My 2017 Reading List: The Top 5

It’s that time again! The end of the year when I decide which books were my favorites read over the past 12 months. As always, some were published during this calendar year, while others were not. The list is comprised of both independent and traditionally published works, some well-known and others which need to find a readership.

Will you agree with my choices? Maybe, maybe not, but here they are, regardless:

5. The Art of Staying Dead by Joel Hames

If you like action, you won’t be disappointed with this one. Right from the start, the frenzy puts you in a state of panic, and as it’s told from the first person perspective, you the reader feel a part of it. You are Sam, (the protagonist), down but not completely out, though almost. I’m not sure who could have worse luck, but he did have some of it coming, at least what his life had turned into up until the first scene of the book. And what happened? Let’s just say a visit to a prison jump starts a series of events that keep putting Sam in more and more horrible positions. And since you ARE Sam, (or the one to whom he’s telling the story), you’re there too, nervous, scared, biting your nails or pulling your hair out, one or the other.

Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does, and you wonder how on earth this guy is going to get himself out of it—or will he? Who knows what kind of an ending it will have; the author certainly doesn’t give anything away (and as a reviewer, I won’t either).

The writing is personal, the action is practically constant, and there are enough bad guys to make you wonder if anyone is good at all. Oh, this one will keep you on your toes, that’s for sure! Excellent!

4. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Never in a million years would I have expected to love this book so much. Luckily, I hadn’t seen the movie beforehand because if I had, I never would have read the book. For me, the movie didn’t do the book justice. I’m sure the filmmakers did the best they could, but the book simply does not translate to the screen.

For one thing, the writing is exceptional. For another, the movie could not get inside the author’s thoughts, despite the effort to do just that. Forget her crazy, (some say hypocritical), personal life since writing the book, and forget her Oprah appearance or the complaints many critics have about her poor-little-rich-girl syndrome. Just read the book without bias if at all possible. It is a modern-day spiritual journey of a Western woman searching for happiness and the meaning of life.

3. Underskin: A Berlin-Tel Aviv Love Story by Orit Arfa

A book that makes you think. That’s what I’m always searching for, and I found it here. After reading and subsequently ranting and raving about Arfa’s first novel, The Settler, I was anxious to see what she’d come up with next. And this one is certainly intriguing.

This book has it all: politics, religion, history and culture, all wrapped up in an entertaining love story about two people, trying to figure things out.

Honestly, the erotica is not my cup of tea, especially the type of sex in certain scenes, although the context is not lost on me. Also, this is what will draw many who otherwise would never read something like this, and they might learn something in the process. In that case, I’m all for it. This is exactly the method I use in my own writing, the mixing of entertainment with real issues, either religious or political or both.

As a half-and-half myself, that is, German and Jewish, this book was powerful for me. It dredged up a lot of emotions from my own inner-conflict, my family of Semites and anti-Semites. That’s not meant to be a stereotype because of course, there are people from all walks of life, biases, sensitivities, hatreds and loves in every ethnic group. However, from a personal standpoint, this book really hit home. I have relatives who escaped Russian pogroms as well as relatives who lived in Germany during Hitler’s time. The Holocaust was a constant theme in my household. As such, I feel very connected to this story of the Israeli Nilly, the German Sebastian, and their evolution.

Funny in parts, sexy, but above all, intelligent. Highly recommend.

2. The Birds Began to Sing by Simon Dillon

This author amazes me more with every book I read. Love vs. Honour covers a subject matter that greatly interests me, and I do normally prefer romance to be honest. Having read the love story, I wanted to read more by the same author, and his other books have made me realize I do enjoy a good thriller! Children of the Folded Valley, while full of action, really tugged at my heartstrings. The Thistlewood Curse was more along the lines of this book—dark, mysterious, suspenseful and also full of action. Yet at the same time, the two books are completely different.

