These are my picks for the top five fiction books I read this year:
5- The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemmingway
Everyone needs an old man in their lives. Someone to teach them how to fish, how to avoid danger, how to survive, how to suffer with pride and courage when a job calls for it. There have been several old men in my life who poured their wisdom and energy into me just like the old man in this story pours into the boy. The old man is a fisherman who has gone 84 days without a catch, but on the 85th day, he hooks the biggest marlin he's ever seen. The fish is so big that it holds the fisherman and his gift out to sea for two days before he finally tires and surfaces for a final showdown. Many subtle themes resonate with me in the old man’s story- fishing with the old man like fishing with Grand Dad Southard, working hard, being willing to suffer, being tough, and taking care of people with kindness, humility, and dignity. Thanks, Jarrod for reminding me about this book.
This book is for young men and old men and the women trying to understand them.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Donald Sutherland, 2:28)
4- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is one of my favorite stories and I got to share it with Jet. We have an illustrated hardback copy and we used the audiobook from the library too while we were on the road or needed something to distract us at the house. Tolkien describes the characters and plot lines well, so I didn’t have to explain much to Jet after each chapter. The hobbit, Bilbo Baggins gets invited to go on an epic adventure with Gandalf, the wizard, and thirteen dwarves. They travel from his home to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim the dwarves’ ancient halls and treasure from the great dragon Smaug. Along the way, the fellowship suffers many hardships like hunger, cold, kidnapping by trolls and goblins, giant spiders, near drownings, and many other uncomfortable things. They make some friends and enemies along the way, and when they finally reach the mountain, they still have the dragon to deal with. Bilbo’s confidence and skills grow through each hardship he overcomes, and by the end of the journey, he is a very different little hobbit. It is so fun to watch Jet absorb each twist and turn of the story with his curious mind and sharp ears.
This book is for everyone. It’s amazing.
(Rated PG, Score 10/10, illustrated hardback, audiobook read by Rob Inglis, 11:05)
3- The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
I don’t think I really understood what a Golem was before reading this book. I mean, I’d heard of them in the context of video games and stories, but hadn’t really understood them as they are described in this story. This is a historical fiction novel set in New York around the turn of the century. The Golem is a clay creature made with great skill to be the wife of a man migrating to New York. She is animated on the crossing to America. Her master dies, leaving her adrift and alone in New York. She is rescued and sheltered by an old rabbi. The Jinni is released from his lamp into a tinsmith’s shop, also in New York. The Jinni’s powers are greatly limited and his form is bound in the shape of a man by an iron shackle on his wrist. He cannot remember how he was bound. The Jinni is sheltered and protected by the tinsmith as he orients himself to the world thousands of years later than his memories. Of course, the two creatures meet. They each understand that the other is not human. It takes a while for them to build trust as they meet and walk the streets of New York at night. The two “monsters” explore the city side-by-side at night and during the day they work to blend in and not destroy the peace. All this comes apart when the Golem nearly kills a young man who has abused one of the Golem’s friends. The Jinni tries to save the situation, but the damage is done and the two separate and go their own ways. Fate pulls them back together in the form of Yehudah Schaalman, the Golem’s creator. Schaalman is desperately seeking the path to everlasting life, and on his journey, he has discovered many dark and mystic secrets. His ancient ancestor was the one who bound the Jinni, so he seeks Jinni out and tries to command the Jinni’s power. Together, the Jinni, the Golem, and an old blind man must face the sorcerer. I’ve neglected a lot of the color and emotion of the book in this summary. Wecker writes much about each character’s feelings and struggles. The interpersonal tensions and rhythms are the heart of this book. The fantastic natures of the characters are almost secondary to their emotions. Thanks, Lukie for the recommendation.
This book is for the treasure hunters, workers, and the lonely.
(Rated PG-13, Score 8/10, Audiobook read by George Guidall, 19:42)
2- Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Spensa (call-sign Spin) is a fighter, but she really wants to be a pilot. Growing up, she was judged and shunned as the daughter of a famous pilot who abandoned his friends in the biggest battle of their era. Spin gets the chance to test into pilot school at seventeen, but the Admiral stacks all the cards against her. Spensa defies the odds, the test, the Admiral, and the prejudices. The whole story is a series of closed doors, mishaps, and problems for the young pilot. Her defiance, will, and work ethic boost her from rat hunter to pilot. Along the way she is helped by a cranky old flight instructor, her flight classmates, and the crazy AI of a spaceship she discovers. Courage is a major theme of the book, along with loyalty, destiny, and questioning authority. I enjoyed the adventure, the descriptions of dog fighting, and the plot twists. There are more books in this series I am now hunting to see how the story continues. Also, I am trying to come up with my call sign. What would yours be? If you have one for me, shoot me a text or email. Jet and I are listening to this book together now and he’s fascinated.
This is for sci-fi readers, adventurers, and Top Gun fans.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Suzy Jackson, 15:28)
What is the best alibi to have if you are going to commit murder? What is the strongest emotion you can use against someone? Who are the real heroes working behind the scenes to keep our nation safe? These are some of the deep questions driving this complex thriller. The story is written in four parts- the setup, the backstory, the building tension, and the showdown. There are several good guy threads mixed with some bad guy threads. The bad guy, the Siason, is a Saudi extremist who seeks revenge for a publicly executed father by carrying out a biological attack on America (the far enemy), knowing an American collapse would eventually cripple the Saudi government. His weapon is a strain of smallpox created and weaponized to crash through current vaccines. The good guys discover the threat after it has already been tested on humans and struggle to hunt the terrorist who is acting alone and has covered his tracks well- he’s legally dead. The Americans send Pilgrim to Turkey to work a miracle and find the ghost who is threatening modern society. Pilgrim is a super spy acting as an FBI agent. His cover is to be investigating the death of a billionaire while also following leads and hunting the bio-terrorist. Can he find the Siason and stop the attack on America? I enjoyed the complexity of this book and the different viewpoints it gave me on some post-9/11 activities and threats. By the way, the answers to the questions above are, being dead, love, and we may never know who the real heroes are.
This book is for anyone looking for a crazy thriller.
(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Christopher Ragland, 22:41)
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