Books 2017

This year I tried to read more female books.  I was also sicker than I have been in a long time so I may have done more reading.  Let's see how the stats look.

74 books in total (compared to 56 in 2016, 43 in 2015).
Gender: Male 43%, female 51% (37% in 2016), joint 4%, other 1%.
Origin: Anglo 84%, non-Anglo 16% (9% in 2016)
Type: Fiction 81%, non-fiction 19%

So I did well at upping my female authors, and improved slightly on diversity of origin (although that would have been skewed by Elena Ferrante's 4 books).  

No 5 star books!

4.5 stars: 6 books (8%)
"No Is Not Enough" Naomi Klein. 4.5 stars. Trump is the end-product of a disastrous economic & political system. Pa… https://t.co/SqvPN5EEIX Thu Jan 04 02:00:50 +0000 2018
"Butcher's Crossing" John Williams. 4.5 stars. A gut-wrenching account of how man destroys that which nourishes him… https://t.co/gjNBWNbw4r Tue Dec 05 06:25:45 +0000 2017
"Doughnut Economics" Kate Raworth. 4.5 stars. A comprehensive and satisfying demolition of neoliberal economics. Pr… https://t.co/8mf4v2cDio Fri Nov 10 06:50:34 +0000 2017
"The Narrow Road to the Deep North" Richard Flanagan. 4.5 stars. The agony and pointlessness of it all. Tue Nov 07 04:48:26 +0000 2017
"All The Birds In The Sky" @charliejane Anders. 4.5 stars. Unpredictable, clever & funny. A wonderful creation. Sat Sep 16 08:52:12 +0000 2017
"The Spare Room" Helen Garner. 4.5 stars. The agony of illness and the grasping for health. So well portrayed it feels like it must be true. Mon May 22 02:25:52 +0000 2017

4 stars: 17 books (23%)
"How Did We Get Into This Mess?" George Monbiot. 4 stars. A selection of his finest articles, exploring the madness… https://t.co/SVMronWbis Thu Jan 04 02:15:28 +0000 2018
"The People of the Book" Geraldine Brooks. 4 stars. A fascinating journey through the history of European Jews, usi… https://t.co/yAkfZjP6aP Thu Jan 04 02:14:56 +0000 2018
"In Other Lands" Sarah Rees Brennan. 4 stars. Makes up for poor writing with great characters and relationships. Tu… https://t.co/QETC1VRYNN Thu Jan 04 02:00:15 +0000 2018
"The Bond" Simon McCartney. 4 stars. Two young bold climbers push the envelope in Alaska, and barely get away with it. Climbers are NUTS! Sun Dec 24 03:33:08 +0000 2017
"The Water Knife" Paolo N Bacigalupi. 4 stars. The water wars of the near future. A hint of Mad Max. Frighteningly possible. Fri Nov 10 06:42:12 +0000 2017
"Bring up the Bodies" Hilary Mantel. 4 stars. A well executed clusterfuck. Poor Anne Boleyn: well and truly screwed (one way or another). Tue Nov 07 04:50:32 +0000 2017
"Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay" Elena Ferrante. 4 stars. Realistic characters are so frustrating! Tue Nov 07 04:48:58 +0000 2017
"The Nature Fix" Florence Williams. 4 stars. We are wild beasts - get out there and soak it up. Sat Sep 16 08:50:39 +0000 2017
"My Life On The Road" Gloria Steinam. 4 stars. The power of community organising -inspiring! In the thick of so much transformative change. Sat Sep 16 08:42:11 +0000 2017
"Here Come The Dogs" Omar Musa. 4 stars. Fantastic use of language. Life on the other side of the tracks ... in Queanbo! Tue Aug 08 10:26:50 +0000 2017
"Still Lucky" Rebecca Huntley. 4 stars. If you need your faith restored in everyday Australians, read this. A good and visionary people. Tue Aug 08 10:10:21 +0000 2017
"Wolf Hall" Hilary Mantel. 4 stars. English history has never been so fascinating. Cromwell and an era brought to life with clarity. Wed Jun 21 11:38:01 +0000 2017
"The Bride Stripped Bare" Anon. 4 stars. A few major issues to deal with here. Pha-ew! Wed Jun 21 11:33:27 +0000 2017
"Tiny Beautiful Things" Cheryl Strayed. 4 stars. The best sort of agony aunt. So much wisdom and compassion on the trials of being human. Mon May 22 02:28:06 +0000 2017
"Postcapitalism" Paul Mason. 4 stars. An unexpectedly Marxist revelation. A valuable perspective on history. Capitalism in its death throes? Sat Mar 04 06:02:06 +0000 2017
"The Trowenna Sea" Witi Ihimaera. 4 stars. Brings a fascinating piece of history gloriously to life. A touch academic at times. Sat Mar 04 04:24:57 +0000 2017
"Burial Rites" Hannah Kent. 4 stars. The cold drift towards death ... Sat Mar 04 04:21:37 +0000 2017

