the bookshelf
A look at the standout books published in 2017
Fiction
Origin by Dan Brown
Massively popular (and just as controversial) writer Dan Brown has become a household name around the globe on the back of the success of his Robert Langdon books. The Da Vinci Code (2003) – the second instalment in the series – remains one of the world’s best-selling novels. This year, the American author sent his most famous character on his fifth adventure in Origin, a mystery set in Spain that revolves around the death of one of Langdon’s former students turned famous futurist who was about to reveal a secret that would have changed science and religion forever.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Three years after making a splash with her bestselling debut novel Everything I Never Told You (2014), Chinese-American author Celeste Ng published her second novel, Little Fires Everywhere, in 2017 to much critical praise. The story is centred on two families in the author’s hometown Shaker Heights, Ohio, where a custody battle over an adopted Chinese-American baby divides the neighbourhood.
Beartown: A Novel by Fredrik Backman
A Man Called Ove (2012) put Swedish writer Fredrik Backman on the literary map when it was published in English in 2013. His recent new offering was Beartown, an absorbing look at a small, ailing community that rests all its hopes on its junior ice hockey team winning a national tournament, but is left in shock as a scandal leaves the town in turmoil.
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Zimbabwe-born British author Paula Hawkins’ psychological thriller The Girl on the Train (2015) became the fastest-selling adult novel in history nearly two years ago. Her sixth novel, Into the Water, came out in 2017, and offered another dose of psychological suspense, as the death of a woman – whose body was found in the river – forces her sister to return to the place she had escaped and brings up old memories and secrets.
Artemis by Andy Weir
After dazzling us Earthlings with his novel about an astronaut stranded on Mars, sci-fi author Andy Weir took us to the Moon this year in Artemis, the story of a smuggler caught up in a conspiracy for control of a lunar colony, once again blending his science smarts with his wisecracking humour to produce another witty near-future thriller. The book is currently in the process of being turned into a movie, with the amazing Phil Lord and Christopher Miller developing and directing the project.
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
The long-awaited seventh novel by The Fault in Our Stars (2012) writer John Green, titled Turtles All the Way Down, came out in 2017, and told the tale of a high school student who has multiple anxiety disorders and ends up searching for a fugitive billionaire. A film adaptation for this book is also in development.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
A pair of young immigrants, displaced from their war ravaged country, went through magical doors while trying to find a place for themselves in the world in Exit West, Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid’s latest work, a treatise on the global refugee problem that generated much international interest for both the writer and his fourth novel. And – yes, you guessed it – this book will also head to the big screen soon, with Norwegian filmmaker Morten Tyldum attached to the project as the director.
Non-fiction
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
This year, Walter Isaacson – who has previously written several biographical bestsellers, including Einstein (2007) and Steve Jobs (2011) – turned his attention to one of the most fascinating polymaths of all time: Leonardo da Vinci. The book presents a very thorough look at the life and work of the Italian creative genius who came up with ideas that seemed way ahead of his time and produced some of the most famous paintings in history.
What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
As the world tries to come to terms with Donald Trump’s electoral win and subsequent presidency, his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton gave her account of the presidential race and how it panned out in her new book, What Happened. Divided into six main parts – ‘Perseverance’, ‘Competition’, ‘Sisterhood’, ‘Idealism and Realism’, ‘Frustration’, and ‘Resilience’ – What Happened shares the former first lady’s experience of the American presidential campaign and her analysis of why she lost the election.
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
The incomparable Neil deGrasse Tyson gave us a crash course in astrophysics in his latest book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. The bestseller made complex scientific concepts accessible to the layman, and sheds light on the mysteries of the universe, covering topics like the nature of space and time in witty, insightful, and easy-to-grasp chapters.
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly
From March 2015 to March 2016, American astronaut Scott Kelly spent 342 consecutive days in space. The mission was part of a scientific research project aboard the International Space Station meant to study the health effects of long-term spaceflight, with changes in his body studied against his identical twin brother, former astronaut Mark Kelly, who stayed on Earth. He detailed his space adventure in the riveting memoir Endurance, a fascinating account of a very unusual experience.
Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece by Stephen Fry
British national treasure Stephen Fry beautifully retold old Greek myths in his 2017 book Mythos, an entertaining and knowledgeable take on the ancient world and how it sheds light on our own times. The writer has used his smarts and wit to recap the adventures of Greek figures, gods, and goddesses, like Apollo, Aphrodite, Hades, Hercules, and Pandora, retelling their tales for modern times.
Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
What will the world be like in the future? No one really knows for sure, but that has never stopped many of us from trying to predict how things will go. That’s exactly what Kelly and Zach Weinersmith have done in Soonish. Putting together their intelligence and humour, the couple explored ten new technologies in their 2017 tome while predicting the impact these emerging fields could have on the world.
- S.A.
Us Magazine, The News - 22nd December, 2017 *
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