A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Semicolon review here.
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk.
War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk. I didn’t review these two novels of World War II because I wasn’t sure what to say about them. My pastor recommended them because they’re a couple of his favorites, and I enjoyed them voraciously. Epic. Classic.
Eifelheim by Michael Flynn. Recommended by Elliot at Claw of the Conciliator.
Old School by Tobias Wolff. I never reviewed this one either, but I found it curiously satisfying. It’s a prep school story about a boy who makes a bad decision, similar to A Separate Peace or the movie The Winslow Boy.
The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton. Semicolon review here.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Semicolon review here.
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry.
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. Semicolon review here.
Random Harvest by James Hilton. Semicolon review here.
Scarlett by Stephen Lawhead. No review for this second book in Lawhead’s King Raven (Robin Hood) series, but I am eagerly looking forward to the third in the series, Tuck, which is supposed to ship in mid-January.
Some WIldflower in My Heart by jamie Langston Turner. Semicolon review here.
Best discovery of the year: Wendell Berry’s novels.
Book of the year: Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry.
For adult fiction, my favorites were:
WHAT I WAS, Meg Rosoff
THE CRAZY SCHOOL, Cornelia Read
MY LIAR, Rachel Cline
PEACE, Richard Bausch
REAL LIFE AND LIARS, Kristina Riggle (forthcoming)
HARRY, REVISED, Mark Sarvas
BREATH, Tim Winton
THE CALLING, Inger Ash Wolfe
OLIVE KITTEREDGE, Elizabeth Strout
NO ONE YOU KNOW, Michelle Richmond
MATTERS OF FAITH, Kristy Kiernan
FALLING UNDER, Danielle Younge-Ullman
CHANGE OF HEART, Jodi Picoult
IN THE WOODS, Tana French
THE LIKENESS, Tana French
COST, Roxana Robinson
CRIME, Irvine Walsh
TRAVEL WRITING, Peter Ferry
TIME OF MY LIFE, Allison Winn Scotch
THE LEGAL LIMIT, Martin Clark
STALKING SUSAN, Julie Kramer
REPLAY, Ken Grimwood
THE BELIEVERS, Zoe Heller (forthcoming)
THE UNCOMMON READER, Alan Bennett
My list will go up tomorrow. I chose Island of the World as my book of the year, but Hannah Coulter was the runner-up!
~Jeanne
Oh yes, Sherry! Hannah Coulter was my book of the year too. I know you recommended Wouk, but seeing you listed them in the top ten has pushed me off the edge. They are going on my list.
I recommend That Distant Land (a collection of Wendell Berry short stories). That was my Christmas gift to my brother and his wife, who loved Hannah Coulter also.
“Curiously satisfying” is about the best phrase I could imagine to describe Old School.
Love these posts. Thanks for the special edition of SRB. Can’t wait!
I’m so glad to see Random Harvest on your list. It is one of my favorites. I’m looking forward to reading Wendell Berry’s books.
Pingback: 7 Quick Takes Friday at Semicolon