A little late for a "best of" list? I figured I should at least get 2013's out before we hit the back end of 2014. My reading volume dropped significantly last year as I adjusted to a new job, but here's what I liked:
Thank You For Your Service (Finkel). This haunting account of veterans returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan details their struggles battling the wounds of war: injury, PTSD, unemployment, addiction, bankruptcy, isolation, suicide, and more. An important and disturbing book about one of the most pressing issues facing the US military.
How to Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia (Hamid). This unusual novel by the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist is the tale of a young boy from rural South Asia (his name, exact location, or nationality are never revealed) who moves to the city and starts his own business. It's modeled on a self-help book and perfectly captures the entrepreneurial spirit and heartbreaking obstacles inherent to the South Asian experience.
Nothing to Envy (Demick). Based on interviews with defectors, this is a fascinating depiction of life in North Korea. By turns dreary, tragic, touching, and infuriating, it is hard to believe that these stories are true and not something out of 1984. This book certainly fed my obsession with The Hermit Kingdom.
Catherine The Great: Portrait of a Woman (Massie). Riveting history of how 14-year-old Princess Sophia from a minor kingdom in Germany came to rule the world's largest empire. This long and complex story clocks in at 600+ pages, but the compelling subject matter and and crisp prose allowed me to breeze through it. A progressive but iron-fisted ruler, the trials that Catherine faced maintaing cohesion across such a huge empire still challenge Russia today.
