2017: Year in Review

2017 was a good reading year for me. I planned on reading 52 books, but ended up reading 71! 😀

I wasn’t able to meet all the goals I set for myself though. But I think I completed at least 90% of it, which is good enough.

My biggest project was reading Irène Némirovsky’s works. I read all her 11 novels (my favorites are The Courilof Affair, All Our Worldly Goods, and Suite Française), and I’m currently reading Dimanche and Other Stories. I’ve three short stories remaining in the book, which I will be reading in 2018.

I read 11 NYRB Classics, 11 Vintage Crime Novels, and finished the first two novels in the Empire Trilogy. I also read the Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist, Man Booker International Prize Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Winner for 2017.

Now it’s time to list my standout reads for 2017. You can click on the title to read my full review. 🙂

#7. Death Makes a Prophet – My favorite Vintage Crime read this year. It is a sharp novel featuring an extremely likable detective. I’ll be reading more of John Bude’s novels in future!

#6. All Our Worldly Goods – All Our Worldly Goods – I had a good cry after reading this. Némirovsky’s writing is evocative and immensely uplifting making this a bittersweet read.

#5. The Judges of the Secret Court – This is the best find of the year! The Judges of the Secret Court is based on the Lincoln assassination. If you are a fan of historical fiction, I urge you to read this!

#4. The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne’s  brilliantly told novel examines the life of Cyril Avery, a gay man who lived in post-war Ireland which was under the immense influence of the Catholic Church.

#3. The Underground Railroad – There’s a reason why The Underground Railroad won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction! It certainly lives up to the hype! 😀

#2. The Courilof Affair – My favorite book by Irène Némirovsky is one of her lesser-known works. The Courilof Affair a historical fiction based on the assassination of Nikolay Pavlovich Bogolepov, a former Russian Minister of Education.

#1. Prometheus Bound – This was a lovely surprise. I wasn’t a big fan of Greek mythology before, but this made me change my mind.

Tags: Irène Némirovsky Year-Long, Year in Review