Better late than never! Here's what I read in 2018:
January
Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire - A 500 Year History- Kurt Anderson. It seems like the post-fact, "fake news" situation we find ourselves in right now is a completely modern one. Think again, says this book. Anderson lays out the ways our national character has been shaped from the beginning by fantasy. Fascinating and convincing.
Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross- Sigrid Undset. The third book in a trilogy from Norway written in the 1920s about a Norwegian woman in medieval times. Like the first 2 books, I loved this one. Such an interesting portrait of life in this period.
Best American Short Stories 2016- Junot Diaz, ed. I didn't get off to a great start with book club this year. We specifically looked for a short-story collection, a genre I don't gravitate to, and I only read a few of the stories. Most of the time the story doesn't grab me, and when it actually does, I'm disappointed that it's so short. I think if you like short stories, these annual anthologies edited by amazing authors are great.
One Nation After Trump- Norm Ornstein, E.J. Dionne, Thomas Mann. Clearly I am still trying to work through what is happening to my country. These are 3 scholar-journalists whose work I respect. Really interesting.
February
Empire of the Summer Moon- S.C. Gwynne. A book club selection that concerns the history of the Comanche people in general and the particular story of one Anglo woman who was captured as a child and went on the become the mother of the last Comanche chief. How do I put this? White people had such a narrow vision of Indian society--and human nature--that they had trouble understanding this woman's experience after she was recaptured by whites. Things were not necessarily that much clearer in 2018. Enough said.
Here I Am- Jonathan Safran Foer. I really enjoyed this novel about a Jewish family in Washington, D.C. It was serious and funny, and the writing was terrific.
Underground Airlines- Ben H. Winters. I think I have recommended this book to every single reader I have talked to since I read it. Made a book club read it too. A fascinating counter-factual imagining of a present day United States in which the Civil War never took place. The detective story that serves as the main plot is pretty good, but the part that really blew me away was the world Winters imagined--how the U.S. might have developed and the way things might be now. Go read it. And then read Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad. You'll have to wait for next year's list to hear about that one.
Big Little Lies- Liane Moriarty. I have to admit it--I didn't want to read this. It seemed like a not-very-interesting, way-too-popular chick book. But I really enjoyed it. It was approachable and witty, and also managed to deal with some heavy stuff.
The Sabbath World- Judith Shulevitz. Some Jewish curriculum. I was interested enough for a book about half this length.
One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment - Mei Fong. I found this book after I heard the author interviewed on the radio. Super interesting all about the history of the policy, its execution, and the consequences for China and the world going forward. We should probably understand more about China. Recommend.
March
Born A Crime- Trevor Noah. I enjoyed this memoir--a good writer with an interesting story. But wait--I don't like memoirs. Spoiler alert: as of this writing, I also really liked Michelle Obama's memoir. I'm going to have to think about this some more.
Kaaterskill Falls- Allegra Goodman. It looks like I read this a long time ago, but I reread it after I inherited a copy. A story about a woman in an orthodox Jewish community trying to establish some independence. I liked it again.
Chasing Light: Michelle Obama Through the Lens of a White House Photographer- Amanda Lucidon. I bought and absorbed this, along with Obama: An Intimate Portrait, as part of my shrine to better times. Inspiring people, beautiful photographs.
Station Eleven- Emily St. John Mandel. Imagines a virulent plague wipes out most of the population. How it happens and what comes after. Both my book clubs read it and it has gotten a lot of press attention. Very interesting book.
Janesville: An American Story- Amy Goldstein. What happens to a Midwestern town when the main employer, a GM factory, closes. I thought this was really interesting, both the larger historical and sociological situation, and the individual families that are profiled. Read this and then go watch a documentary called "American Factory" which describes one thing that can happen next. As it happens, this sort of thing happened in the rural area where I grew up--the mine that was our main employer shrunk down to almost nothing. I was a teenager and largely unaware of what was going on. Maybe this is part of why I keep returning to this kind of book. Hmm.
The House of Mirth- Edith Wharton. A turn-of-the-20th-century novel about a single woman trying to make her way in New York society. Tragic. Over 100 years old and it still feels so modern. I love Wharton's writing. This is a classic you can enjoy without having to work hard for it.
