My 7 Favorite Books read in 2017

In 2017 I was a lot more purposeful about reading. Actually, one of my goals for the year to read and write more. I failed at my goal of writing a lot. However, I can say 2017 was the year I read more books than any other in recent memory. Here are some of my highlights from a year in books.

Scouting For Boys

I wrote quite a lot about this in an earlier post. Reading what is essentially the original boy scout manual is a lot of fun. It has a lot of practical camping, hiking and tracking instructions as well as a whole lot of scouty chivalry and yarns by Lord Baden Powell.

It

I’m not much for horror books or horror movies or horrible musicals (maybe horror musicals). But It is just about one of the greatest novels I have ever read if not the longest. The characters and setting King created are extremely believable, especially thanks to the “Derry Interludes” which document the sordid history of the fictional Maine town. It’s an excellent book which I should probably write a whole detailed review about this book, there is a lot going on in this tome. 

There is one pointless and disturbing scene which was so pointless and disturbing it almost ruined the whole book for me. In a novel full of kids being murdered and horrible hate crimes, the scene that bothers me the most does not fall into either of these categories.   I'm sure that says something about myself that'd I'd rather not.

A People's History of the United States

This is another book I wrote about earlier last year. If you want to read all the gory details of the history of the United States that doesn’t hold back any punches on typically idolized patriots, then this is the book for you.

Saving Capitalism

In Saving Capitalism, former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich lays out what he sees wrong with the economic system in the United States.  Capitalism in itself is not the issue with our society (unlike what many socialists will argue).  Capitalism cannot exist without a functioning government (unlike what many libertarians will argue).   However, many of the functions of government in the United States which promote a healthy and fair market have been distorted to support large corporations and the super rich. In particular he picks on CEO pay, copyright laws, bailouts and several other very specific and general examples. 

By the end of the book, he joins many futurists in saying that we need to establish a minimum guaranteed income for all people if we continue heading down a road towards automation and a continued reduce need for unskilled labor.  A less than optimistic outlook, considering a guaranteed minimum income is quite possibly the most politically impossible thing I've ever heard of.  None the less this is a good book primarily for the historic background and Reich's personal views on these issues.

The Blue Zones

My Great Grandpa Otto was a centenarian. Though I never met him, ever since I heard about this as a little kid I’ve had a goal to live to 100 (though many of my lifestyle choices would likely lead you to believe otherwise). “Blue Zones” are areas of the globe with higher than average life expectancy. Specifically the percentage of people living past 100 is much higher in these areas. The Blue Zones paints a portrait of several of these areas in an attempt glean some insight into what makes these people and cultures so prone to long life. The last section of the book is an attempt at a guide to living longer and includes several practical suggestions. It’s an interesting read for sure even if its advice for fitness are a little boring.  This book has lead to several "projects" including one in The Dalles.

Walden

Henry David Thoreau’s classic existentialist work is worth reading for more than just the argument that "walking is much more economical than taking the train" or that "if cows can live off of grass so can humans". Thoreau writes about a myriad of subjects on life from nature and neighbors to the need to read ancient texts in their original language. Something that struck me as most interesting about Walden was just how often Thoreau uses Latin or makes some obscure reference to Greek mythology and expects his reader to fully understand without translation or explanation. People in the 19th century definitely must have been differently educated than people in the 21st. Keep a dictionary and encyclopedia handy if you’re going to tackle this one. 

The Little Prince

This was a read aloud book I did with my two older girls. Mostly because Lucy had watched the movie on Netflix and developed a short-lived obsession with the story. It’s a nice short “children's’” book about love, imagination, interplanetary travel, flowers and “grown ups.” It’s short, weird and whimsical. My kids actually enjoyed reading The Little Prince, it’s one of the few longer (more than one bed time) books we’ve been able to finish reading aloud so this get’s the “read aloud book of the year” in my book.



What are some of your favorite books you read last year?