I read 70 books (and counting) in 2018. These are my ten favorite (five non-fiction, five fiction), in no particular order. First, non-fiction:
-
-
2) It's an old classic, but I loved Gordon Wood's "The Radicalism of the American Revolution," which among other things I think depicts what might be called America's problematic DNA.https://www.amazon.com/Radicalism-American-Revolution-Gordon-Wood/dp/0679736883 …
Show this thread -
3) I found
@hofrench's not only to be a learned account of Chinese foreign policy and strategic culture but also nuanced looks at how Japan and China's other neighbors are reacting. https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Under-Heavens-Chinas-Global/dp/0385353324 …Show this thread -
4) Jackie Robinson's "I Never Had It Made": Deeply personal memoir by a singular personality. Especially valuable for the account of his post-playing career and his outspoken politics, worth reading in light of the scrutiny black athletes face today. https://www.amazon.com/Never-Had-Made-Autobiography-Robinson/dp/0060555971/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545880951&sr=1-1&keywords=i+never+had+it+made+an+autobiography+of+jackie+robinson …
Show this thread -
5) Andrei Lankov's "The Real North Korea," which I found successfully explained North Korean society without moralizing or apologizing while also thinking deeply about what North Korea's future might be. https://www.amazon.com/Real-North-Korea-Politics-Stalinist/dp/0199390037/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545881233&sr=1-1&keywords=the+real+north+korea …
Show this thread -
-
1)
@Shteyngart's "Lake Success," less humorous than his previous novels but one of the best depictions I've read of America's second Gilded Age. https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Success-Novel-Gary-Shteyngart/dp/0812997417/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545881762&sr=1-1&keywords=lake+success …Show this thread -
2)
@ArmsControlWonk's "The 2020 Commission," which hopefully remains a work of fiction but which did the essential task of forcing us to think the unthinkable. https://www.amazon.com/Commission-Report-Nuclear-Attacks-Against/dp/1328573915/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545881819&sr=1-1&keywords=the+2020+commission+report+on+the+north+korean+nuclear+attacks …Show this thread -
3) Several years late, I loved
@EmilyMandel's "Station Eleven," which is one of the best written and most imaginative works in its genre that I can recall. I read it in about a day. https://www.amazon.com/Station-Eleven-Emily-John-Mandel/dp/0804172447/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545881945&sr=1-1&keywords=station+eleven …Show this thread -
4) Francis Spufford's "Golden Hill," which is a brilliant recreation of pre-colonial New York society (good complement for Gordon Wood's "Radicalism," actually). https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Hill-Novel-Old-York/dp/1501163884/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545881996&sr=1-1&keywords=golden+hill+francis+spufford …
Show this thread -
5) George Saunders's "Lincoln in the Bardo": his experimentation with form and structure is probably not for everyone but unforgettable meditation on love and death. https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Bardo-Novel-George-Saunders/dp/0812985400/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545882285&sr=1-1&keywords=lincoln+in+the+bardo …
Show this thread -
I also read a lot of graphic novels this year - partly due to my eldest's getting into DC superheroes, so I read some of the classics - and I highly recommend Jason Lutes's three-volume series "Berlin," the third volume of which was published this year. https://www.amazon.com/Berlin-Jason-Lutes/dp/1770463267/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545882384&sr=1-1&keywords=jason+lutes+berlin …
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.