NAN SANDERS POKERWINSKI
  • Home
  • Media
  • About
  • Contact
  • MANGO RASH
  • Blog
  • EVENTS
  • Journalism
  • Photography
  • Buy Books
  • Collages

HeartWood
A blog about cultivating
creativity, connection and contentment
wherever you are

My Most (Fill in the Blank) Books of 2017

12/13/2017

11 Comments

 
Picture
​

​This is the time of year when year-end lists start appearing. Just the other day, for instance, I read through the list of New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2017. As interesting as it was to see which books made the cut, it was also informative to learn why those particular books were chosen. 

​As editor Pamela Paul explained in a Books Briefing email, the top ten are selected for overall quality, not necessarily for their relevance to current political or social issues. "These are books we think should and will endure, books that transcend the current moment and will be read for years to come," she wrote. "That said, it so happens that the themes considered in this year's 10 Best happen to touch on very urgent issues: migration, gender inequality, identity, civil rights, Brexit."
Picture
​The list inspired me to think about the books I've read this year. But when it came to ranking them, I had to agree with author Neil Gaiman, who put it this way: "Picking five favorite books is like picking the five body parts you'd most like not to lose."

​Yet while I'm reluctant to choose favorites, certain books do stand out in my mind—some because the writing was exceptional, others because the topic was intriguing or the story was told in an unusual way. 
Picture


​​So I compiled a list, but I'm not sure what to call it. My 10 Most Memorable Books of 2017? My 10 Most Want-to-Tell-You-About-Them Books of 2017? Or simply Ten Books I Read This Year and Actually Remember Something About? Maybe I should just go ahead and share the list and let you decide what to call it. 

​Incidentally, none of the books on my list was published in 2017. Their publication dates range from 1991 to 2016; I just got around to reading them all this year. And like the writers and editors who selected the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best list, I didn't set out to include particular themes, but as I think back on my stand-out books, I realize  that issues of identity, gender, clashing cultures, coming of age, and complicated relationships run through most of them.
​So now, may I present:

​My List of 10 Something-or-Other Books I Read This Year

Picture
​At Home in the World by Joyce Maynard. I read this memoir just before attending a masters writing workshop in Tucson, for which Maynard was the instructor. Though the story itself is engrossing—at age 19, the author entered into a destructive, year-long relationship with J.D. Salinger—I was equally intrigued with the way Maynard wove disparate strands of her life before, during and after the Salinger affair, into a compelling narrative.   

Picture
​The Whale: A Love Story by Mark Beauregard. This is another book I read before heading to Tucson, because Beauregard was also one of the workshop instructors. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have picked up the book, and I would have missed one of the best reads of the year (oops—did I just indicate a favorite?). I didn't think I cared for historical fiction, and I've never read Moby Dick, around which this story centers, yet this tale of Herman Melville's passionate relationship with Nathaniel Hawthorne harpooned me and wouldn't let go. Through Beauregard's skillful writing, Melville, Hawthorne, and their cronies come to life as witty, brilliant, complex characters—not at all the stuffy literary figures I had pegged them as. Beauregard even manages to convincingly channel Melville's inner voice without sounding archaic or imitative—an impressive feat of literary ventriloquism (a term I learned from reading reviews of The Whale).

Picture
​Fakebook: A True Story. Based on Actual Lies by Dave Cicirelli. I downloaded this memoir onto my Kindle for airplane reading, thinking it sounded like a light, enjoyable—perhaps even goofy—read. It was enjoyable all right, but also thought-provoking. The story: Feeling inadequate after reading friends' Facebook posts about their accomplishments and adventures, Cicirelli concocts a wildly uncharacteristic online life for himself, posting about such fictitious exploits as trashing an Amish buggy, running away with the Amish farmer's daughter, and falling in with a religious cult. Before long, the ongoing prank begins to complicate his real life and leads him to explore his true identity, as well as the ramifications of social media. 

Picture
​The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. After enjoying The Whale, I was emboldened to take on another historical novel. The blend of art, science, and South Seas setting (for at least part of the book) made this story particularly appealing. It's the tale of a sheltered woman who, yearning for freedom and intellectual stimulation, ventures into a world where assumptions are being overturned at a dizzying pace. Like Cicirelli in the book mentioned above, the character of Alma Whittaker discovers much about herself as well as the world she explores. 

