Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Bill's Best of 2014 Fiction

With the end of 2014 tonight I look back on a year in which I read just over 50 books which is about average for me. Over the past 15 years I have read 797 books.

My choices for the Best Fiction I have read in 2014 cover 4 very different books. As with other years my selections are not limited to books published in 2014.

Bill’s Best of 2014 Fiction are:

1.) Silver Totem of Shame by R.J. Harlick – For the second year in a row my top fiction read of the year was a Canadian mystery. Last year it was The Gifted by Gail Bowen. This year’s choice stays in Western Canada but is set in British Columbia.

There were several reasons I loved Silver Totem of Shame:

          a.) Setting – Being set in Canada is a plus for me;

b.) Personal connection – The murder took place in the Totem Pole carving shed on Granville Island, a location I have visited on many trips to Vancouver. I could see the murder in my mind from that familiarity;

c.) Strong characters – Sleuth, Meg Harris, and her husband, Eric Odjik, are both interesting people with a good relationship;

d.) Place, people and history – The mystery effectively integrates its setting, the residents of the area and their history to create a story that could only have taken place among the Haida people and their islands of Haida Gwaii; and,

e.) Social issues – Beyond being a good mystery the story looks at a current issue involving indigenous Canadians - the adoption of indigenous children by white Canadian families.

2.) An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris – It takes exceptional writing skill to take a well known real life story, the persecution and vindication of Alfred Dreyfus, and create a great work of fiction.

Harris achieves that feat by focusing on Georges Picquart, the French Army officer, who refused to let an injustice be perpetuated. Harris, by focusing on Picquart has a hero rather than a victim, Dreyfus, at the heart of the story.

It was inspiring to read of a man of integrity and moral courage who was ostracized, prosecuted and dismissed from the French Army but ultimately prevailed in having Dreyfus exonerated and personally being raised up to become Minister of War. 

3.) The Ascendant by Drew Chapman – While murder mysteries are usually my favourites The Ascendant reached the Best of 2014 list as a modern thriller. I have modest hopes that it will inspire more contemporary thrillers that do not dull the reader with an excessive body count.

For some reason I had never thought of cyber-warfare being real until I read the book. The technological attacks and counter-attacks between China and the United States were riveting. Not a physical bullet is fired but the virtual offensives are just as destructive. How many heroes of 21st Centuries thrillers rely on intellect rather physical violence? Unlike most current thrillers it was exciting and real rather than comic book.  How real was emphasized by the cyber attack on Sony over the movie, The Interview, and the subsequent downing of North Korea’s internet. (As an aside I watched The Interview with my family. It was partly curiosity and partly a personal protest against censorship that led me to watch the movie. It is often crude and never subtle. I did find The Interview entertaining. It is the opposite of The Ascendant in its plot being highly unreal.)

3.) Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller – I would never have expected that my favourite hero of the year would be an 82 year old American, Sheldon Horowitz, living in Norway.

Horowitz, a former marine and retired jeweller, struggling with issues of the elderly does not hesitate when a woman and a boy are in danger. He acts to protect a boy with whom he does not even share a language.

My appreciation of the book was summed up in the following paragraph:

The book is a modern epic that happens to be a mystery. Great themes of bravery, honour and loyalty share space with moments of absurdity. Horowitz displays improvisational skills on his journey that left me full of admiration.

It has been a good year of reading and my next post will feature my personal Best of category that I call Most Interesting.
 
Happy New Year readers and fellow bloggers!

16 comments:

  1. Happy New Year, Bill! Thanks for sharing your best reads of 2014, too. I wish you and your family all that is good for 2015!

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    1. Margot: Thanks for the good wishes. All the best to you and your family in 2015.

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  2. Great list Bill. I'll include some of them on my TBR. I'm glad you enjoyed Norwegian by Night.

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    1. Jose Ignacio: Thanks for the comment. I look to forward to your reviews of shared books.

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  3. I like your list, Bill, and that you kept it down to four. Wish I could do that.

    I want to read all the books on your list, but highest on my list are An Officer and a Spy and Norwegian by Night, since I already have those.

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    1. TracyK: Thanks for the comment. I am very confident you will enjoy An Officer and a Spy and Norwegian by Night.

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  4. Happy New Year Bill. I too loved Officer and a Spy, and your top choice has made it onto my list because of your most interesting review and other posts....

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    1. Moira: Thanks for the comment. I think you will find Silver Totem of Shame rich in imagery and dress.

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  5. Miller's book is very special. I don't think of it as a mystery or a crime novel at all. It just happens to have crime elements in it. NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT is a lot more substantial than the typical contemporary crime novels I encounter and often profound in its insights.
    Happy New Year, Bill!

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    1. John: Thanks for the good wishes. I agree Norwegian by Night is a great work of fiction. It is not often a book leaves me feeling emotional.

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  6. I don't know I haven't read Norwegian by Night - so many people have recommended it. And you've also made a compelling case for Silver totem of Shame. Have added that one to my reading list. Thanks.

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    1. Bernadette: Thanks for the comment. I think you will enjoy both books. I think Silver Totem of Shame is a fitting read for you with its strong connections to the geography, history and people of B.C. - especially the Haida.

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  7. Bill, a Happy and Wonderful New Year to you and your family! I look forward to reading "An Officer and a Spy" by Robert Harris.

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    1. Prashant: Thank you and all the best to you and your family. I hope you get to read An Officer and a Spy in the near future.

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  8. I was In England for tha past three weeks and picked up a legal novel titled The Verdict that topped my list for 2014. It's set in London and the author is Nick Stone, who wrote three crime novels featuring Max Mingus who travels between Miami and Haiti. The first, Mr. Clarinet, topped my list a few years ago and won some awards. Check for reviews of The Verdict and watch for it when it crosses the pond.

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  9. Kent: Thanks for the comment and recommendation of The Verdict. I read Mr. Clarinet. I thought Stone was a good writer but the violence quotient was so high I decided not to read more in that series. I will have to see what he does with a legal story.

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