Chris Dietzel's Blog - Posts Tagged "coates"
My Five Favorite Books Read in 2016
Every year I read a few books that will stay with me for a long time. If I’m lucky, as I was this year, I find a book or books that will be added to my list of “Favorite books of all time.” Here are the five books I read this year that I most enjoyed (regardless of when they were originally published).
5. The Nightingale (2015) - I found myself constantly comparing this book to All the Light We Cannot See, another historical fiction that takes place during WWII. Because of how much I enjoyed that book, The Nightingale had a lot to measure up to. Whereas Dooer's book immediately grabs you, it took me longer to become invested here. And whereas All The Light We Cannot See excels because of its beautiful prose, this book succeeds because of the emotionally wrought story being told. By the end, I was completely captivated by this and found myself thinking about it for days afterward.
4. Cat's Eye (1998) - Until this book, Surfacing was my favorite non-dystopian book by Margaret Atwood. Cat's Eye now claims that spot. There were parts of this that were so honest and awkward in their depiction of children being cruel to each other that it was uncomfortable to read. Atwood does an amazing job of providing a main character who is not necessarily an unreliable narrator but who is definitely an unaware narrator. And yet the author finds ways to convey subtle ideas of just how unaware that narrator is without ruining the main character's voice. A really wonderful book.
3. All the Light We Cannot See (2014) - Everything about this book was excellent. It's always a pleasant surprise when a book can live up to all the acclaim it has received and this is one of the few that does. The writing and story are both great, and Doerr does a remarkable job of keeping you engaged the entire time. The author also does a good job of making it easy to follow multiple story lines.
2. War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier (1935) - This falls under the category of "Must Read." Butler's argument is that the wealthy elite benefit financially from war while everyone else suffers, either through fighting in the wars or else from paying for the war that the rich get richer from. Part of what makes the book so powerful is Butler's history: he fought in WWI and was the most decorated soldier of his lifetime when he wrote this. For me, that gives him credibility that can never be matched by a politician (who probably never fought in a war) going on TV and giving reasons for yet another conflict. Read this each time some person on the news states the case for another war and you'll likely see how hollow their words are and how much weight Butler's words carry.
1. Between the World and Me (2015) – I had high expectations for Ta-Nehisi Coates's letter to his son. After only a few pages I was blown away by how poetic the author is. Between the World and Me contains the best and most powerful writing I've read in a long time. By the time I was half the way through this, I was already thinking it was the best book I've read this year. By the time I finished the book I had to adjust my rating to consider it not just the best book of the year but one of my favorites of all time. It is impossible to read this and not feel incredibly saddened by the injustices all around us. My highest possible recommendation to everyone.
5. The Nightingale (2015) - I found myself constantly comparing this book to All the Light We Cannot See, another historical fiction that takes place during WWII. Because of how much I enjoyed that book, The Nightingale had a lot to measure up to. Whereas Dooer's book immediately grabs you, it took me longer to become invested here. And whereas All The Light We Cannot See excels because of its beautiful prose, this book succeeds because of the emotionally wrought story being told. By the end, I was completely captivated by this and found myself thinking about it for days afterward.
4. Cat's Eye (1998) - Until this book, Surfacing was my favorite non-dystopian book by Margaret Atwood. Cat's Eye now claims that spot. There were parts of this that were so honest and awkward in their depiction of children being cruel to each other that it was uncomfortable to read. Atwood does an amazing job of providing a main character who is not necessarily an unreliable narrator but who is definitely an unaware narrator. And yet the author finds ways to convey subtle ideas of just how unaware that narrator is without ruining the main character's voice. A really wonderful book.
3. All the Light We Cannot See (2014) - Everything about this book was excellent. It's always a pleasant surprise when a book can live up to all the acclaim it has received and this is one of the few that does. The writing and story are both great, and Doerr does a remarkable job of keeping you engaged the entire time. The author also does a good job of making it easy to follow multiple story lines.
2. War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier (1935) - This falls under the category of "Must Read." Butler's argument is that the wealthy elite benefit financially from war while everyone else suffers, either through fighting in the wars or else from paying for the war that the rich get richer from. Part of what makes the book so powerful is Butler's history: he fought in WWI and was the most decorated soldier of his lifetime when he wrote this. For me, that gives him credibility that can never be matched by a politician (who probably never fought in a war) going on TV and giving reasons for yet another conflict. Read this each time some person on the news states the case for another war and you'll likely see how hollow their words are and how much weight Butler's words carry.
1. Between the World and Me (2015) – I had high expectations for Ta-Nehisi Coates's letter to his son. After only a few pages I was blown away by how poetic the author is. Between the World and Me contains the best and most powerful writing I've read in a long time. By the time I was half the way through this, I was already thinking it was the best book I've read this year. By the time I finished the book I had to adjust my rating to consider it not just the best book of the year but one of my favorites of all time. It is impossible to read this and not feel incredibly saddened by the injustices all around us. My highest possible recommendation to everyone.
My Top 5 Favorite Books Read This Year
Each year, I look back at all the books I’ve read. Here are the five books I read for the first time this year that I most enjoyed (regardless of when they were originally published).