3.5 stars: 19 books (26%)
"Updraft" Fran Wilde. 3.5 stars. A wonderfully fantastical creation - never mind the physics, just fly with it. Sun Dec 24 03:45:39 +0000 2017
"Sweet Thursday" John Steinbeck. 3.5 stars. A light-hearted comedy starring a tight-knit community of down-and-oute… https://t.co/jbe3IHiHjr Sun Dec 24 03:39:23 +0000 2017
"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" Becky Chambers. 3.5 stars. A likeable bunch on a Red Dwarf-esque journey through the galaxy. Sun Dec 24 03:30:41 +0000 2017
"The New Republic" Lionel Shriver. 3.5 stars. Takes fake news to a new level. WAY before its time. Tue Dec 05 06:25:21 +0000 2017
"The Stone Sky" NK Jemisin. 3.5 stars. Gets pretty out there. I like the idea of a furious Father Earth bent on revenge. Tue Dec 05 06:24:21 +0000 2017
"Gut Reactions" Justin & Erica Sonnenburg. 3.5 stars. A good overview of the microbiome and its critical role in ou… https://t.co/jpvHi9Sszu Tue Dec 05 06:21:53 +0000 2017
"Luna: Wolf Moon" Ian McDonald. 3.5 stars. Sequel brings plot together making for a decent book. Fri Nov 10 06:43:21 +0000 2017
"The Power" Naomi Alderman. 3.5 stars. An old trope, power corrupts, but with a gendered twist. Brutally pessimistic. Lacks subtlety. Sat Sep 16 08:45:31 +0000 2017
"The Story of a New Name" Elena Ferrente. 3.5 stars. A finely woven tapestry of brutal men, trapped women and social immobility. Tue Aug 08 10:34:22 +0000 2017
"The Fifth Season" NK Jemisin. 3.5 stars. An intriguing world, but slow reveal of bigger picture left me dangling. Tue Aug 08 10:08:55 +0000 2017
"Daughter of the Empire" Raymond Feist & Jenny Wurts. 3.5 stars. Such a linear plot, but excellent comfort reading. Wed Jun 21 11:40:18 +0000 2017
"High Tide in Tucson" Barbara Kingsolver. 3.5 stars. A pleasurable ramble to dip into. Wed Jun 21 11:26:31 +0000 2017
"Salt Creek" Lucy Treloar. 3.5 stars. The brutal and beautiful reality of the Australian frontier. Wed Jun 21 11:19:29 +0000 2017
"The Lies of Locke Lamora" Scott Lynch. 3.5 stars. Rollicking tale of cunning and dastardly thieves. Wed Jun 21 11:08:51 +0000 2017
"Wild" Cheryl Strayed. 3.5 stars. One hell of a traumatic life. Nothing that a good long walk can't sort. Wed Jun 21 11:05:14 +0000 2017
"My Brilliant Friend" Elena Ferrante. 3.5 stars. Full immersion in the colour and messiness of of working-class Naples. Captivating. Mon May 22 02:32:36 +0000 2017
"The Heroes" Joe Abercrombie. 3.5 stars. War. Bloody realistic war. Sat Mar 04 06:00:29 +0000 2017
"The Mists of Avalon" Marion Bradley. 3.5 stars. The myth! The legend! The melodrama! Such tragedy! Very slow to get going, and overly long. Sat Mar 04 05:57:55 +0000 2017
"March" Geraldine Brooks. 3.5 stars. Brings a harsh dose of reality to the family of Little Women. Sat Mar 04 04:17:54 +0000 2017

