This was a good year. Not easy to pick ten, could also have been fifteen or twenty. Here goes in no particular order.
Han Kang: The Vegetarian. A deep view into Korean society, position and role of women, and a rollercoaster of mental health issues.
Ian McGuire: The North Water. Unputdownable. A big ripping yarn. And one of the best truly bad characters in a long time.
Ben Fountain: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. A great story and a brutal commentary on what it means to send young people to war.
Arlie Russel Hochschild: Strangers in Their Own Land. Mandatory reading if you want to learn more about what makes the non-coastal non-elites tick. Deep understanding and true empathy.
Paul Beatty: The Sellout. Funny, innovative, and super smart. A unique and important literary voice.
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo. A writer’s writer. Inventing a new form and it totally works.
Andre Aciman: Call Me By Your Name. What can you say. This is how the best novels used to be and aren’t anymore. So strong.
Elif Batuman: The Idiot. A genuine Bildungsroman. Very smart, very true.
Orhan Pamuk: My Name is Red. I’m late to this. What a story.
Robert Menasse: Die Haupstadt. Spannend, humorvoll, intelligent, wichtig.
And the rest:
Richard Russo: Straight Man. Wonderful.
George Plimpton: Paper Lion. Unique.
Aleksandar Hemon: The Making of Zombie Wars. Does not disappoint.
Paul Kalanithi: When Breath Becomes Air. Breathtaking.
Timothy Garton Ash: The File. Very interesting.
Bert Wagendorp: Ventoux. Solide.
Etgar Keret: The Seven Good Years. Wonderful.
Cesare Pavese: Die einsamen Frauen. Schwierig.
Bert Wagendorp: Der Prolog. Ok.
Benjamin Johncock: The Last Pilot.
Charles Portis: The Dog Of the South. So-so.
Rick Gekoski: Outside of a Dog. Alright.
Nina Willner: Forty Autumns. Not what I expected.
Matt Haig: Reasons to Stay Alive. Impressive.
Bacon & Birnie: The Cycling Anthology V. Good stuff.
Frederik Backman: A Man Called Ove. Very funny.
Ann Cornelisen: Torregreca. Unbelievable.
Etgar Keret: the Bus Driver who wanted to be god. Not so strong.
Sarah Bakewell: At the Existentialist Cafe. Mixed bag.
Sonia Simmenauer: Muss es sein? Interessant.
Julian Sayarer: Life Cycles. Pretty good.
Imbolo Mbue. Behold the Dreamers. Excellent.
Julian Sayarer: Interstate. Pretty good.
Ned Boulting: Velosaurus. Not bad.
Colson Whitehead. The Underground Railroad. Impressive
Richard Grady: One day ahead. Good enough.
Ben Judah. This is London. Brilliant.
Marc Vanhoenacker: Skyfaring. Not bad.
Tc Boyle: Terranauts. Solid.
Anne Moody: Coming of Age in Mississippi. Very interesting.
Adam Haslett: Imagine Me Gone. Impressive.
Phil Gaimon: Ask a Pro. Fun read.
Alex Rühle: Ohne Netz. Stark.
Karl Ove Knausgard. Kämpfen. Wow. Und jetzt reicht’s.
Richard Russo: Nobody’s Fool. Brilliant.
Marcel Möring: Das große Verlangen. Eindrucksvoll.
Carl Frode Tiller: Kennen Sie diesen Mann? Schwierig.
John Darnielle: Universal Harvester. DNF. Not for me.
Max Leonard: Higher Calling. Excellent.
Carrot Quinn: Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart. Pretty good.
Walther Jungwirth: Tausend Kilometer Süden. Ganz gut.
Olivia Laing: The Lonely City. Impressive.
Naoki Higeshida: The Reason I Jump. Impressive.
Arundhati Roy: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Incredible.
Marilynne Robinson: Housekeeping. Strong stuff.
Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run. Mandatory.
Nicole Krauss: Forest Dark. Almost perfect.
Jhumpa Lahiri: In altre parole. Stupendous.
Domenico Starnone: Lacci. Wow.
Erri De Luca: Il giorno prima della felicità. A mixed bag.
Matthew Klam: Who Is Rich? Pretty good.
Dervla Murphy: Full Tilt. Incredible.
Michael Connelly: City of Bones. Good enough.
Tom Perrotta: Mrs. Fletcher. Pretty good.
Salman Rushdie: The Golden House. Wonderful.
Painted Blazes: Hiking the Appalachian Trail with Loner. Awful. Just awful.
Leopold Sacher-Masoch. Venus im Pelz. Ja sowas.
Phil Gaimon: Draft Animals. Much fun.
Angeline Tan: Angie Across America. Ho hum.
Chris Harrison: Head over Heel. Ok.
Scott Bergstein: Soul of the Heel. Ok.
Cara Nicoletti: Voracious. Great fun.
Laszlo Bock: Work Rules. Good stuff.
Roxane Gay: Bad Feminist. Must read.
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