The Birds Began to Sing is a book of discovery, for both the protagonist, Alice, and the reader. I kept guessing, thinking up various theories but never really sure which one would solve the mystery. As it turned out, none of my ideas were right! But after the mystery is solved, the discovery continues as it hits you what this meant and that meant, the subtle hints here and there, and the reason why the author chose certain names and symbols and what the title means beyond the simple surface explanation. You could read it at face value and be thoroughly entertained, but you could also sit and think about it all.

And as usual in Dillon’s work, there is the fight between good and evil, well-written and exhilarating at the climax. What a magical work of art! You’re really missing out if you don’t read this one.

1. The Wild Water Series by Jan Ruth

Jan Ruth is a phenomenal writer. Tension? Check. Protagonists you love, like, understand and/or can identify with? Yup. Villains to hate? They’re in there! Realistic plots against a dreamy backdrop? Absolutely! There is the right balance of realism and drama with some sprinkles of humor mixed into every book.

This series is about life: the push and pull of relationships, divorce, deceit, mistakes, and how to go on when your world crashes down around you. Jack, the main character, is thrown into horrific circumstances again and again, sometimes of his own making and other times through no fault of his own, and the author has you on edge over the course of each book, wondering, hoping that everything will work out. Will he come out smelling like a rose, or will he crash and burn? You just have to read it to find out!

Highly, highly recommend!

Honorable Mentions:

To Jerusalem and Back by Saul Bellow

The players’ names have changed since the 1970s, but the politics and the games are pretty much the same. You could read this account of Jerusalem from over 40 years ago and think you were reading about Abbas, Netanyahu and today’s Western leaders.

Crossing the Water by Sylvia Plath

This one’s been on my bookshelf for over two decades, probably closer to three by now, and I’ve read it numerous times, especially my favorite poems. However, this year I went back through the entire book again (only 56 pages), and it reminded me of why I love Sylvia Plath’s work so much. She has always been an inspiration for my own poetry. Too bad she ended her life early.

The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey by Edward Hoffman

A historical and spiritual analysis of each Hebrew letter and which to focus on in meditation depending on the theme. I never knew how complex, profound and religiously significant the letters themselves were. This is an excellent reference book to keep on hand.

Hollywood Husbands by Jackie Collins

I had never read Jackie Collins, thinking it wasn’t my cup of tea. This was on sale, and I thought I’d give it a shot. Her books were insanely popular after all. It turns out, I loved it! The author painted quite a picture of 80s Hollywood, sex-crazed, shallow, cut-throat and narcissistic (probably no different today), but it was her storytelling I really admired. At first she throws out puzzle pieces, and gradually the pieces come together. And as for the mystery of the mid-Western girl, Collins kept me guessing until the end. It’s rare an author can surprise me, but this one absolutely did! If the subject matter is shallow, the writing is full of depth and complexities. Now I understand the appeal of Jackie Collins.

The Love Dog by Elsa Watson

This is a sweet romance, a somewhat “fluffy” read 😉, but it was so darn cute!

Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul: Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Writers

You might think of the Chicken Soup series as sappy or corny, but this book is truly inspirational for writers, especially if you’re feeling down about the difficulty of this business. There are so many wonderful stories of famous authors who struggled for years before they finally made it: countless rejection letters, books they never published… If you’re depressed and ready to give up, read this uplifting book! You will surely find it more valuable than any #MondayMotivation, #WednesdayWisdom, or Rumi quote memes on social media.

So there you have it, my annual list. Subscribe to my blog to read future book reviews and posts on writing; meaty articles on religion, culture, politics, etc.; information on my upcoming books; and more!

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D.M. Miller is the author of the interfaith “Heart” series as well as the poetry collection, Dandelion Fuzz and the memoir, Half-Jew: Searching for Identity. The product of an interfaith marriage herself, Miller’s work explores the difficult themes of religion, politics, ethnicity, culture, family, ancestry and love. See her books on Amazon.