I read a lot this year (again!) although I am fussier about the standard of writing of all books that I read. I don’t  automatically read books because they are on a best seller list. I look for books that are recommended by authors I enjoy reading or books recommended by people who have similar interest / tastes. I look for books that are recommended by literary websites and also authors who are invited to our local literary festivals particularly the Open Book Festival. As I mentioned in my best books blog last year I like to find books serendipitously!

In general fiction I am interested in stories and experiences that are different from mine. The same could be said for the non-fiction that I read. For entertainment I read crime novels. And of course I read poetry.

The books that I read this year were published between 1979 and 2017.

This year I deliberately tried NOT to read male writers. Only 20% of the books that I read were written by men.

Best Fiction

• Sjon – Blue Fox
• Noy Holland – Bird

Best Non-Fiction

• Eula Biss – Notes from No-man’s Land.

Best Poetry Collections

• Pascale Petit – Mama Amazonica
• Kim Addonizio – Mortal Trash

There were so many other great books that I read in 2017 that it seems a pity to single these out but most of the books I read can be found on my Goodreads profile.