View source for Three Steps Off the Beaten Path: December

Author: [[Asandra al'Terra]]
<br><br>
[[file:TVT 5-2015 header-4.jpg]]<!--http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd404/TVTImages/2015%20January/2015%20April-August/fzHlGZu.jpg-->
<br><br>

Dear Tar Valon:<br>

Somehow, unbelievably, December is upon us. At the time of writing, it’s only just starting to feel like winter in New York City: after a number of unbelievably warm days, there’s a nip in the air that wakes you up a little more in the morning, and makes you hurry home a little bit faster in the evening.<br>

Everyone says this at the close of a year, but it really is hard to fathom that there’s only a month separating us from a brand new year. As students gear up for final exams and many cultures make preparations for various holidays, time will only go faster.<br>

So, how should we welcome the onslaught of family, exams, final assignments, and the New Year? By reading in the corner would be my response.<br>

Instead of following a specific theme for this edition of Three Steps – my last for a little while – I’m going to present you with a selfish list: three of my favourite books from this year. They all fit the theme of this column, and not on purpose.<br>

=Three Steps off the Beaten Path: December 2015=
==“Favourite Things” Edition==

====<u>And the Birds Rained Down – Jocelyne Saucier</u>====
(Female | White | Canada | ? | 5*)<br> 

I wrote about this book last month, but there is next to no chance that I will read a better book before the year is out, so I’m happy to give Favourite Read of 2015 to this one. From last month:<br>

''Originally written in French (well, Quebecois), And the Birds Rained Down follows a photographer creating a project about survivors of the great fires of Ontario in the early 20th century. This book was beautifully written, and it made me nostalgic for something I couldn’t recognize. It’s a short book, clocking in at around 120 pages, but each page is heartwrenching, and I often had to stop to breathe in the beauty of what I’d just read. It’s heartbreaking, but in a strangely uplifting way. I highly recommend it – it is, arguably, my favourite book that I’ve read this year.''<br>

====<u>Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson</u>====
(Male | POC | USA | ? | 5*)<br>

Just Mercy is a non-fiction book about a lawyer’s experiences working with inmates on death row. It’s a harrowing look not just at helping people who were falsely convicted live to see another day – or as many days as possible, if the author can help it – but how racism and prejudice are intertwined with the American justice system. Next to ''The New Jim Crow'' and ''Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America'', this book is an excellent and heartbreaking way to familiarize yourself with an incredibly broken system.<br>

====<u>Out – Natsuo Kirino</u>====
(Female | POC | Japan | ? | 5*)<br> 

I’ve also written about this book before, and it’s one of the most fun (and disturbing) literary romps I’ve had in 2015. ''Out'' describes a group of women who work in a bento factory. Each one of them is miserable and highly flawed, and one of them finally snaps: she kills her husband and enlists the help of her coworkers to dispose of the body. It’s a gruesome ride filled with highly detailed character building. My only qualm about it was the end – the last 20 pages or so were a waste – but even that doesn’t stop me from recommending it to every thriller fan I’ve met.<br>

--

So, Tar Valon: what were your favourite books of the year? What will you be wrapping up 2015 with? I still have four books to get through (this may be overly ambitious); one of them is '''A Brief History of Seven Killings''', a tough but beautiful read so far.<br>

''What books would you include in this list? What books or themes would you like to see featured? Post in the comments, or send an email to 3.steps.each@gmail.com!''<br>

''As always, the criteria for this column involve books that meet at least one of the following: the author is not male, not white, not American, or not straight.''<br>
''Key: (Sex [M/F/GQ/…] | Race [White/POC] | Country of Origin | Sexual orientation [L/G/B/Q/…] | Rating [X stars / TBR] )''<br><br>


[https://www.tarvalon.net/content.php?1623-Three-Steps| Tar Valon Times Newsletter version]




[[Category:Book Reviews|T ]]
[[Category:Tar Valon Times 2015|T ]]