Three Steps Off the Beaten Path: December
Author: Asandra al'Terra
Dear Tar Valon:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Contents
Three Steps off the Beaten Path: December 2015
“Favourite Things” Edition
And the Birds Rained Down – Jocelyne Saucier
(Female | White | Canada | ? | 5*)
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:
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.
Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson
(Male | POC | USA | ? | 5*)
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.
Out – Natsuo Kirino
(Female | POC | Japan | ? | 5*)
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.
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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.
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!
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.
Key: (Sex [M/F/GQ/…] | Race [White/POC] | Country of Origin | Sexual orientation [L/G/B/Q/…] | Rating [X stars / TBR] )
