Wherein We Elect Our Favourite Novels Of 2016

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (21 of them)

Hope you’re feeling better, Daniel.

Legalize Suburban Benches (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 31 December 2021 23:46 (two years ago) link

I went with Underground Railroad, which I haven’t yet finished but is very good. Haven’t read any of the others.

Legalize Suburban Benches (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 31 December 2021 23:47 (two years ago) link

Went with The Girls because only one I read and its deep focus on the narrator's POV, as she in lifelong memory palace w windows blown out etc, guides reader and self through her early teen visits to a Manson Family-based situation---the Love God and his Rock Star buddy-client-mark seem like a rehash, but the girl followers and some friends-frenemies, future roommates and parents are not, though the limits of plausible first-person narrative can be felt at times, as usual. But the narrator takes it all in, as much as she can. Seems pretty plausible, incl. sometimes amazing, to this simple male mind.

dow, Saturday, 1 January 2022 06:00 (two years ago) link

Happy new year, and hope you're better Daniel.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Transit by Rachel Cusk
Autumn by Ali Smith

All good to great except Ali Smith who just doesn't do much for me. Homegoing or Transit probably getting my vote.

two sleeps till brooklyn (ledge), Saturday, 1 January 2022 20:22 (two years ago) link

Have to go Lovecraft Country because it's the only one I've read.
Do want to read jerusalem and Underground Railroad & think I was thinking that earlier in the last week.

Stevolende, Saturday, 1 January 2022 22:12 (two years ago) link

Have read The Girls, Autumn, and Jerusalem. Gotta vote Jerusalem though they were all worthwhile.

JoeStork, Sunday, 2 January 2022 00:05 (two years ago) link

I think this is the first one where I've read not a one! I own Swing Time and will someday read it, I'm sure it's great. And I think I have All The Birds in the Sky on Kindle, I bought it once when it was on ultra-sale.

Guayaquil (eephus!), Sunday, 2 January 2022 00:24 (two years ago) link

Of the two I've read, would probably go for Colson Whitehead over Ali Smith. Even if the experimentation of the second half of the book isn't precisely successful, it still has an emotional punch and has grown in my imagination.

Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Sunday, 2 January 2022 18:46 (two years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Monday, 3 January 2022 00:01 (two years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 00:01 (two years ago) link

I think I forgot to vote, should've thrown one to Homegoing.

two sleeps till brooklyn (ledge), Tuesday, 4 January 2022 08:51 (two years ago) link

Yeah I'm doing better guys, was just a cold for me really. Back in London now, so expect regular programming to resume!

Daniel_Rf, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 09:41 (two years ago) link

Wherein We Elect Our Favourite Novels of 2017

Daniel_Rf, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 14:11 (two years ago) link

I own quite a few books from this list that I've not yet read (Rosewater, Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming, Death Is Hard Work). I should do something about that.

The books from this list that I have read (Transit, Convenience Store Woman) were both excellent.

Jimmy Iovine Eat World (bernard snowy), Tuesday, 4 January 2022 15:26 (two years ago) link

having said (um, maybe not) that it was a bust for me, i now see 3 things that i have read here - Rosewater, Autumn, The Power. the first two of which were ok, the latter of which went badly wrong.

koogs, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 15:56 (two years ago) link

Wow, I somehow missed all but one of these--the only one I've read is Lovecraft Country.

jimbeaux, Wednesday, 12 January 2022 18:26 (two years ago) link


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.