Picture
​The Discomfort Zone: A Personal History by Jonathan Franzen. The sheer economy of this book impressed me. In just six chapters, Franzen immerses readers in his growing-up years in the 1970s. From the torment of church camp to the exhilaration of an elaborate prank involving ropes, pulleys, and a stepladder to accessorize the school flagpole with steel-belted radials, Franzen depicts coming of age in all its excruciating and hilarious aspects.

Picture
​Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan. Well, for one thing, I just never knew there were so many ways to describe waves without being repetitious. For another, South Pacific settings (including my personal favorite, Samoa!) lured me in again. Plus, winning a Pulitzer Prize and being on President Obama's 2016 reading list were pretty high recommendations. In the words of the Sports Illustrated review, "Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading Hemingway on bullfighting; William Burroughs on controlled substances; Updike on adultery. . . A piscine, picaresque coming-of-age story, seen through the gloss resin coat of a surfboard." 

Picture
​Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo. Another master of economy, Harjo blends poetry and ancestral stories into her 176-page memoir of early years characterized by neglect, abuse, and confusion. She found solace in painting, music, language, nature and spirituality and grew up to be an award-winning poet and musician. Also, she's from Oklahoma, which wins bonus points from this Okie girl.

Picture
​Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt. In simplest terms, this is the coming-of-age story of a transgender girl, set against the backdrop of transgender rights in this country. Even more, it's the story of a loving family making its way through an exceptional situation. In particular, the evolution of Nicole's father Wayne—Air Force veteran, Republican, macho man—from denial to acceptance to activism—is deeply moving.

Picture
​Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas. Dumas paints an affectionate portrait of her family's life after moving from Iran to Southern California in 1972. From hot dogs to Bob Hope to infomercials for weight-loss products, Dumas and her family navigate the American experience with humor and insight.

Picture
​Plain and Simple by Sue Bender. A display of Amish quilts in a New York men's clothing store so intrigues Bender, a ceramic artist, she becomes obsessed with learning more about the Amish way of life. After finding two Amish families who agree to let her visit for extended home stays, she leaves her mile-a-minute urban life and settles into a quieter existence where no one rushes through chores to get to the next thing on the list and community is valued more than individuality. Work merges with play, sacred with ordinary. Returning to her regular life, Bender searches for ways to piece together—like quilt patches—her striving, busy nature and the calmer way of life she enjoyed with the Amish.

​One lesson she learned really struck home with me: Having a multitude of options often makes life more scattered, rather than richer. Something I'm trying to keep in mind as I head into a new year of possibilities.

​Now it's your turn. Tell me about a book you read this year.

​Other books I read this year (All good, even if I didn't list them above):
  • Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder
  • After Her: A Novel by Joyce Maynard
  • The Colorful Apocalypse: An Outsider Art Journey by Greg Bottoms
  • My Amish Childhood: A True Story of Faith, Family, and the Simple Life by Jerry S. Eicher
  • Roughneck Grace: Farmer Yoga, Creeping Codgerism, Apple Golf, and Other Brief Essays from on and off the Back Forty by Michael Perry
  • The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow
  • The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel
  • Emma by Jane Austen
  • The Turner House: A Novel by Angela Flournoy
  • State of Wonder: A Novel by Ann Patchett
  • Rebuilding the Indian: A Memoir by Fred Haefele
  • At Risk: A Novel by Alice Hoffman
  • Overwhelmed Writer Rescue: Boost Productivity, Improve Time Management, and Replenish the Creator Within by Colleen M. Story
  • Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
  • Isadore's Secret: Sin, Murder, and Confession in a Northern Michigan Town by Mardi Link
  • Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
  • Wolf's Mouth by John Smolens
  • Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, A Spool of Blue Thread, Ladder of Years, and Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
11 Comments
bex
12/13/2017 06:41:41 am

Sing for Your Life, by Daniel Bergner. Got it at Parnassus Books in Nashville in October, when I went there to visit this bookstore and to make spaghetti sauce. (Isn't that why everyone goes to Nashville?) Subtitle of the book is "A Story of Race, Music, and Family." Published in 2016, this book explores the life of Ryan Speedo Green, who at age 12 was incarcerated in "juvie" and is now an internationally renowned bass-baritone opera singer.

Reply
Nan
12/13/2017 06:47:39 am

I'm adding it to my to-read list. Thanks!

