In the previous couple of years, we have seen the rise of Russian-language fiction, but in 2016 the trend was interrupted. Several well-known authors pleased with quality books, but nothing really surprised. And many domestic celebrities have made a creative pause - it remains to be hoped, not too long.
But in 2016, many new translations appeared - both by authors already known to us, and by those who have not yet reached Russia (we even introduced the “New Name” nomination). Therefore, almost all the champions of the past year are foreigners.
Science Fiction of the Year
Applicants: James Cambias "Dark Sea", Adam Roberts "Jack of Glass", Kim Stanley Robinson "Red Mars", Paolo Bacigalupi "Water Knife"
A lot of high-quality science fiction came out, but this time there was no clear leader. Contenders for victory include James Cambias' original contact story, Adam Roberts' hard-hitting futuristic detective, Kim Stanley Robinson's massive planetary sci-fi, and Paolo Bacigalupi's grim post-apocalyptic.
And the winner was one of the best novels by Ian Macdonald "Brazil" - a hybrid of "close range" fiction, detective thriller and historical adventure. The author painted a colorful portrait of Brazil, in which its past, present and future are mixed. The book turned out to be bright, multi-layered, with an intricate plot. This is exotic futurism, and alternative history, and fantasy about parallel worlds. Brazil is a difficult novel, and it is logical: the best examples of modern science fiction are designed for thoughtful readers.
Where can I buy?
Mystery and Horror of the Year
Applicants: Frances Harding "The Cuckoo's Song", Katherine M. Valente "The Orphan's Tales", Stephen King "The Bad Dreams Shop", Vladislav Zhenevsky "The Smell"
This nomination, according to the already established tradition, turned out to be quite colorful. Perhaps, among all the contenders, only a collection of stories by the untimely deceased Vladislav Zhenevsky can be classified without reservation as a "terrible" genre. The rest are balancing on the edge: Frances Harding's novel is a scary fantasy for young people, Stephen King's collection contains stories of different genres, and Katherine Valente's dilogy is generally difficult to unambiguously classify.
The novel by Dan Simmons won - a witty literary game, a book about the new adventures of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. The author sent the legendary detective to New World, investigate a mysterious crime side by side with prominent writer Henry James. "The Fifth Heart" is a fascinating novel full of allusions and secret meanings. True, mysticism here is not traditionally supernatural, but rather like in the works of magical realism.
Where can I buy?
Applicants: Peter Watts "Beyond the Rift", Harry Harrison "Harrison! Garrison!”, Kelly Link “Gotcha!”, Elena Kushnir “Real Tales”
Among the nominees in this category, there is only one little-known name - Elena Kushnir, the author of cute diverse stories. All the rest are venerable writers: Peter Watts with solid SF, Kelly Link with magical realism and, of course, Harry Harrison with early stories and memoirs.
And we recognized as the best a fresh collection of Stephen King, which includes works written by him over the past seven years. Of course, the collection did not become a revelation, because many of its plots are quite traditional for King - but they are performed on the highest level. At the same time, the writer tries to diversify his creative approach, experimenting with genres and style. The result is perhaps his best book since the ill-fated accident of 1999, when Stephen miraculously survived. In general, the collection deservedly won the 2015 Shirley Jackson Award for outstanding achievements in dark fantasy.
Our review and story from the collection
Where can I buy?
Children's and Youth Fiction of the Year
Applicants: Terry Pratchett "Tiffany Sick" (cycle), Nick Perumov "The Adventures of Molly Blackwater" (cycle), Francis Harding "Moshka May" (cycle), Francis Harding "The Lie Tree"
Unlike last year, when the nominees were works that gravitate toward "adult" fiction, the current contenders are designed for a younger audience. However, moralizing fantasy by Terry Pratchett, fantasy steampunk by Nick Perumov, adventure fantasy and Victorian detective by Francis Harding can also appeal to adult readers.
But the winner was just the most children's book - a fascinating fairy tale by the Canadian master of urban fantasy Charles de Lint. Well-written characters, excellent dialogues, cute humor, a dynamic plot, relevant references to mythology - these are the main trump cards of the book. And, of course, one cannot fail to mention over seventy wonderful color illustrations by Charles Vess. No wonder the book won the Canadian Solar Flare Award for Outstanding Achievement in Fiction for Young Adults.
Where can I buy?
Domestic Fiction of the Year
Applicants: Alexey Pekhov "The Contemplator", Henry Lyon Oldie "Strong", Olga Golotvina "Open Your Wings!", Sergey Lukyanenko "Quasi"
There were no special breakthroughs in domestic science fiction-2016. Well-known authors performed at their level - but no more. Aleksey Pekhov came up with a fascinating steampunk fantasy, Oldie again successfully turned to mythology (this time taking the epic of the Far North as a basis), Sergey Lukyanenko composed a high-quality zombie version of "watches". Unless Olga Golotvina took a step forward in her work, although her fantasy adventure, for all its entertainment, is too secondary.
Therefore, we decided not to be too original and put on the top step of the pedestal the novel by Robert Ibatullin "The Rose and the Worm", which has already received several awards for trying to compose serious science fiction. Despite some shortcomings, The Rose and the Worm attracts with its dynamic plot, polyphonic picture of the future, and thoroughness of the author's approach to scientific and technical details.
Where can I buy?