5. Slapstick, or Lonesome No More! (1976) – This is yet another example of what makes Vonnegut so great. "Slapstick" combines sarcasm, humor, an absurd plot, and a critique of society, and each aspect comes together just right. This is no where near his best work and yet it's still leaps and bounds over most other books.
4. The Zahir (2005) - Combine autobiographical details of Coelho's life (his mindset before following his dream, his life and mental state before and after writing The Alchemist) with a Romantic's version of the movie, "The Vanishing" (the original French version, not the terrible U.S. remake) and you have 'The Zahir.' Coelho does a great job of writing to a spiritual mystery and providing the type of life-learning story that readers of the author have grown to enjoy. It says a lot about how much I love 'The Alchemist' that I give this book 5 stars and yet acknowledge it is no where as good as his best-seller, which I would rank as one of my favorite books of all time.
3. Norwegian Wood (1987) - This was very different from the other books of Murakami's that I've read. Those had fantastic and surreal aspects. This, on the other hand, was very 'ordinary' in its story and characters. If that was how this book was described to me I wouldn't have guessed that I would enjoy it as much as Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World or Dance Dance Dance but shockingly I enjoyed it even more than those. This was a great book, and I can see why it made the author popular.
2. Words from the Myths (1969) - I really enjoyed Asimov's charting of how Greek and Roman myths influence many of today's words. The book was filled with names and ideas that have evolved over the centuries, many of which I had no idea about. Reading this is a great combination of learning about ancient myths, appreciating today's language, and a little bit of Asimov's recounting of epic tales.
1. Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt (2015) – I read this all the way back in February and knew even then that I wasn’t going to read a better book all year. Hedges starts with the premise that revolutions occur when the point between people's expectations for their government and the actual reality of what they get instead reaches a tipping point. He then goes into detail on all of the areas where the U.S. is rapidly trending in the wrong direction. He concludes by going into detail on all of the ways governments that fear a revolt manage to maintain control. Those chapters in particular read like a nonfiction version of Jack London's dystopian classic, The Iron Heel. There is nothing pleasurable about reading this book and yet I know I won't read anything more worthwhile in a long time. Highest possible recommendation for anyone interested in real-life dystopians, sociology, and "the powers that be."
Honorable mention. Between the World and Me (2015) – This was my favorite book read in 2016 so I decided to read it again in 2017. If my list wasn’t only for books I read for the first time, Coates' letter to his son would have easily been in the top 2 again. It’s impossible to read this and not feel incredibly saddened by the injustices all around us. My highest possible recommendation to everyone.
5. Slapstick, or Lonesome No More! (1976) – This is yet another example of what makes Vonnegut so great. "Slapstick" combines sarcasm, humor, an absurd plot, and a critique of society, and each aspect comes together just right. This is no where near his best work and yet it's still leaps and bounds over most other books.
4. The Zahir (2005) - Combine autobiographical details of Coelho's life (his mindset before following his dream, his life and mental state before and after writing The Alchemist) with a Romantic's version of the movie, "The Vanishing" (the original French version, not the terrible U.S. remake) and you have 'The Zahir.' Coelho does a great job of writing to a spiritual mystery and providing the type of life-learning story that readers of the author have grown to enjoy. It says a lot about how much I love 'The Alchemist' that I give this book 5 stars and yet acknowledge it is no where as good as his best-seller, which I would rank as one of my favorite books of all time.
3. Norwegian Wood (1987) - This was very different from the other books of Murakami's that I've read. Those had fantastic and surreal aspects. This, on the other hand, was very 'ordinary' in its story and characters. If that was how this book was described to me I wouldn't have guessed that I would enjoy it as much as Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World or Dance Dance Dance but shockingly I enjoyed it even more than those. This was a great book, and I can see why it made the author popular.
2. Words from the Myths (1969) - I really enjoyed Asimov's charting of how Greek and Roman myths influence many of today's words. The book was filled with names and ideas that have evolved over the centuries, many of which I had no idea about. Reading this is a great combination of learning about ancient myths, appreciating today's language, and a little bit of Asimov's recounting of epic tales.
1. Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt (2015) – I read this all the way back in February and knew even then that I wasn’t going to read a better book all year. Hedges starts with the premise that revolutions occur when the point between people's expectations for their government and the actual reality of what they get instead reaches a tipping point. He then goes into detail on all of the areas where the U.S. is rapidly trending in the wrong direction. He concludes by going into detail on all of the ways governments that fear a revolt manage to maintain control. Those chapters in particular read like a nonfiction version of Jack London's dystopian classic, The Iron Heel. There is nothing pleasurable about reading this book and yet I know I won't read anything more worthwhile in a long time. Highest possible recommendation for anyone interested in real-life dystopians, sociology, and "the powers that be."
Honorable mention. Between the World and Me (2015) – This was my favorite book read in 2016 so I decided to read it again in 2017. If my list wasn’t only for books I read for the first time, Coates' letter to his son would have easily been in the top 2 again. It’s impossible to read this and not feel incredibly saddened by the injustices all around us. My highest possible recommendation to everyone.
