XOX

Everyone is doing this 2016 "a year in reading" thing. This is mine. 50 books so far and it is a good year of reading. As we are born in a age that books are readily available, and the really intelligent persons are so willingly and openly shared their works.

Total: 51

Fiction: 69%

Non-fiction: 14%

Children/Young Adults:18%

Best books this year for me:

"Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity" by Andrew Solomon.

This wonderful and thick book tell us all about diversity in humans, their stories and how to comprehend their situations better by knowing their stories. I heard stories before that tinted with emotional bias and self-centred views that made me uncomfortable in taking in all of it as fact. Andrew Solomon removed this worry without compromising the stories and allow us to take a dive into these stories, see them in a bigger contexts and have a better understanding of the issues these people face. Could not recommended this enough.

"The Great Divide: Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them" by Joseph E. Stiglitz

Have an equal and fair society benefit us all. This is the main theme of the book and how economic polices and politics played the part in dividing society that widen the gaps between the really rich and the poor. The unfairness of it all have made clear with Joseph Stiglitz explanation.

"You Can't Read This Book: Censorship in an Age of Freedom" by Nick Cohen

In an age that riddle with censorship of publications and oppression against writers, publishers and journalists, nothing is more important for us to understand that we must support freedom of expression even for books that we totally disagreed with. If we don't defend this, we will be reading only the government censored lies not long into the future. Writers have the right to offend persons and persons could choose not to read it, or write something to counter the arguments. What persons should not do is to try to censor books that offended them. Unfortunately, totalitarian government and religious nut-jobs are all for banning books. Laws should be on the side of freedom, always.

"A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness

Patrick Ness has the talented to approach a very difficult topic and make it a bit scary, and a bit of a mystery. This surprised me how it could get into your head and make you feel the tension in the character.

"Odd Apocalypse" and "Saint Odd" by Dean Koontz

The Odd Thomas series come as a nice surprise. I have watched the movie and didn't know Dean Koontz wrote the books for some unknown reason. All the better for me to start a new series that is fun, scary and enjoyable. it is about a guy that could see ghosts but in ways that is not scary. More like a detective in finding out what or who is hurting people so that he could help save them. Not a typical hero that makes this fun.

"The Girl with Seven Names" by Hyeonseo Lee and "Infidel: My Life" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

These two women are refugees who escaped from really horrible home country. What they experienced is unique and it brings to light about how women lived under tyranny. Both books are good and worth reading especially if one is interested in women lives in North Korea and Somalia.

Books and more books please

Books are enjoyable. Books make us think from another person's perspective, that build compassion within a book. A book is a world in itself, and make us think much wider and deeper. What's better than seeping a drink, and read a book in cold weather, or rainy day. If it is sunny, reading book under the Sun is another treat.

If you have written a year end review on books read in 2016, post as link in comment. I would like to read them.