Friday, December 30, 2016

Books of the Year (Part V)

Books of the Year 5-1

5. Sixty, Ian Brown. A bittersweet, but mostly uplifting exploration of life at 60 written with a sardonic edge and (grudging) acceptance of the slow decline of old age. 

4. How To Be A Person In The World, Heather Havrliesky. The too-cool-for-school friend you had growing up who turned into a bad ass, strip-the-varnish off advice columnist (who also writes beautifully.) My full review 

3. I Never Knew That About New York, Christopher Winn. An encyclopedia tour of Manhattan, from the financial district all the way up to the Harlem River, that is equal parts history lesson and Fodor’s guide. Readers will become acquainted with landmarks, offered suggested neighborhood walking tours, and an abiding appreciation for the city that never sleeps. 

2. The Art of Rivalry, Sebastian Smee. A marvelous exploration of the relationships between giants of modern art. Less rivals than competitors and sometime collaborators, readers will relish the back-and-forth between de Kooning and Pollock, Picasso and Matisse, Freud and Bacon, and Manet and Degas. Smee’s writing is vibrant and leaps off the page as he takes readers into the parlors, salons, and studios of these iconic names. 


1. The Confidence Game, Maria Konnikova. An immersive deep dive into the world of con artists and how they dupe people into falling for their schemes. I found this book endlessly fascinating, thought provoking, and wonderfully written. My full review


The rest of the list can be found here:

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