What I Read in 2016

Well, ignoring the fact that 2016 saw a chain of events begin to unfurl that is likely to bring about the end of civilisation, the last year was a pretty good one for reading.  It wasn’t a fantastic year for me personally – spending much of it coping first with a bullying manager, and then the fall-out from dealing with that (he has been dealt with!).  Books provided an excellent refuge from all of that.  I also took on a couple of whoppers – War and Peace and Ulysses – which I am rather proud of.  23 of the 41 books I read were written by women – hurray!

I have been keeping my book diary for over ten years now – it’s funny to look at the early entries, where time and space seemed plentiful:

Compared to the desperately tight scrawl of fearful middle-age:

Anyway, on to the books:

1. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying – Marie Kondo – I got as far as clothes, and threw out about 8 bags of clothing that didn’t spark joy!  As far as books and knick-knacks go, she can do one!!
2. SPQR – Mary Beard – Making up for all those Roman History classes that I spent in the pub.
3. A God in Ruins – Kate Atkinson – I nearly didn’t buy this, as I didn’t like the cover (a dead rabbit), but absolutely loved this. It’s linked to another brilliant Atkinson novel: Life After Life, and I recommend both.
4. Dept. of Speculation – Jenny Offill
5. A Spool of Blue Thread – Anne Tyler
6. The Complete Eightball Vol.1 – Daniel Clowes
7. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald – Therese Anne Fowler
8. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy – I have to admit that reading this was both prompted and aided by the the excellent BBC adaptation.
9. A Book for Her – Bridget Christie – funny!
10. Purity – Jonathan Franzen – not my favourite, but still really readable.
11. The Big Short – Michael Lewis
12. A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara
13. A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding – Jackie Copleton
14. The Portable Veblen – Elizabeth McKenzie
15. Not My Father’s Son: A Family Memoir – Alan Cumming
16. A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson
17. The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid
18. Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits – David Wong
19. Dancing in the Dark: My Struggle Book 4 – Karl Ove Knausgaard – I’m still working my way through the My Struggle series, and still enjoying them.
20. Nod – Adrian Barnes
21. The Life and Death of Sophie Stark – Anna North
22. My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrante – I was curious about the hype, and now I’m hooked – I’ll be reading more of her work in 2017.
23. The Kindness – Polly Samson
24. Hotel du Lac – Anita Brookner
25. Ruby – Cynthia Bond
26. Slade House – David Mitchell
27. The Deaths – Mark Lawson
28. Time and Time Again – Ben Elton
29. 2666 – Roberto Bolano
30. American Housewife – Helen Ellis – I’m not a huge fan of short stories, but these were really funny.
31. The Nest – Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
32. The Less than Perfect Legend of Donna Creosote – Dan Micklethwaite
33. Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body – Sara Pascoe
34. Fates and Furies – Lauren Groff
35. We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson
36. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary – David Sedaris
37. The Complete Eightball Vol.2 – Daniel Clowes
38. Ulysses – James Joyce – This was a bit like reading a novel in a different language and  at times I felt lost.  I’m glad I read this, though, because it’s so radical for its time.
39. Bonkers: My Life in Laughs – Jennifer Saunders
40. The Actual One: How I Tried and Failed to Remain Twenty-Something Forever – Isy Suttie
41. The Glorious Heresies – Lisa McInerney

This year has begun promisingly – just started reading The Essex Serpent.  So, 2017 – any reading recommendations?  Any more whoppers that you think I should try?