I enjoyed most of the books I read in 2017, but here are 11 that, for different reasons, caught my fancy.
In no particular order, they are:
- SHAKESPEARE: THE WORLD AS STAGE BY BILL BRYSON
- SINATRA: HOLLYWOOD HIS WAY BY TIMOTHY KNIGHT
- BEAUTIFUL BOREDOM: IDLENESS AND FEMININE SELF-REALIZATION IN THE VICTORIAN NOVEL BY LEE ANNA MAYNARD
- LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE BY FRANCES AND JOSEPH GIES
- PAIN, PARTIES, WORK: SYLVIA PLATH IN NEW YORK, SUMMER 1953 BY ELIZABETH WINDER
- UNDER THE BIG BLACK SUN: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF L.A. PUNK BY JOHN DOE
- IN THE GREAT GREEN ROOM: THE BRILLIANT AND BOLD LIFE OF MARGARET WISE BROWN BY AMY GARY
- GRETA GARBO: THE MYSTERY OF STYLE BY STEFANIA RICCI
- WHEN PARIS SIZZLED: THE 1920S PARIS OF HEMINGWAY, CHANEL, COCTEAU, COLE PORTER, JOSEPHINE BAKER, AND THEIR FRIENDS BY MARY MCAULIFFE
- SIRENS & SINNERS: A VISUAL HISTORY OF WEIMAR FILM 1918-1933 BY HANS HELMUT PRINZLER
- THE BEST MINDS OF MY GENERATION: A LITERARY HISTORY OF THE BEATS BY ALLEN GINSBERG
What were your fave books of 2017? Please share with me in the comments.
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea. 
Good list. ‘On the Beach’ by Nevil Shute and ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier were the most memorable Fiction books I read last year.
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I’ve never read ‘On the Beach’ (I’ve only seen the 1959 film adaptation), but ‘Rebecca’ is a great book. It’s been one of my faves since I was an adolescent.
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My outstanding read of the year for 2017 was Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, extraordinary, intelligent, thought provoking, entertaining, just brilliant. Just posted my Top Reads of 2017 with a few other titles if interested.
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Ah, I’ll have to check it out! Thanks for the recommendation.
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Some great titles you’ve read this year. I’m going to look for the book on the Weimar films.
Last year I read a few books I’ve been meaning to read for a long time, including All the King’s Men, Ballet Shoes, Gorky Park, The Sound and the Fury, To Have and Have Not, What Makes Sammy Run?, and Catch-22. Am feeling very smug and literary these days.
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The Weimar cinema book is amazing. I highly recommend it.
Those are all great/interesting books. Which one was your fave, if you can make that distinction (which I know isn’t always possible!)?
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I really liked Catch-22. I started reading it as a “should” read – you know, I should read this – but I couldn’t put it down.
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