Most anticipated book of the year
Applicants: Terry Pratchett "The Little Free Folk", Richard Adams "Shardik", Terry Pratchett "Keep the Line", Kim Stanley Robinson "Red Mars"
Michael Moorcock "Gloriana" or the Queen who has not tasted the joys of the flesh"
Here we note books that, for various reasons, took too long to reach our readers. It is, as a rule, about the works of foreign authors (although there are exceptions). Among the current nominees are two "flat-world" fantasy by Terry Pratchett, a large-scale fantasy by Richard Adams and a serious Science fiction Kim Stanley Robinson.
And won the novel by Michael Moorcock, first published in the homeland of the famous Briton already in 1978. However, it's not about the "statute of limitations" - the book is painfully knocked out of genre traditions. Even for Michael Moorcock, who is known for his penchant for experimentation, often quite outrageous. Gloriana is a careful stylization of an adventurous novel in the tradition of baroque literature. The book is not easy to read, but for fans it is like a balm to the soul. Perhaps, if it weren’t for Gloriana, the “new strange ones” that thundered much later would not have been born.
Where can I buy?
The most unusual book of the year
Applicants: Michael Moorcock "Gloriana", Dan Simmons "The Fifth Heart", Mark Z. Danilevsky "House of Leaves", James Ballard "High-rise"
Katherine M. Valente "Tales of an Orphan"
Magical realism, literary game, alternative classics, absurdist fantasy... Every now and then there are books that cannot be squeezed into the Procrustean bed of any of the traditional fantastic genres. Michael Moorcock's pseudo-historical stylization, Dan Simmons' mystical-detective pastiche, Mark Z. Danilevsky's conspiracy construct, James Ballard's "moral dystopia" - these are the current nominees.
We gave the championship to Catherine Valente's two-volume novel "Tales of an Orphan", where mythological fantasy, horror and postmodern prose converged. The book consists of bewitching and creepy stories, when reading which, the classic fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm pop up in the memory, not adapted "for children". Also, Valente's novel is beautifully written and superbly translated.
Where can I buy?
Artbook or encyclopedia of the year
Applicants: All Ankh-Morpork: A Guide, Doctor Who. Life and Times”, “Dragon Age. World of Thedas. Volume 2"
World of Ice and Fire. The Official History of Westeros and Game of Thrones
A lot of artbooks and colorfully designed guides were published in 2016. The most striking of the traditional publications of this kind was the second volume of The World of Thedas. But books with game elements looked much more advantageous - like Terry Pratchett's guides to Ankh-Morpork and the Doctor Who universe.
And the winner was The World of Ice and Fire, a guide to the fantasy saga by George Martin. The authors of this encyclopedia stylized the text as historical chronicles written by the masters. The book pleases with an abundance of magnificent illustrations and a variety of information about the past of the Seven Kingdoms and adjacent territories. A great gift for fans of both Martin's epic and the Game of Thrones series.
Where can I buy?
new name of the year
Applicants: Robert M. Wegner, Felix Gilman, Lev Grossman, Mark Z. Danilevsky
Last year we met a lot of new authors - we even had to introduce a special nomination. Among the contenders were Lev Grossman with the fantasy trilogy "Wizards", Robert M. Wegner with the large-scale fantasy epic "Tales of the Meekhan Borderlands", the author of the original steampunk "The Broken World" Felix Gilman and Mark Z. Danilevsky, who composed the elite conspiracy theory "House of Leaves" .
And we recognized the winner of the English writer Frances Harding, a new star of youth fiction. In 2016, Harding's four novels were published in Russian at once - from her debut, the entertaining adventures of the young rogue Moshka May Fly by Night, to the writer's latest book, the Victorian fantasy detective story The Lie Tree, which became Britain's novel of the year and got into shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Harding's books are good for everyone - the plot, the characters, the entourage, the style. For truly world fame, her works lack only one thing - a talented film adaptation.
The nominees in this category are the mythological techno-fantasy of Henry Lion Oldie, the epic inspired by the Chinese Middle Ages by Ken Liu, the steampunk adventures of Alexei Pekhov, the post-modernist fantasy of Lev Grossman.
The winner by a huge margin, almost twice ahead of the closest competitor, was Robert M. Wegner's Tales of the Meekhan Frontier. Perhaps, since the time of Andrzej Sapkowski, we have not met such a bright Polish science fiction writer. However, in terms of creative manner, Wegner bears little resemblance to an eminent compatriot. If you compare Wegner with anyone, then rather with Joe Abercrombie. Although Tales has something in common with the stories about the Witcher - the first four parts of the cycle consist of stories and novels united by a common plot.
Wegner's "Tales" are tough, harsh, merciless and poignant texts that are difficult to classify as one fantasy direction. It is at the same time epic fantasy, heroic, adventurous, dark, mythological, romantic, picaresque, detective ... And such eclecticism does not interfere with Tales at all. The cycle has practically no weak points - a fascinating plot, elaborate surroundings, realistic style, psychologically reliable characters, many expressive, sometimes heartbreaking episodes. And ahead of us are full-fledged novels, each of which is showered with a heap of Polish genre awards. So, perhaps, the next volumes of Tales by Robert M. Wegner will be among our laureates as early as 2017.
Reading is one of the most useful and enjoyable activities. It is not a shame to give the book to relatives and friends and colleagues on New Year and other holidays. The book will tell about life and take you to a fantastic interesting world and will not cause any addiction or headache in the morning. The only thing left is to choose which book is worth reading. The rating will help you with this. most books read 2016. The list is based on research conducted by Amazon, one of the largest book suppliers in the world.
