What were you reading when all the events of 2016 took place? Looking back on my reading year, here's what brought me a bit of comfort in those weird and wonderful times:
Brexit - well I never saw that one coming. The book on hand was Britt-Marie Was Here - another winner from Fredrik Backman, the author of the sensationally successful A Man Called Ove. This novel is set in small town Sweden (still a member of the EU by the way), so a bit of a geographic link there.
The election build-up in America - would it never end? I got through a whole heap of reads like The Portable Veblen. Nothing like an American novel on squirrels and dysfunctional families to get one through the voting road show.
Leonard Cohen died. I took solace in a murder mystery The Lewis Man by Peter May. All grey skies and peaty remains and the odd bird on a wire. Perfect.
Trump got elected - I was on holiday in Cape Town and indulging in a very South African read The Satanic Mechanic by Sally Andrew. One of those Alexander McCall Smith type reads - with recipes thrown into the mix as well. I just buried my head in the sand, just like the ostriches in the book.
When the Kaikoura quakes hit, I was still on holiday. It was a weird feeling to be so far away from New Zealand at that time. I'd moved on to a short, whimsical read that I picked up in an independent bookstore - The Reader on the 6.27. Translated from the French, this is an enchanting novel about the love of books and reading. It served me very well at that time.
John Key resigned while I was reading The Muse. This is a great novel to immerse yourself in by the author who wrote The Miniaturist. I preferred this second book (and the first was not bad at all either). If you are an art lover and would like a change of scene to Spain, this should go onto your list.
Finally what was I reading at the end of the year? One of those crumbling mansion, upstairs downstairs, governess novels - The Shadow Hour by Kate Riorddan. And dipping in to the silliest book I found all year Knit Your own Moustache. No I am not making this up!
How about you? What books sustained you last year? What books are carrying you gently into 2017?
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