The only reason I read the book that’s my favorite from the last 12 months is because I asked this question of a friend: What’s the best book you’ve read in the past 12 months?
Mine is the same as my friend’s: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. How 'bout y’all?
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.
With love from the poster voted as having the "Most Confusing Username"
“If I had to live your life, I’d be begging to have someone pop out both my eyes. Just in case I came across a mirror.” - android209 (in the Pit) Zettecity
Voted “Most Empathetic”- can you believe that?
The best book I’ve read in the past six months was, without a doubt, The Thief; Autobiography of Wayne Burke. It made a big impression on me, because this guy was quite a character. The actual writer was Ted Thackeray, and I think he did a marvelous job with Burke’s particular idiom. Burke was a California redneck, crude and boisterous, but he happened to be a skilled and professional heist man.
Re-read actually. Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things, by George Lakoff. I learned something the first time I read it (several years ago) but this time I was really impressed. Some of us are slow learners, I guess.
“I’ll tell him but I don’t think he’ll be very keen. He’s already got one, you see!”
Okay, it’s an umpteenth re-read, but The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Purest craft and artistry keep it at the top. A tour de force that WAY transcends genre limitations–and time.
(Not to diss the OP, but I loved The Poisonwood Bible for the scope forgave the flaws; and a few zillion other loved and internalized titles…)
BTW, I love these topics! Fellow Dopers have steered me to some fabulous books…many thanks!
But if you extended it to the last three years, I’d definitely agree with Elbows3. The Divine Secrets is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Just curious… any chance you’ve read Little Altars Everywhere? It’s not as great as TDS… but I enjoyed the opportunity to spend more time with these characters.
Liv
“I swear I could write a book about all the things no one’s ever thanked me for.”
“Life is not a book. You can’t just set it down on the coffee table and walk away from it when it gets boring or you get tired.”