April
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves- Karen Joy Fowler. A modern family novel with a twist. Such an interesting story with a big dose of questioning what it truly means to be human. If you're interested, go ahead and start it without reading anything else about it to preserve the surprise. Also it has a great title. Thanks to Emily Bazelon on the Slate Political Gabfest for this recommendation.
Wonder- R.J. Palacio. This was a sweet, positive YA novel that hit it big as a movie.
May
The Boston Girl- Anita Diamant. Another novel about a young woman coming of age in the early 20th century. This heroine fares a lot better than Lily Bart in The House of Mirth. A quick, enjoyable read.
The Republic For Which It Stands: The U.S. During Reconstruction and the Gilded Age 1865-1896- Richard White. This glorious doorstop of a book is the latest volume in the Oxford History of the United States. I have loved each and every one I have read--they are fantastic history seminars you can carry around with you. This look at the second half of the 19th century is riddled with parallels to our time. I can't wait to read another one!
Rebecca- Daphne Du Maurier. This was a book club reread and it did not disappoint! A dark and brooding story about the naïve bride of a mysterious man, it is also a terrific 1940 Hitchcock film starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. Read it and then watch it!
The Alice Network- Kate Quinn. I didn't think much of this novel that bounces back and forth between a plucky young American woman in post-WWII England and a plucky young Frenchwoman who is a spy during WWI. Naturally they are both beautiful. Read All the Light We Cannot Seeinstead.
June
The Secret Chord- Geraldine Brooks. A novel based on the Biblical King David. I think every year there is probably a Geraldine Brooks on my list, and I have enjoyed every one of them. This was no exception.
The Finishing School- Gail Godwin. I can't remember what prompted me to reread this old favorite of mine, but what a good idea. It's a coming of age story about a high school age girl named Justin during one pivotal summer. Gorgeous writing, vivid characters. When I first read it at 20 it was all about Justin, but at 53 I was really interested in her mother, aunt, and older friend. It is inexplicably out of print but if you are really nice to me I might let you borrow it.
July
Bridge of Sighs- Richard Russo. Another nice long witty family drama from Russo. If he keeps writing them, I'll keep reading.
Life of Pi- Yann Martel. This was a book club reread--totally worth reading again. It's weird and beautiful and surprisingly funny. I keep meaning to see the movie, but I haven't managed it yet.
The Magnolia Story- Chip and Joanna Gaines. I think I tripped over this at the library while I was in a mania of watching all their Fixer Upper reruns. It's an interesting if light memoir and all their charm and appeal comes through. I did enjoy the alternation of their different narrations.
August
The Light Between Oceans- M.L. Stedman. You desperately want a baby and suddenly one washes up on your shore. Literally. What would you do? This good novel explores that and other human dramas. A winner.
The Interestings- Meg Wolitzer. Another book club reread but I liked it all over again. Following the characters from teens to adults is so interesting and I love Wolitzer's writing.
September
No Ordinary Time- Doris Kearns Goodwin. I love everything about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and anything by Doris. I had been meaning to read this for years and I'm so glad I did.
October
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- J.K. Rowling. I thought this would be a fine rereading diversion during the down time at jury duty.
A God in Ruins- Kate Atkinson. I have to confess that I don't remember this one much at all, even after refreshing my memory from the description. It follows up on the story of one of the characters from Life After Life, which I loved last year.
November
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder- Caroline Fraser. This is a new book about the life of one of my favorite authors so I was excited to get hold of it. I liked the parts about her, but I was much less interested in the roughly half that is about her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane.
Rules of Civility- Amor Towles. This was a book club choice after we all loved his A Gentleman in Moscow. We all liked it fine but it's not too memorable.
December
Meet You In Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick and the Bitter Partnership that Changed America- Les Standiford. An interesting history about a couple of the most famous big American fortunes. You have to appreciate how people can be driven, visionary, and also complete assholes. People are complex.
Prep- Curtis Sittenfeld. I remember getting The Preppy Handbookwhen I was a working-class high school girl in a small western town. I was enchanted by the idea of going off to a fancy boarding school. It hardly seemed real, so imagine my surprise when I actually met these Preppy people at my fancy college. Seventeen-year-old me is still in here and was fascinated by this novel.
News of the World- Paulette Jiles. Finished off the year with a book club winner! This is a great novel about a man in the 19th century who rode around small towns and read the current newspapers to packed halls of locals. He inherits a young orphan girl. Complications ensue. Recommend.