The main criterion for getting into the book top 20 was user reviews left on the Amazon forum.
20. The Hobbit, John R.R. Tolkien
A great story about a small, brave hobbit Bilbo Baggins. The fantasy is very easy to read and will surely encourage you to read other Tolkien books as well. For those who don't have time to read, The Guardian compiled a 2016 ranking, where The Hobbit came in 9th.
19. My Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
"An emotional and masterfully crafted novel focusing on relationship complexity, secrets, forgiveness, trust and love," as one Amazon reviewer put it.
18. Elligent, Veronica Roth
What should be interesting books for teenagers? Such that you can immediately imagine yourself in the place of the main character or heroine. In this regard, "Divergent" is an ideal reading for girls, because it is so easy for them to imagine themselves as a 16-year-old smart girl and beauty, on which the fate of the world depends.
17. The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown
This tale of the rowing crew that won gold in the 1936 Olympics provides an empirical perspective on athletes during a difficult time of social, economic and political turmoil.
16. The Book Thief, Markus Zuzak
In the center of events is the nine-year-old Liesel Meminger, who lives in Germany in 1939. Her adoptive parents teach Liesel to read, and books become the main outlet in the difficult life of the child. The story of Liesel itself is told from the perspective of Death, who (he is male in the novel) often comments on events in the book.
15. Plane Trees, John Grisham
After the death of millionaire Seth Hubbard, lawyer Jake Brygens receives a letter with the will of the deceased. He enters into a tense legal battle that reveals details of the city's dark history.
14. Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline
One of the most interesting books based on real events. "Orphan trains" in the 19th and early 20th centuries transported homeless children and orphans from the New York slums to the west of the country, where they found foster parents. On one of these trains main character.
13. Inferno, Dan Brown
The plot of "Inferno" is intertwined with the "Divine Comedy" by Dante, although it takes place in Florence of the 21st century.
12. Fire Cross, Diana Galbdon
A good book not for the faint of heart, as the author touches on themes of a violent and sexual nature. Part of the Outlander fantasy romance series.
11. Divergent, Veronica Roth
Romance, adventure, a brave heroine, a mysterious and despotic world where all people are divided into 5 factions depending on the dominant quality. Here are the ingredients for the success of one of the most widely read books in the world.
10. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Dorr
If you are interested in stories related to World War II, then All the Light We Cannot See is definitely one of the best books to read. The plot is connected with a blind French girl and a German boy who are trying to arrange their lives in wartime.
9. Goldfinch, Donna Tart
This book is the winner of numerous awards, including the Pulitzer (for 2014). Main character Theo Decker must, at the behest of a dying old man, take out a rare painting "Goldfinch" and a ring from the museum.
8. The Nightingale, Kristin Hanna
The eighth position is occupied by a book that combines family relationships, military drama and the desperate courage of a girl who ventured into the French Resistance.
7. Unbroken, Lauren Hillenbrand
The story of the survival of the crew of the plane that crashed in Pacific Ocean. For 47 days, three crew members wandered on life rafts, without provisions.
6. The Martian, Andy Weir
Number six is a sci-fi story that tells you how to grow potatoes on Mars, what to do in the long cold Martian evenings, and whether astronaut Mark Watney will return for his comrades.
5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Dying from a serious illness, teenagers Hazel and Augustus are not going to give up. They are not afraid of death, but of losing each other.
4 Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
The plot of this detective thriller until the last page will not give you an answer to the question: is Nick Dunn guilty of the disappearance of his wife Amy, or is it all a brilliant performance played by an insidious woman.
3. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Every day, not too happy Rachel Watson travels to London and sees happy spouses Jess and Jason from the train window. But one day the ideal wife Jess kisses another man, and the next day mysteriously disappears. And Rachel finds herself connected to the disappearance.
2 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
“This trilogy has the most exciting books”, “impossible to put it down” - these are just a tiny part of the readers' reviews. The Hunger Games is intended mainly for a teenage audience; for older people, the plot may seem too saturated with the experiences of the main character.
1. Fifty Shades of Grey, Erica L. James
At the first place book history Anastacia and Christian, which readers liked much more than the film based on the work. T.L. Barton, a reviewer for Amazon, wrote that the popular book's characters "are so realistic that they seem to become your friends or family rather than the fictitious people you read about."
True fans of literature are always aware of the release of the next works of the famous contemporary writers. It is clear that one cannot love everyone and each author has his own audience. But every person who personifies a representative of culture is simply obliged sometimes to get acquainted with the work of a writer, for whom he personally does not feel reverence, but respects him as an artist. In 2016, a lot of works were published, some of which can be brought to your attention. The choice of those that entered the top ten was difficult, because it was necessary to select the most worthy. So, in our top 10 list best books of 2016 included the following works.
The book rating of 2016 opens with another novel by the famous American writer Stephen King, which completes the trilogy about detective Bill Hodges. Brady Hartsfield, the criminal from the first part, is now completely harmless to others, he is in a coma. But what looks from the outside does not always correspond to reality. Outrageous deadly forces found a way to enter it and unite with the sick imagination of the maniac. His body is motionless, in his capabilities he resembles a vegetable. Bill and his partner Holly soon realize the danger posed by someone who used to be a threat and now controls the evil that permeates the entire city. Everything goes to a harsh, apocalyptic denouement, which does not portend a blissful outcome.
