Wrapping up the year in reading with the final 6 of the 31 books I read this year.
The Immortalists, Chloe Benjamin
I am a sucker for a good plot device and Chloe Benjamin nails it with her examination of four siblings from New York. As youngsters, they visit a woman who claims she can tell you when you will die. This impacts their lives in an oversized way and fuels an incredible journey through San Francisco, Las Vegas and upstate New York. The complex connections between siblings ring incredibly true and made this a really fun – if sad – read.
Going Green, Nick Spalding
I am a sucker for these pretty formulaic comedies by Spalding. I thought maybe I had hit my wall with this one – and it does pale in comparison to some of the earlier ones – but a twist at the end had me laughing out loud and made any of the problems earlier in the book mostly go away.
Hell of a Hat, Kenneth Partridge
After working for 10 years at a university press, I know that they can crank out some pretty cool books. This is one of them. Published by the Penn State Press, the book provides a really comprehensive look at the ska and swing scenes in the 1990s. I was not a part of either scene (or the many sub-scenes associated with them, which are also huge parts of the story) so I learned a lot and ended up going down some interesting YouTube and Wikipedia rabbit holes. Anyone who enjoys nerding out on a subject, especially music, would probably enjoy this.
This is How It Feels, Mike Keegan
I think I got to this one from a discussion between some soccer journalists I follow on Twitter. If you want an exhaustive discussion of one soccer club from 1980s England, this is your book. Keegan dissects the rise of Oldham Athletic and their resourceful manager Joy Royle. While some of the game details seemed a little too much at times, the book did provide a great glimpse into the last period before big money really came into British soccer. I really enjoyed the connection between the team and the surrounding community as well as the bizarre stories from a time when pro athletes didn’t have every move documented by the media.
Exciting Times, Naoise Dolan
I am pretty sure that Matthew Norman, one of my favorite authors, recommended this one on Twitter. Dolan provides fascinating character studies in a book where very little actually happens. But the way Ava, Julian and Edith interact and don’t interact had me glued to this one. Sometimes you just need smart insights into human behavior to make a book shine.
Wake Up Happy Every Day, Stephen May
Somehow this one ended up on my list through a search on my library’s e-book app. I loved how what seemed to be a simple story about two men – one rich (Russell) and one questioning almost everything (Nicky) – turned into part comedy, part spy caper, part moral compass. This could have veered into a weirdness like Dave Barry’s Big Trouble or turned preachy, but instead we get into a deep dive of the complexities of life and being a good person.
Read previous posts from this year: