Massie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403395276s/10414941.jpg|15319151]
Runner ups: [b:Julius Caesar|1701815|Julius Caesar|Philip Freeman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349034194s/1701815.jpg|1698868], [b:The Sea Wolves|23796654|The Sea Wolves A History of the Vikings|Lars Brownworth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441453705s/23796654.jpg|43410943], [b:Venice: A New History|13588369|Venice A New History|Thomas F. Madden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1337692442s/13588369.jpg|19175771], [b:Life in a Medieval City|100352|Life in a Medieval City|Frances Gies|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327349287s/100352.jpg|96760], [b:Sparta: The Warrior State of Ancient Greece|29384183|Sparta The Warrior State of Ancient Greece|Duncan Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456848515s/29384183.jpg|49632649], [b:The Rush|19161817|The Rush America's Fevered Quest for Fortune, 1848-1853|Edward Dolnick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400843067s/19161817.jpg|27202209], [b:The Black Death|5582077|The Black Death|Sean Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328807562s/5582077.jpg|5753297]
Best Science and Technology: [b:Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World|25571952|Unstoppable Harnessing Science to Change the World|Bill Nye|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442840436s/25571952.jpg|45372148]
Runner up: [b:A Short History of Nearly Everything|21|A Short History of Nearly Everything|Bill Bryson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433086293s/21.jpg|2305997]
Other top non-fiction reads (in no particular order):
• [b:Hiroshima|27323|Hiroshima|John Hersey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327719015s/27323.jpg|1014091]
• [b:Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)|522525|Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts|Carol Tavris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328876733s/522525.jpg|2171014]
• [b:We Should All Be Feminists|22738563|We Should All Be Feminists|Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1430821222s/22738563.jpg|42278179]
• [b:Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil|386187|Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil A Savannah Story|John Berendt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1427166915s/386187.jpg|300461]
• [b:Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World|655570|Island of the Lost Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World|Joan Druett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404580151s/655570.jpg|641668]
• [b:Stai zitta e va' in cucina|27433063|Stai zitta e va' in cucina Breve storia del maschilismo in politica da Togliatti a Grillo|Filippo Maria Battaglia|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446709654s/27433063.jpg|47484505]
• [b:Pompeii: The History, Life and Art of the Buried City|882|Pompeii The History, Life and Art of the Buried City|Marisa Ranieri Panetta|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312041761s/882.jpg|5106]
Best 2017 Release: [b:The Ballroom|26797014|The Ballroom|Anna Hope|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447061656s/26797014.jpg|46819607]
Runners up: [b:The Trespasser|29430013|The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad, #6)|Tana French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462998307s/29430013.jpg|48321130], [b:The Couple Next Door|28815474|The Couple Next Door|Shari Lapena|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471502242s/28815474.jpg|48284103], [b:Join|25982541|Join|Steve Toutonghi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439834731s/25982541.jpg|45894010], [b:What Was Mine|25111142|What Was Mine|Helen Klein Ross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451843092s/25111142.jpg|44804835], [b:Home|29430007|Home (Myron Bolitar, #11)|Harlan Coben|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458586751s/29430007.jpg|49018983], [b:Jungle of Stone|25817482|Jungle of Stone The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya|William Carlsen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442171939s/25817482.jpg|45625973]
I sincerely thank my GR friends and the wider community for the time spent on writing insightful reviews, they provide much needed inspiration and food for thought. Even if we disagree on the rating, reading a different point of view fosters understanding and opens minds.
With a new year around the corner, another pile of books awaits. Best wishes for the holidays and happy New Year to all. Here’s to 2017, let it be full of wonderful books!
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Kiwi’s year in books