9. Broken skies
ninth on the list best books 2016 Al Robertson's work, dedicating the reader to the noir world of the future. Someday the Earth will be completely uninhabitable, and people will move to an artificial asteroid - the Station. But salvation will be possible at the cost of freedom and choice, because the new abode is subject to the will of the gods of the Pantheon. A long, protracted war between them and the corporation of Totality rotates the fate of any person. Battles give way to temporary truces, thanks to which the main character, Jack Forster, returns home to the Station from years of captivity. But his Odyssey was not destined to end soon, he finds himself embroiled in intrigues that the gods themselves weave. Not only the life of the main characters, but the whole of humanity is under threat.
Eighth place in our ranking of the most interesting works of 2016 is the novel by Dan Simmons, which became the third and last in the conditional trilogy about Sherlock Holmes. The illustrious hero has long stepped over the barriers set by his literary father Conan Doyle, and opens his new, unknown to the public, fragments of an entertaining biography. According to the plot, he has to go to America, where it is necessary to investigate mysterious death Clover Adams. Her husband is a relative of two American presidents, which means that not only a confusing, but also a dangerous investigation lies ahead. Sherlock himself doesn't really resemble his typical character, which gives him the right to think about a serious issue. Who is he? A real man or an image that was allowed to live and someone constantly controls it.
The seventh line among the best is rightfully occupied by the new work of Jean-Christophe Grange. The writer, who is rightfully considered the modern master of the detective thriller, immerses us in the atmosphere of horror associated with the investigation of mysterious murders. They are connected with some mysterious ritual, which Ervan Morvan seeks to unravel. By the will of fate, he has to go to the very wilds of the Congolese jungle, where, perhaps, the answers to the questions posed are hidden. The Erwan family once had to deal with events exactly similar to the current ones. And now it becomes clear that everything that happened earlier was not accidental, it seems that the devil himself chose their clan to commit his revenge, the last opportunity to demonstrate his strength.
The magnificent detective of Lisa Hilton introduces her reader to Judith Rashley - an educated, ambitious heroine who is not able to compromise with her conscience. She works as the leading expert of the auction house, she has to deal with many paintings by the geniuses of painting of all time. But this is her bright side, the dark one wakes up at night, when in expensive bars she is no longer an ordinary employee, but a predator-queen. By any means she tries to become her own in high society, and she does it well. Suddenly, she is completely unfairly dismissed, and then only a night road full of danger opens before her. But since other paths remain closed, then in this way she will be able to fully satisfy her ambitions.
A fascinating book by Thomas Armstrong will undoubtedly find its reader among both adults and children. First of all, it is intended for teenagers, because it is at this age that questions begin to appear that parents do not always find answers to. What is intelligence, how to correctly recognize it? The author is confident and clearly proves that excellent grades at school, the ability to read quickly and solve examples speak of erudition, but intellectual abilities are realized in a different way. The ability to analyze, to have competent ideas about art, communication skills form a personality and reveal one or more types of intelligence. Bottom line: This is one of the best books of 2016 for teens and students.
In fourth place is a collection of short stories by Anthony Dorr, seven stories about what excites us, but we do not always prefer to bring up such topics. What are memories, do they have a strong enough influence to control us? And what is better to release as soon as possible, and what is unforgivable and reckless to forget? The author does not always find infallible solutions, leaving the reader to think and draw their own conclusions. Concluding the story, the writer leads us to the main conclusion - the person himself with his inner universe is the very wall of memory.
The top three books in 2016 are confidently opened by a new bestseller from Tatyana Ustinova called "Expect the Unexpected". As always, the reader is waiting for a fascinating narrative with a detective bias. The main character is Tasha, she is sure that nothing and no one can overshadow her vacation. Her cruise along the Volga promises to be not just a happy event, but also a kind of farewell to the beauty of Central Russian nature, a nice entertainment. But do not expect from the famous author of the usual sentimental story. The companions on the ship become the object of Tasha's close observation, first because of her desire to understand the peculiarities of their personalities, and later as participants in the cycle of gloomy intricate events. One thing is clear, there is some kind of secret, which is extremely necessary to reveal not only for the sake of the triumph of truth, but also for our own safety.
2. Movie night
A gloomy detective, painted with mystical, hypnotic colors, always has a stunning effect on the reader. Meet the novel by Marisha Pessl, in which the protagonist - journalist Scott McGrath - has to plunge into the underworld created by his longtime enemy - the mysterious filmmaker Stanislas Cordova. His daughter was found dead under strange circumstances that Scott wants to deal with. But for this he will have to plunge into the gloomy world of the subculture in which Cordova has lived for many years. Now every step you take must be carefully analyzed, because the reality is too thin and everything that surrounds the journalist is just a ghostly scenery. The second line among the best works released in 2016.
1. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
A franchise about a young wizard, written and published at the turn of the past and the new century, has become a highlight literary life. Despite the logical conclusion of the story, readers have the opportunity to return to the fascinating world of young magicians. The work, confidently leading in our ranking of the best books of 2016, is written by three authors, one of which is JK Rowling. The play tells about the children of the main characters of the Potter series, who will plunge into events that, in their intensity and drama, are not inferior to those that happened to their parents. Traveling to the past with a noble purpose radically changes the present, and each attempt turns into an even more terrible catastrophe. Whether something needs to be changed and how to avoid mistakes is up to the readers of this amazing book to find out.