Reply
Mark Kane
12/13/2017 06:53:19 am

Wonderful way to present these books without making me feel I should read this one but rather let me look at the menu and even taste a bite. I am looking forward to making friends of books this coming year. Thank you Nan for sharing some of your wonderful gifts.

Reply
Nan
12/13/2017 01:07:51 pm

I look forward to hearing about the books you find and enjoy.

Reply
Susan Ager
12/13/2017 07:31:57 am

Thanks, Nancy, for a fine list I will now carry to my local library!

Reply
Nan
12/14/2017 06:40:50 am

Glad to hear it!

Reply
Susan Stec link
12/14/2017 08:56:29 pm

Crazy Brave got my attention. And as to your question, Under the Almond Trees by Linda Ulleseit

The blurb:
Under the Almond Trees is the story of my family – three ordinary women in California who lived extraordinary lives. It started with a falling tree branch that killed Ellen VanValkenburgh’s husband in 1862, forcing her to assume leadership of his paper mill, something women weren’t allowed to do. Women weren’t allowed to vote yet, either. Ellen decided that had to change, and became a suffragette. In 1901, Emily Williams , Ellen’s daughter-in-law, became an architect – very much against her family’s wishes. No one would hire a woman, but Emily would not be deterred. She and her life partner Lillian set out to build homes themselves. By the 1930’s women enjoyed more freedom, including the vote. Even so, Ellen’s granddaughter Eva VanValkenburgh chose a traditional life of marriage and children, even closing her photography business at her husband’s insistence. When he later refused to pay for their daughter’s college education, Eva followed the example of her Aunt Emily and reopened her photography business. I am proud to call these women family and honored to share their story.

Reply
Nan
12/15/2017 07:51:25 am

That sounds like a fascinating story. I'm adding the book to my 2018 reading list!

Reply
Laura Bailey
1/8/2018 08:51:08 am

Thanks for this list! I loved Hillbilly Elegy, and Anne Tyler was one of my favorites for so long. I love Best Of lists. I'm late to the party, but my suggestions tend toward mystery and psychological suspense this year. Anything by Laura Lippman, Laura Kasischke (U-M Professor), and Megan Abbott (U-M alum), Tana French. Also old Joyce Carol Oates.

One crazy thing -- I've realized that most authors I love are female. Not many men on that list at all. I did read Bird Box by Josh Malerman, (Detroit native, suspense) and it was fantastic!! The protagonist in Malerman's book is female.

Reply
Nan
1/10/2018 07:43:11 am

I was a big Joyce Carol Oates fan for a long time, too. Haven't read anything of hers lately, but I have several on my shelf that I never got around to reading. Maybe now's the time to do that.

I love Laura Kasischke, too. Just reading her name reminds me of that time the Sister Scribes went to the Ann Arbor showing of The Life Before Her Eyes. Cristina, Cyan and I had talked to Laura K in the lobby; then we went into the auditorium and saved you a seat. When you walked in, we all hollered, "Laura!", and Laura K, apparently thinking we were major groupies giving her a shout-out, gave us a perplexed and slightly troubled look. We were all mortified -- it ranked right up there with the croissant-on-forehead incident.

Reply
Laura B
1/11/2018 06:11:27 am

I had forgotten all about that! We had so much fun. Nothing, however, can compare to a baked good on the noggin.




Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Written from the heart,
    from the heart of the woods
    Read the introduction to HeartWood here.

    Subscribe to HeartWood

    Available now!

    Picture
    Check with your favorite bookseller or order from the BUY BOOKS page on this website.
    Get updates on Mango Rash
    BUY MANGO RASH

    Author

    Nan Sanders Pokerwinski, a former journalist, writes memoir and personal essays, makes collages and likes to play outside. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, Ray.

    Archives

    April 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Better Living
    Books
    Community
    Creativity
    Events
    Explorations
    Food
    Gardens
    Guest Posts
    Health
    Inspiration
    Last Wednesday Wisdom
    Local Artists
    Mecosta County
    Montcalm County
    Music
    Muskegon County
    Nature
    Newaygo County
    Oceana County
    People
    Photography
    Pure Michigan
    Reflection
    Return To Paradise
    Samoa
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Media
  • About
  • Contact
  • MANGO RASH
  • Blog
  • EVENTS
  • Journalism
  • Photography
  • Buy Books
  • Collages