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Ten Best Reads in the First Half of 2016

Ten Best Reads in the First Half of 2016

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Best Reads in First Half of 2016

The list includes the best books read till June, 2016. This is a super late list, but better late than never.

 

1. RUBY by Cynthia Bond

Ephram is on his way to Ruby’s hut with an angel cake. To the town folks she is a mad, possessed woman; to him she is the same girl he fell in love with as a boy. As the church, people and haunted spirits try to dissuade him from the journey, read what keeps him going.

Ruby is one of the most powerful contemporary books that I have come across. I was enthralled by the prose as well as the unapologetic way in which Bond handled the different themes of the novel. This is a brilliant debut and a must read. Ruby is an Oprah club read as well as in the Bailey’s prize shortlist of 2016.

Warning : There is quite a bit of abuse – sexual, child and mental.

 

Read : Ruby by Cynthia Bond — Madness and Magic in An Ethereal Love Story

 

Book review Ruby by Cynthia Bond
Ruby by Cynthia Bond

 

2. SOMEONE AT A DISTANCE by Dorothy Whipple

Someone at a Distance is the story of an ordinary family torn apart by the entry of a French woman named Louise. It is the story of trust, love and family bonds. Whipple is a genius at drawing the reader  to the short sightedness and trusting nature of the wife and the manipulative mind of the ‘other woman’. I loved how Whipple could wreck the emotions of the reader.

 

Read : Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple is a heart wrenching tale of choices, a marriage and two women

 

3. THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE by Haruki Murakami

A man’s ordinary life, spent cooking, reading, listening to jazz  and drinking beer at the kitchen table, turns strangely  interesting as he embarks on a bizarre journey, guided  by various characters, each with a peculiar story. Disappearing cats, visits by psychic women in dreams and a dried up well in a cursed plot of land – this book has it all.

I immediately fell in love with Murakami on reading this. I enjoyed how Murakami is able to keep the reader captivated even when nothing makes sense. Normally I dislike huge books and try to avoid them. But this one kept me glued to itself. You can read my review of the book here.

 

Someone at a distance by Dorothy Whipple
Someone at a distance by Dorothy Whipple

 

4. A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness

A monster visits a boy seven minutes after midnight, offering to tell him stories. Connor has problems of his own – he is bullied at school, his mother has tumour and his dad is in America being part of another family. Does he need the monster in addition to all this?

When I started this book, I did not realise I would be so taken aback by the fast narrative and lucid story telling. A majority of the readers who read this book have shed tears at the end. That includes me as well. No doubt, this is an amazing read.

 

Read : A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness – Heartbreaking and “un-put-down-able”

 

 

Book Review : A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

 

5. FABLES : 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL by Bill Willingham

Snow White, an ambassador from Fabletown, visits the Sultan to get his help in defeating the enemy. She tells him stories in order to save her life – Seven dwarfs take pleasure in indulging in unforgivable offences. Until a girl determined to re-write their fate comes forth. A big bad wolf is born to the North wind and a wolf. He grows up to “huff and puff” the pig’s house. A tribal girl amasses powers of witchcraft. And so on, each fairy tale capsuled in a new story. I LOVED this read. The art was beautiful and each chapter was illustrated by a different artist. This book would be suitable for a mature audience, not children.

 

Read : Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham – The Most Beautiful Book

 

6. THE HEART GOES LAST by Margaret Atwood

A couple sign up for a social experiment project whereby they can live in luxury for a month, the only condition being that the next month they have to stay in a prison while another couple called their Alternates take their place and live in their house. Each month the two couples repeat the house-prison-house schedule. But what happens to the marriage when they develop feelings towards their Alternates?

I really enjoyed this book. It is set in a dystopian world that is eerily realistic. It is a perfect book for readers with evil, twisted minds. The climax is brilliant. Those who love dark reads might want to give this one a try.