Today we will tell you about the best books that came out in 2015. Our favorite authors never cease to please us and create new masterpieces, and besides this, books that were not in demand before or were simply not understood are being republished. So, we present to you, our dear readers, the 15 best books of 2015. We hope these books add to your 2015 reading list.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years - Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami, one of the most famous authors of our time, presented a new book that immediately became popular among readers.
The main character enters the metropolis. He is still young and amazed at the grandeur of Tokyo. He is scared and delighted, and most importantly, he has a home where he can return at any moment. He had a support in life, until one fine summer day he finds out that his familiar world has collapsed. His stronghold of friendship and harmony has disappeared. It's just wiped off the face of the earth. This news completely changes the life of Tsukuru and he has a difficult future ahead of him and many trials.
Marina - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
This book is published in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. The detective novel "Marina" was written in 1997. For almost a decade, the author struggled to get the book published, as many counterfeit editions came out, sometimes even with completely different text. But, nevertheless, the book found its readers of all ages.
The action of the novel takes place in the 70s of the last century in Barcelona. Spring is on the street. The main character, Oscar, disappeared for a whole week. All this time, relatives, friends, acquaintances, teachers and the police were looking for him. Where has he been all that time? To this question, Oscar simply replies that every person has a secret. Then he begins to tell an amazing story about a meeting with a mysterious girl Marina.
"All the way to the ends" - Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk once again pleases his fans with an incredible story. The apocalyptic novel of the king of the counterculture will tell, and most importantly, will clearly demonstrate hundreds of new opportunities for achieving female pleasure. On this book, however, as on all other books of the author, there is an age mark of 18+.
Penny Harigan is an ordinary secretary who, by chance, attracted the attention of mega-billionaire Linus Maxwell.
Linus in very narrow circles is known under the nickname "Boy for menopause" and he loves rich, sophisticated ladies very much. But he invites Penny to dinner and after dinner drags her to a hotel room, where he gives her pleasures for several days in a row that she had never dreamed of before. Everything would be fine if Penny did not accidentally find out that she was part of an experiment to develop a new line of sex toys for ladies. These toys will be sold all over the world, and women will satisfy their base sexual desires every free minute. Penny decides to stop Linus and prevent him from gaining world erotic domination over all women.
Una and Salinger - Frederic Begbeder
And again a book with an age limit of 18+. The author himself defined the genre of this book as “faction”: from the English “fact” (“fact”) plus “fiction” (“fiction”). In New York City in 1940, young author Jerry Salinger meets Una O'Neill, the daughter of a famous playwright. He is 21 and she is only 15 years old. Love, passion and an idyll that lasted only a few days until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, after which the United States enters World War II. Jerry goes to war, and Oona auditions for a Charlie Chaplin movie.
Una becomes the wife of a famous comedian.
Salinger went through the war. Punch through your publications in Big world literature and wrote main novel of his life "The Catcher in the Rye".
But, the most interesting thing is that the book is not about that. The author tells a beautiful story about the meeting of Una and Jerry, which turned into a separation for life. About the meeting that defined the lives of these people.
“Third humanity. Voice of the Earth - Bernard Werber
Bernard Werber continues his social-fiction cycle "The Third Humanity" with a new book "Voice of the Earth".
The action of the book takes place against the backdrop of an imminent apocalypse. While all mankind is preparing for the third World War, Gaia - Mother Earth is going to destroy people. But humans and microhumans pay no heed to her warnings.
Ecologists are not able to speak on behalf of the Earth. They can only see the near future. To understand what is happening to the planet, human rights activists environment decide to ask the Mother herself what she thinks about people and everything that happens.
The answer of Mother Earth will help people to evolve again, to make a huge leap in development. After all, the desire to survive, and most importantly to live, is the best motivation for evolution.
"Planet Water" - Boris Akunin
The collection of Boris Akunin has been republished again and contains a large number of illustrations. The collection contains three detective stories.
"Planet Water" was written in 1903 and has the subtitle "technocratic detective".
Erast Fandorin leaves the search for a sunken galleon with gold to help catch a maniac who is hiding on one of the islands of the Atlantic Ocean.
The nostalgic detective story "The Lonely Sail" saw the light of day in 1906. Erast Petrovich is investigating the murder of his former lover.
The last detective in this collection is called "Where do we go?" and is idiotic. Fandorin investigates a train robbery. A trace that stretches to the revolutionaries themselves.
"Castle of Glass" Jeannette Walls
This is an autobiographical novel where the writer talks about her past.
Jeannette talks about her difficult childhood in a large family, where very, very shocking and cruel methods of raising children were practiced. For many years, the author hid her past, until she realized that as soon as she freed herself from the burden of the past and terrible secrets, shame and hatred, she could move on and live in peace.
The sea is my brother. The Lone Wanderer - Jack Kerouac
This year, Jack Kerouac's collection was released, which contains two novels, The Sea Is My Brother and The Lonely Wanderer.
The Sea is My Brother is the first novel of the writer, which was considered lost for half a century. It was only published in 2011. "The Lonely Wanderer" gained popularity during the life of the writer. "The Lone Wanderer" is travel notes. And "The Sea is My Brother" is based on the writer's experience when he worked on a merchant ship. These two works reflect the style of the writer and, most importantly, betray the amazing atmosphere of the life of past years. This year, the writer's work is increasingly in demand by readers.