3 stars: 23 books (31%)
"The Rapture of the Nerds" Cory Doctorow & Charles Stross. 3 stars. A quasi-dystopian comedy where humans have most… https://t.co/uIvZzjh6ry Thu Jan 04 02:11:25 +0000 2018
"Wired to Eat" Robb Wolf. 3 stars. Interesting ideas on ketosis and individual response to carbs. But written for dummies. Sun Dec 24 03:33:37 +0000 2017
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" Ernest Hemingway. 3 stars. Excessive detail and agonising pace in the buildup. Some horri… https://t.co/pkaMPLChuR Tue Dec 05 06:24:58 +0000 2017
"Best Served Cold" Joe Abercrombie. 3 stars. Blood begets blood, again & again. Decent characters though, if over the top. Fri Nov 10 06:44:28 +0000 2017
"The Story of the Lost Child" Elena Ferrante. 3 stars. Somewhat unsatisfying, but perhaps that's life. Fri Nov 10 06:43:57 +0000 2017
"The Japanese Lover" Isabelle Allende. 3 stars. A little charming but somewhat pedestrian. Lacks sparkle. Tue Nov 07 04:51:26 +0000 2017
"Luna: New Moon" Ian McDonald. 3 stars. Loved the moon world, but too many characters, too little resolved. Dynasties, really? Half a book. Tue Nov 07 04:51:00 +0000 2017
"The Obelisk Gate" NK Jemisin. 3 stars. Finally, some useful context. Losing its edge, though. Tue Nov 07 04:47:41 +0000 2017
"Lagoon" Nnedi Okorafor. 3 stars. Enjoyed the vibrancy of Lagos life, but a bit random. Sat Sep 16 08:49:52 +0000 2017
"Conservation Worrier" Jamie Kirkpatrick. 3 stars. Self deprecatory & funny. Surprisingly informative view of the conservation process. Tue Aug 08 10:31:23 +0000 2017
"Servant of the Empire" Raymond Feist & Jenny Wurts. 3 stars. More of the same, but more sex and less shine. Wed Jun 21 11:41:53 +0000 2017
"Seveneves" Neal Stephenson. 3 stars. Audacious premise and world-building. Undermined by some serious conceptual failings. Wed Jun 21 11:34:59 +0000 2017
"New York 2140" Kim Stanley Robinson. 3 stars. Cool concept, but translating the political challenges of 2010 to 2140 isn't credible. Wed Jun 21 11:24:48 +0000 2017
"The Wild Things" Dave Eggars. 3 stars. A fun flight of fancy, but what's it getting at? Probably nothing! Wed Jun 21 11:21:21 +0000 2017
"Middlemarch" George Eliot. 3 stars. Allegedly 'literature', but really just a big ol' soapie. For the period drama tragic. Wed Jun 21 11:16:24 +0000 2017
"Payback" Margaret Atwood. 3 stars. The many devious ways debt inviegles its way into our lives and cultures. Wed Jun 21 11:14:31 +0000 2017
"The Death Of An Owl" Paul Torday. 3 stars. Tried to be amusing, but ended randomly weird. Wed Jun 21 11:00:13 +0000 2017
"The Gift" Alison Croggin. 3 stars. Passable though largely derivative fantasy. Mon May 22 02:26:30 +0000 2017
"The Secret Chord" Geraldine Brooks. 3 stars. Great way to live some history. Sat Mar 04 05:59:32 +0000 2017
"Fight Like A Girl" Clementine Ford. 3 stars. Disturbing view from the trenches. Never thought of myself as an agent of the patriarchy! Sat Mar 04 05:58:52 +0000 2017
"The Daylight Wars" Peter Brett. 3 stars. Unremarkable fantasy. Sat Mar 04 05:56:49 +0000 2017
"44 Scotland Street" Alexander McCall Smith. 3 stars. Harmless but amusing. Sat Mar 04 04:22:22 +0000 2017
"Strandloper" Alan Garner. 3 stars. The story of William Buckley. A confusion of language, perhaps overly creative, but the vibe feels true. Sat Mar 04 04:15:49 +0000 2017

2.5 stars: 7 books (9%)
"Anything is Possible" Elizabeth Strout. 2.5 stars. Vaguely engaging vignettes about boring small town people. Perh… https://t.co/UeluCGq9pL Sun Dec 24 03:46:15 +0000 2017
"Red Country" Joe Abercrombie. 2.5 stars. Another fantasy-western. Doesn't particularly benefit. Fri Nov 10 06:47:11 +0000 2017
"Territory" Judy Nunn. 2.5 stars. Fluff, but readable. A bit lame really - awfully contrived. Sat Sep 16 08:46:17 +0000 2017
"Three Moments of an Explosion" China Mieville. 2.5 stars. Some impressive feats of imagination, but often left me wondering, 'Why?' Sat Sep 16 08:43:23 +0000 2017
"God Help The Child" Toni Morrison. 2.5 stars. Not sure of it's point, and unnecessarily odd. Mon May 22 02:29:11 +0000 2017
"The Skull Throne" Peter Brett. 2.5 stars. Fine, but could get on with it a bit! Sat Mar 04 04:19:18 +0000 2017
"Heroes of the Frontier" Dave Eggars. 2.5 stars. Not sure of its point? And such poor outdoors decision making! Sat Mar 04 04:13:35 +0000 2017

2 stars: 1 book (1%)
"The Terranauts" TC Boyle. 2 stars. Strange lame sci-fi soapy mongrel. Some basis in reality though! Sat Mar 04 04:16:28 +0000 2017

1.5 stars: 1 books (1%)
"The Low-Carb Fraud" T Colin Campbell. 1.5 stars. Comes across more as a frothin' vegan than as an objective scientist. Sat Mar 04 04:23:12 +0000 2017