 

Read : Book Review: The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (this one’s too good to skip)

 

Book Review: The heart goes last by Margaret Atwood
The heart goes last by Margaret Atwood

 

7. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf

I had a tough time choosing which was my better read by Woolf this year, Orlando or To TheLighthouse. I enjoyed both immensely and equally. Orlando is easier to get into and the prose is beautiful. However I loved the themes that Woolf plays around in To the Lighthouse. It was nice to experience the characteristic ‘stream of consciousness’ style of Woolf.

The book is a very realistic one. It talks about the brevity of life, the change in our thought process as we age and the battle between the intellectual and the creative mind. Most importantly, the book talks about the relationship between an artist and art.

 

8. MR. FOX by Helen Oyeyemi

A writer loves killing off the heroines in his books. He is married to a Daphne Fox and things are going fine until his imaginary muse, Mary Foxe, enters the scene. Mary tries to change the course of his stories  by transforming him (and wife) from author into subject and thus unfolding a different story. Meanwhile Daphne suspects her husband is having an affair. And then Daphne and Mary meet each other face-to-face.

It took me a while to get into Mr. Fox.  The narrative is a highly unusual one. The author and muse keep interchanging roles and there are many stories within the main story. This isn’t a book for everyone.

 

Read : Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi : Prerequisites and After Effects.

 

Book Review : Mr Fox by Helen Oyeyemi
Mr Fox by Helen Oyeyemi

 

9. SOUTH RIDING by Winifred Holtby

South Riding is a sprawling portrait of provincial life in England between the wars. The book deviates from the strict structure of a novel and branches out into chapters dealing with the life of different country folks. It is the story of a neighbourhood in a nutshell.

I have a particular liking to things associated with Yorkshire. And I included South Riding immediately to the list after I read it. It is a lovely slow paced read about English country life. It has many sections with  references to traditionalism, modernism, local government etc to name a few. The writing steals your heart with the innovative adjectives used.
Read : South Riding by Winifred Holtby – Old Yorkshire life and Reforms

 

South Riding by Winifred Holtby
South Riding by Winifred Holtby

 

10. ONE PAIR OF HANDS by Monica Dickens

If you love silly things, tea times, trivial things of life or a good book this is the one for you. Monica Dickens is full of humour and wit that I found myself closing the book and slapping my forehead in exasperation more than once. Chuckle, grin, loud laughter, slap-the-thigh-laugh, roaring laughter and smiles – this book made me experience them all.

Much unlike the serious Charles Dickens, her great grandfather, Monica is bubbly as she takes us through the ‘upstairs downstairs life of 1930s’. I loved this read and will be putting a review soon.

View Comments (46)
  • I have bought Mr Fox and brouhgt it with me to Europe. Haven’t started it yet. Might buy snowwhite if i stumble by rhe right bookstore tomorrow. Be good. (Or bad)

    • The narrative of Mr. Fox is highly non linear and deviates from the normal style of a story. I hope you will enjoy the read.

  • I’m reading A Monster Calls right now and I’m burning through it despite only reading like 20 minutes every day. I adore Patrick Ness and I’m completely into it, I was absolutely spurned to get going on it by your review. And The Heart Goes Last is still on my TBR, I feel like a horrible Atwood fan and Canadian in general every time I read something else. Fantastic list!

    • Thank you. I am glad you are enjoying Ness. It is an amazing read. I have heard The Heart Goes Last is not her best work. But this is the only Atwood I have read.

  • Wow, this is a lovely selection of books! Love the sound of Margaret Atwood’s novel and Mr Fox. You’ve made me want to reread Woolf again too! Great post, thank you.

    • I enjoyed Atwood and Mr. Fox. Hope you enjoy them too if you pick them up. I must warn you that Mr. Fox wouldn’t appeal to everyone.

      Thank you for visiting.

    • Good resolution. I read Woolf for the first time this year. If you want to start Woolf try either Orlando (easy to understand, beautiful prose) or To the Lighthouse ( might get lost in the text, characteristic Woolf style).