"Half Code" - Sally Green
This book has become the most anticipated in 2015. It is somewhat reminiscent of the story of Harry Potter, but in some ways this book is new and unique. One fact cannot be argued - this book opens up a fantastic world of adventure and magic.
In England these days magicians live side by side with the Fanes and ordinary people. The latter do not even realize the existence of magic. In the world of magicians, the council of White Witches controls the power, which hates half-breeds and monitors the purity of magical blood.
The main character is the half-breed Nathan. Mother is a white witch and father is a black sorcerer. A real hunt begins for Nathan and he has no choice but to run. He wants to find his father and receive three gifts that should help him find his Gift. But can Nathan hide his plans from the Council when he is constantly being watched and his entire family is in mortal danger?
The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
Surely, you have already seen this novel on the shelves of bookstores. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize, and the Amazon online store named this work "Book of the Year".
Donna Tartt has been working on this book for over 10 years.
A book about art and how it affects our lives. At the center of the action is 13-year-old Theo Decker. He alone survived terrible explosion who claimed the lives of his family. Theo gets into the system and is now destined to wander around foster families and shelters. His only consolation and meaning of life was the masterpiece of the Dutch old master, which he stole from the museum. This work of art can lead to the death of a lonely child.
"All the Light We Cannot See" - Anthony Dorr
The novel “All the Light We Cannot See” was released quite recently and only a couple of weeks ago appeared on the shelves of bookstores in Russian. The author did an incredible job of creating a book that lasted ten years.
A novel about two children who go without knowing it different ways but go towards each other. A blind French woman and a timid German boy. They are trying to survive in a world where the Second World War. They are trying to survive and not lose their human face, feelings and emotions, they are trying to save their soul. A book about death and love. A book about war and what it does with ordinary people how crippling not only physically and morally. A book about how invisible light can defeat even darkness.
Luminaries - Eleanor Catton
The 2013 Booker Prize-winning novel has been published for the first time in Russian. This book broke two records of this award at once. The Luminaries is not only the most ambitious work of the award, but the author has also become the youngest laureate.
The novel is set in New Zealand at the height of the gold rush. 12 people got together to discuss some rather strange events that happened to them. A young guy who owns a huge share of the plots has gone missing. The prospector died and a treasure was found in his hut, and the "night moth" embarked on the path of correction. The conspirators tell everything to a stranger who happened to be among them. At the same time, they tell rather strange stories, among which there is blackmail and revenge, and even séance. The whole book is built according to the astrological structure and the more interesting it is to read this detective novel full of mysticism and mysterious events.
“Three apples fell from the sky” - Narine Abgaryan
Narine Abgaryan is an Armenian writer who writes about her country and its people. One of the most famous books of this writer is Manyunya.
And in the year of the centenary of the Armenian genocide, the author released a new book that tells about a small village lost somewhere in the mountains and the people who live there. This is a wonderful book about Armenia, traditions, love, death and the intertwining of human destinies. And most importantly, this is a book about incredible fortitude and treasures of the soul.
"September Roses" - André Maurois
André Maurois is considered a classic of French literature of the 20th century. Author famous biographies Hugo, Balsa, Dumas and others.
"I Confess" - Jaume Cabre
The book was written in 2011, but was published in Russian and in 19 other languages only in 2015.
Antique shop in Barcelona, where among the many valuable things there is an old violin. Adria, secretly from her father, replaces the violin with her own, after which his father is killed. Adria feels guilty. Many years later, he becomes a scientist and collector, but the mystery of his father's murder has not been solved, and may soon disappear forever. In addition, Adria is afraid that the love of his life, Sarah, will also disappear. He writes a diary, his confession, because he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
BEST BOOKS 2016
📖 A delicious romance that will make you salivate. Lust for life, passion for power and a taste for adventure… Florence, 1466. The era of the Medici, Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, Savonarola ... Countless narrow streets and lanes, noisy workshops and shops, monasteries and churches, palaces and prisons. Nino's greatest gift becomes his greatest curse. Unlike other humans, he can taste anything, not just food. Every fragrance, every ingredient comes to life for him as vividly as in painting, and he uses his gift too extravagantly, often risking even his life.
📖 23-year-old Peep hates her full name, doesn't know who her father is, can't pay off her student debt, can't build relationships with men. She grew up with an eccentric mother who idolizes her only daughter and flatly refuses to talk to her about her past. Pip has no idea how many destinies she links together and how strong her ability to distinguish good from bad makes her. Following the heroine in her daring search for herself, Jonathan Franzen touches on the critical issues facing modern society: this is the totalitarian essence of the Internet, and weapons of mass destruction, and the legacy of socialism in Eastern Europe.
📖 Psychoanalyst V. Mazin, philosopher A. Pogrebnyak and artist I. Kuksenite decided to publicly confess their passion for the Dunno cycle by the remarkable and not only children's writer Nikolai Nosov. They were driven to this step by the firm conviction that in the image of Dunno, his intellectual counter-competence and moral inconsistency, there is a resource that is so necessary for all of us today for survival in the cosmos, subject to the logic of modern capitalism - and tomorrow, perhaps, it will turn out to be useful for elimination of this monstrous projection of technoscience of administrative and managerial madness!
