Early each year I pick out the books I’ll be reading with my Book Discussion Group for the coming year. We read books from September through June. After reading reviews, getting opinions from readers I trust, and scanning classics I might have missed, here are the titles I’ve come up with and the reasons they made the cut…
On my reading list for September 2021 through June 2022…
The Ravenmaster by Christopher Skaife. Nonfiction.
- The subtitle hooked me: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London. Skaife’s official title—Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London—clinched the deal.
Once Upon a River by Dianne Setterfield. Fiction.
- I don’t often gravitate toward New York Times bestsellers, but two reader friends tell me this one is really good.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi. Fiction.
- The author was born in Ghana and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. Her perspective—given those two biographical tidbits—intrigues me and her previous books have won numerous awards.
Michelangelo, God’s Architect; The Story of His Final Year & Greatest Masterpiece by William E. Wallace. Nonfiction.
- According to the jacket copy, this story begins when the artist is seventy. Not your usual biography!
As You Were by Elaine Feeney. Fiction.
- The reviews were positive so I thought I’d give Feeney’s first novel a try.
Deacon King Kong by James McBride.
- Reviewers everywhere were singing McBride’s praises for this one.
Owls of the Eastern Ice; A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl by Jonathan C. Slaght. Nonfiction.
- I guess you could say this is “bird year” for me! It was the promise of adventure that drew me to this one.
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley. Fiction.
- The Economist calls this an “eccentric” novel by the renowned Pulitzer Prize winning author about a “runaway horse, a stray dog and a know-it-all raven.” Birds again. But surely you’re as intrigued as I am!
Here We Are by Graham Swift. Fiction.
- The latest from a prolific and well-decorated author seemed like a good way to round out the year.
Look for my reviews of these titles, month by month, starting soon!
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Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge, Author
Biography | View
- Just Fine They Way They Are (Calkins Creek, March 1, 2011)
- The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton (Clarion Books, 2010)
- Thank You Very Much, Captain Ericsson! (Holiday House, 2005; Berndtsdotter Books, 2012)
- When Esther Morris Headed West (Holiday House, 2001)
- The Legend of Strap Buckner (Holiday House, 2001)
- Wicked Jack (Holiday House, 1995)
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