    • I have not read many books by Atwood. So far The Heart Goes last is my first and only Atwood. I did hear similar opinions about how good she was in her earlier novels. I must fish them out and read and see. South Riding is a wonderful novel indeed. Usually slow paced ones have a tendency of making me feel bored, but this one was a really good read.

  • Great list! I’m ashamed to say I’ve only read the Murakami one on this list (and that one drove me mad, I’m much more of a Norweigan Wood fan myself) A Monster Calls sounds fantastic though, especially if it’s a tear-jerker! To The Lighthouse has been on my TBR list for ages, your review my just kickstart me into finally reading it.

    • I know that many readers are fans of NW. I fall in the minority. Hope you got some recommendations to add to your TBR.
      Thank you for visiting. 🙂

  • I just recently purchased the audible edition of The Heart Goes Last, and I’m so glad it’s been one of your favorites this year! I’ve only read Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, so looking forward to a new one.

    • I hope you will enjoy the read. It is a dark story. SO I guess the audio version would feel more dark. And I am reading The Handmaid’s tale this month. How great is that?

  • Glad to see Ruby at the top for optimal exposure! 😀 I haven’t bought any new books over the last couple of weeks because I’m trying to save money, but I may be able to afford Ruby later this month. As I’ve said before, you will be the first to know, Resh!

    It seems I have been following your blog diligently over the last few months because I have read your reviews for a lot of these books. Some of these are very recent too. You have read so many amazing books this year, and I’m so glad for you. I want all readers to be happy. 🙂

    • Haha. I hope you will enjoy Ruby as well Naz. And thank you! You know how I never review a book as soon as I read it. SO when I looked at my reading list to make a list of fav reads I realised I hadn’t reviewed any. So I picked a few and reviewed them in July which is why you feel many reviews are recent. 🙂

      I shouldn’t make the same mistake next time. At least the great reads I should review soon enough. 🙂

    • Both are excellent and very different in their writing styles. South Riding is slow paced with beautuful phrases here and there. Ruby is poetic prose throughout with dark themes.

  • Love the colours in that photo! And I totally agree with A Monster Calls. What a wonderful books.

  • Someone at a Distance is on my favourites of this year as well and A Monster Calls made it as well back in 2014. I haven’t read any Monica Dickens though I own Mariana and I wanna read that one so badly. Oh, and I ordered Ruby after reading your review and it came in the mail this past Friday. I think I’m gonna take it with me during my holidays 🙂

    • I hope you will enjoy Ruby when you read it. And I hope it wont spoil your holiday because of the topics in the book. A monster calls was a delight to read. I have heard Mariana is an excellent read as well

  • Fantastic post, Resh Susan! I have to confess that I’ve never read any Virginia Woolf, but I’ll certainly be adding To the Lighthouse to my TBR pile. And I’ve heard so many fantastic things about Ruby; I’ll have to include that one as well. 🙂

    • I hope you will enjoy Woolf. Though I must warn you that it might eat up your head at times. Ruby is a great read as well, disturbing but well written. 🙂

  • Oooh so many of these are on my tbr and it’s your fault! Especially Ruby, you made it sound irresistible! Have heard so much about A Monster Calls, I really need to get to it. Do you think it would work well as audio? Also I totally need to get my list posted before it’s time for the end of year faves

    • I think A monster calls might be better as a printed book with illustrations than an audio. It is fast paced. So will get over very soon, dont worry. I hope you will pick up Ruby as well

  • I had to see the first list as well. 🙂
    Two books I loved are on it – To the Lighthouse and A Monster Calls.
    And one I have high hopes for – Someone at a Distance.
    Two great lists – I love lists. I saw you’ve done a few other posts with lists. I’ll hope to look at them soon.

    • Thank you Caroline. I hope you will enjoy the lists when you look through them. I adored Someone at a distance. In the beginning I thought it was just an okay-read. But later on the novel transformed into a touching read. I was so emotional when I read it. I hope you will love it too.

      A Monster calls was a nice surprise for me. I expected it to be a middle grade read that won’t impress me. But I was genuinely surprised.

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