📖 Fay O'Neil, a single mother with two children, forgot what it is to dream and believe in fairy tales. But as soon as she moved to an old Victorian mansion, things began to happen mysterious events. At night, Faye sees strange lights outside the window, and in the apartment above her lives an eccentric old woman, Wendy, who considers herself a friend of the famous fairy-tale character Peter Pan. At first, Faye did not take this seriously, but meeting another neighbor - Jack Graham - made her take a different look at what was happening. Jack doesn't remember anything about his childhood, and the only lead he finds leads him... to Wendy?
📖 June Andersen inherits the legendary Blue Bird bookstore from Aunt Ruby. She soon discovers unique letters among the books, evidence of a long friendship between Ruby and the famous writer Margaret Wise Brown. Since the store is on the verge of ruin, June decides to save it with a find. She turns to Gavin, the owner of a restaurant next door to the Blue Bird, for help. It seems that together they have a chance, but June has a lot of secrets, and trusting Gavin is not so easy.
📖 A poignant love story and a dramatic story of a man's life.The plot of the book is based on real events.Vishnevsky retells this tragic story in his unsurpassed manner - exploring souls, plunging deeply into human feelings.The suddenly revealed betrayal of his wife pushes her husband to a desperate and terrible step. Blind thirst for revenge, fatal shots - Vincent's life will never be the same again. How to forgive betrayal, survive the loss, and is it possible to atone for a grave sin with repentance alone? But even from such a dark hopelessness, Vishnevsky again leads us to the light - he is deeply convinced that Love is stronger than death.
📖 Beautiful touching stories. This book is about the bitter and funny world of people who live without noticing time. People who are not afraid to fly and know how to find amusing even in the tragic. The world of old people and children, adults and those who have lost their faith - but did not despair. The world of people who are forever stuck in that dimension where dreams will always come true someday.
The book includes two stories. "Alone in Paris" is a story about Nell, modest and loving to calculate everything in advance. However, she dreams of spending a romantic weekend with her friend in Paris, and therefore organizes such a trip on her own initiative. But her friend is not at the station, and Nell goes to Paris alone. "Honeymoon in Paris" - Liv and Sophie share almost a hundred years, but they are both on the threshold of family life, both hope for a happy honeymoon with the man they love...
📖 Meet Divnia Lad. She is 89 years old and has lived all her life in the wilderness off the coast of Cornwall. Rumor has it that she is a witch and that she had mermaids in her family. Now she sits all day by the water with a telescope and waits - she does not know what. Until Francis Drake appears - the namesake and namesake of the famous navigator. After the war, Drake was in no hurry to return home, staying for two years in France. But he promised a dying soldier, met by chance in a field hospital, that he would deliver a letter to his father in Cornwall - and, without knowing how, he ended up in Divnia Lad's house ...
📖 A new book Coelho is dedicated to the personality of the famous courtesan and dancer, whose execution became the reason for civil unrest in Paris in 1917. What is her true story? Is execution a fatal mistake? The writer is not afraid to draw unambiguous conclusions. His evidence base- documentary materials of the security services of Holland, Great Britain and Germany of those years. Coelho is convinced that Mata Hari did not die because of political intrigues, betrayal or promiscuity. Being ahead of your time is a terrible curse. The spy Hari was one of the first feminists who was not afraid to make herself known. Living your time under the sun outside of the traditional "household" pattern, challenging men, choosing an independent position - these are the principles that killed Mata Hari.
📖 Orhan Pamuk is a famous Turkish writer, winner of numerous national and international awards, including Nobel Prize in literature for "search for the soul of his melancholic city." New romance Pamuk's "My Strange Thoughts", on which he has been working for the past six years, is perhaps the most "Istanbulian" of all. Its action covers more than forty years - from 1969 to 2012. The protagonist Mevlut works on the streets of Istanbul, watching how the streets are filled with new people, the city gains and loses new and old buildings, the poor come from Anatolia to work. Coups are being committed before his eyes, the authorities are replacing each other, and Mevlut is still wandering the streets, winter evenings wondering what makes him different from other people, why he is visited by strange thoughts about everything in the world and who is really his beloved, to whom he has been writing letters for the past three years.
📖 In the fairy tales of Michael Cunningham, we are talking about the fact that in all of us known fairy tales they forgot to mention or deliberately passed over in silence. What happened after the spell broke? What is the fate of the prince, from whom the curse is lifted, but not completely? How should you make wishes so that their fulfillment does not bring grief? Cunningham presents us with his versions, sad, sometimes nightmarish, but surprisingly plausible. The author is a brilliant storyteller, he knows how to captivate the reader and awaken the imagination.
📖 An interesting novel. I like it. Well written, lots to think about.From the first pages you are carried away by the style of the author. The book is written in a pseudo-neutral style and riddled with irony. If you can't read between the lines, you will be outraged by such political fiction. If you can see deeper, you will understand that humility can lead to nothing like this. I think that here the emphasis is not so much on politics as on inner experiences. External world becomes absurd, manageable the mighty of the world of this, the media, it changes instantly and ordinary person All that remains is to take everything that happens for granted. And since everyone becomes such a passive acceptor, that very humility is born.
📖
A book in the genre of "dystopia" from a modern writer. Interesting)In the world where the main character lives - Celestina North, there are certain rules, for violation of which a person can get a stigma.For the wrong decision - Stamp on the temple.For lies - on the tongue.For an attempt to rob society - on the right palm.For treason to the Tribunal - Brand on the chest, where the heart is.For not keeping up with society - on the sole of the right foot.Therefore, if a person does not want to be branded, then he should lead a decent lifestyle, watch his appearance and speech, do not argue with the Tribunal, because he is the law, in general, it is worth being perfect in everything ...
