When it comes to choosing my best books it always comes down to story – what gets me thinking, keeps resonating, encourages me to share continually, and sometimes gets my heart racing. 2019’s top ten reads do just that. Enjoy!
1. Macfarlane, Robert (2019). Underland: A Deep Time Journey. A truly epic human journey into ‘deep time’, exploring the world beneath our feet. July 2019 Picks.
2. Hochschild, Arlie Russell (2016) Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning of the American Right. A thought-provoking narrative deep in arch-conservative Louisiana bayou country, with ardent defenders of free market capitalism amidst a degraded environment. August 2019 Picks.
3. Orlean, Susan (2019) The Library Book. An extraordinary homage to books and public libraries and an examination of the unsolved mystery of America’s largest library disaster. June 2019 Picks.
4. Koch, Herman (2019) The Ditch. A slick, dark and often amusing story of a popular second-term Dutch mayor whose life is spinning out of control. July 2019 Picks.
5. O’Connor, M.R. (2019) Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate the World. A fascinating look at the loss our spatial orientation whilst indigenous peoples can still navigate their environment. June 2019 Picks.
6. Fifield, Anna (2019) The Great Successor: The Secret Rise and Rule of Kim Jong Un. An extensively-researched study of this third-generation dictator – the myth, propaganda, farce, horror and ultimate power in one of the world’s most secretive regimes. July 2019 Picks.
7. Patchett, Ann (2019) The Dutch House. A poignant tale of grief, betrayal and the indelible bonds family, place and time have on our whole lives. November 2019 Picks.
8. Hammer, Chris (2019) Silver. This epic Aussie crime thriller about Martin Scarsden’s (Scrublands) hometown return draws you in from the first page. September-October 2019 Picks.
9. Bailey, Sarah (2019) Where the Dead Go. A riveting multi-layered police procedural featuring DS Gemma Woodstock, in her third outing. August 2019 Picks.
10. Kingsolver, Barbara (2018) Unsheltered. A challenging tale of changing societal norms, juxtapositioning the Christian utopian dream of post-Civil War Vineland against the stagnating backwater of the Trump era. January 2019 Picks.
7:30 Bookclub 