The State of the Art: Books 2017

Every year, I bemoan the fact that I haven't read more. But then, I also bemoan the fact that I haven't seen more quality movies, played more well-regarded games, and listened to more acclaimed music. I'm only one man! I still managed to find some great books this year. The resolution to read more books by minority authors continues to pay off, as my favorite of the year was No One Can Pronounce My Name, by Rakesh Satyal. It primarily follows two very different Indian immigrants to a suburb of Cleveland. Harit is a lonely man who tries to care for his grieving mother in his own sad, strange way, while simultaneously terrified of forging any relationships of his own. Ranjana is dealing with a distant husband and recently empty nest, and takes refuge in her writing group, though she still has trouble assimilating to American culture. When the two of them meet, they begin to change each other in remarkable, yet subtle ways, and the result is a really terrific novel.

Here's the full 2017 ranking:

No One Can Pronounce My Name - Rakesh Satyal (2017) (A)
Man at the Helm - Nina Stibbe (2014) (A-)
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President - Candice Millard (2011) (A-)
Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell (2013) (A-)

The Wangs Vs. The World - Jade Chang (2016) (B+)
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States - Sarah Vowell (2015) (B+)
The Versions of Us - Laura Barnett (2016) (B+)
Scrappy Little Nobody - Anna Kendrick (2016) (B+)

Morning Star - Pierce Brown (2016) (B)
What Happened - Hillary Rodham Clinton (2017) (B)
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin (1969) (B)
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body - Roxane Gay (2017) (B)
Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman (2017) (B)
The Search for Delicious - Natalie Babbitt (1969) (B)
The Girls - Emma Cline (2016) (B)

Hissing Cousins: The Untold Story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth - Marc Peyser, Timothy Dwyer (2015) (B-)
Crashed - Timothy Hallinan (2012) (B-)
The Crooked House - Christobel Kent (2015) (B-)
Stay Up With Me - Tom Barbash (2013) (B-)
Summerlong - Dean Bakopoulos (2015) (B-)

Library of Souls - Ransom Riggs (2015) (C+)
Make Your Home Among Strangers - Jennine Capó Crucet (2015) (C)