📖 Unforgettable and Touching story women of three generations, bound by indissoluble bonds. The relationship between Joy and Kate, mother and daughter, is far from ideal, and Kate, trying to arrange a personal life, runs away from home. Vowing to herself that if she ever had a daughter, she, Kate, would become her best friend and they would never be separated. But history repeats itself. Sabina, Kate's daughter, has grown up stubborn and defiant, and treats her mother with contempt due to Kate's string of love failures. And now the circumstances are such that Sabina comes to her grandmother Joy.
📖 The heroines of the new novel by Muriel Barberi "The Life of the Elves" are two girls Clara and Maria, these are two incredible destinies touched by magic. One lives in Spain, in a village lost in the Abruzzi mountains, the other in a Burgundian village. Both are mysteriously connected to the world of elves. One is a talented pianist, capable of penetrating the invisible through music, the other is endowed with a special gift to feel the secrets of nature, read its signs, and sense the presence of invisible creatures. The girls learn about a terrible threat hanging over the world of people. Clara and Maria, who have never met each other, establish a connection between themselves and, joining forces, enter the battle, the outcome of which depends on the lives of people close to them, and the very existence of mankind.
📖
Nathan Steen lives by the principle: do good and you will get good in return. Every day he leaves for work, he puts six stones in his pocket, which remind him of his duty to do good deeds. But is it only the need for noble deeds that makes him help people? Or is there another motive? Secret motive? About what? An excellent kind book that makes you think about simple things and teaches you to appreciate the present and the people around you. Touching. Light. Causing tears and weeping. Doing good deeds is not so difficult, and this novel seems to be a reminder of this.
📖 1980. Aaron and Molar have long ceased to believe in the existence of Santa Claus, but year after year the parents insist that the whole family go to the mall, where the boys can give Santa a list of gifts they want to receive for Christmas. As they wait their turn, Aaron and Molar write down all the toys they can imagine on slips of paper. But Santa Claus offers the children to give them something for Christmas that they never even dreamed of, but in return asks for help to perform a real Christmas miracle.
📖 Have you ever noticed that the city is like a loved one? He hears you, takes care of you, shares with you, and you give him what you have, without hesitation, more or less. And with the city with this, as with a loved one, you have a relationship. With ups, downs and sometimes disappointments. Contrasts. But whatever they are, what is much more important is that at a depth, under the changeable course of the sea. THERE IS LOVE.
📖 Continuation of the famous "Brownie's Diary", which touched the hearts of more than 2,000,000 Runet readers. In addition to the rough but charming horror story that everyone loves, his old acquaintances - Vodyanoy, Goblin, Mermaid, Verlioka and Babushka Yaga offer their daily reports and reflections.
📖 Everything in life seems to go on as usual, only cats scratch in my soul, everything falls out of my hands, I don’t like anything. If you are familiar with this condition - this book is for you. Psychologist Elizaveta Pavlova describes the causes and possibilities of getting rid of psychological discomfort. In the book you will find characteristic descriptions that will help you understand exactly if you have a similar problem, specific advice and practical ideas for resolving the situation and providing self-help.
📖 Let the words "I love and approve of myself" become your mantra. Every time you pass a mirror or see your reflection, repeat this affirmation. Sometimes it is enough to take only a step towards happy changes. For example... smile at your reflection. The author's new book is devoted to working with mirrors. In 21 days, you can gain confidence, increase self-esteem, get rid of fear and anger, release stress, forgive old grievances and move on.
THE WORST BOOKS OF 2016
📖 As you know, complex international position of our country is explained by the sharp conflict between the Russian leadership and world freemasonry. But few people understand the roots of this confrontation, its financial background and occult meaning. V. Pelevin's hybrid novel breaks the veil of silence from this mystery, simultaneously explaining in a simple and accessible form the main issues of world politics, economics, culture and anthropogenesis. In the center of the story are three generations of the noble family of Mozhaisky, serving the Motherland in the 19th, 20th and 11th centuries.
📖 Robin Ellacott receives a mysterious package by courier - in which a severed female leg is found. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, isn't as surprised - but just as alarmed. In his past, there are four possible candidates for the identity of the sender - and each of the four is capable of unimaginable cruelty. The police are focusing their efforts on finding one of the four - but the further the further, the more sure that this particular suspect is not involved. Together with Robin, they are forced to take matters into their own hands and plunge into the depths of the warped psyche of the other three suspects. But a mysterious assassin strikes again...
📖 Whitshanks have always surprised with their solidarity and subtle specialness. It was a family that everyone envied in a good way. But like every family, they also had a secret, hidden from the eyes of the reality, which they themselves did not really realize. Abby, Red and four adult children in their luggage not only have wonderful memories of joy, laughter, family holidays, but also disappointments, jealousy, carefully guarded secrets.
📖 Bookstore - perfect place to hide the ends in the water. On dusty back shelves, Mr. Penumbra keeps books that, according to Google, don't exist. A string of strange characters, gold-embossed bindings, occasional readers, and a night seller whose eccentric owner makes it clear: don't ask questions, and above all, don't read. But a web of mysteries is already entwining the hero. A couple of careless phrases - and now a whole battalion of friends - scribes and programmers from Google, connoisseurs of antiquity and fans " star wars"- they are trying to unravel the cipher of half a century ago.
