18 thoughts on “FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2017

  1. Steve Oerkfitz

    Haven’t read any of those. Have read most of the Hammett in other editions. My favorites would have to be Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly, The Force by Don Winslow, New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson and Prussian Blue by Philip Kerr. Haven’t read much non-fiction this year.

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  2. Jeff Meyerson

    I liked PAPERBACKS FROM HELL too, and even though I did not read the Continental Op collection, I’ve read all the books and stories.

    I haven’t checked the list yet, but like Steve I’d have Connelly at the top of the favorites list – TWO KINDS OF TRUTH and THE LATE SHOW are the two that immediately come to mind.

    Non fiction – SHalom Auslander’s FORESKIN’S LAMENT: A Memoir made me laugh. I also liked Ann Hood’s MORNINGSTAR: GROWING UP WITH BOOKS.

    Some of the fiction:

    Jodi Taylor – JUST ONE DAMNED THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Jane Harper – THE DRY
    Richard Bradford – RED SKY AT MORNING
    Joseph Haywood – HIGHER GROUND (ss)
    Philip Roth – NEMESIS
    Edward D. Hoch – ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE (ss)
    Marcus Sakey – AFTERLIFE
    Craig Johnson – THE WESTERN STAR
    Darryl Ponicsan – THE LAST DETAIL and LAST FLAG FLYING

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  3. Patti Abbott

    The Dry (Harper), In a Lonely Place (Hughes), The Marsh King’s Daughter (Dionne), The Secrets They Keep (Robotham), Give Me Your Hand (Abbott), Sunburn (Lippman), Hunger (Gay) Hillbilly Elegy (Vance).

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  4. Rick Robinson

    TRAVELS WITH CHARLIE (Steinbeck), CANOEING WITH THE CREE (Reasoner), DISH SERVED COLD (Johnson), ANOTHER MAN’S MOCCASINS (Johnson), MORNINGSTAR: GROWING UP WITH BOOKS (Hood), HOLMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS (Ed. by Perry – reread), THE RED NOTEBOOK (Laurain), IN THE LABYRINTH OF DRAKES (Brennan), AVENGERS OF THE MOON (Steele). That last one may have been 2016, not sure. I read a bunch of other stuff, of course, but those stick in my mind right now.

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  5. Kent Morgan

    The Force by Don Winslow was the only novel to receive four stars from me this year. As for authors I read for the first time, Before the Fall by Noah Hawley and The Homeplace by Kevin Wolf rated *** 1/2 stars. I also read Peter Robinsson for the first time this year and don’t know why I waited so long. As for non-fiction Draft #4 by John McPhee and Terror in the City of Champions by Tom Stanton were the best along with an older book titled In Search of Willie Morris by Larry L. King.

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    1. george Post author

      Kent, what an excellent list of books! THE FORCE garnered rave reviews. I’ve read several Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks mysteries and liked them. You can’t go wrong with John McPhee!

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  6. Jim Harris

    I’ve already started Wild Things, and that Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums sounds like it right up my alley. I keep seeing references to Paperbacks from Hell that make me want to read it even though I’m not a fan of horror. And I used to read Hammett. We have a lot of overlapping interests.

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    1. george Post author

      Jim, I really enjoy your blog because you and I share similar reading interests (and attitudes!). I highly recommend PAPERBACKS FROM HELL. Great covers, great commentary! And THE BIG BOOK OF THE CONTINENTAL OP collects all of Hammett’s wonderful stories in that series. Marvelous book!

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