Rocco Maiolo's Ramblings and Musings

These are books that I've read in the last ten years or so that have been good for my soul. They're not "feel-good", per se (ok, maybe of few of them are) and they're certainly not fluff. They're books which have a fundamentally positive/optimistic view of humanity while not minimizing its pain and suffering. They're also novels which have often made me think, If only influential people -- politicians and world leaders, for example -- would read these books... Again, in no particular order, here are my top twenty: Anxious People , Fredrik Backman Backman is a modern-day Dickens. Beautiful prose, perennially optimistic and funny. Just a great writer  whose next book I always look forward to. From the Ashes , Jesse Thistle Autobiographical. One of the top Canada-reads books a few years ago. A must-read if your heart beats to homelessness, poverty and/or Indigenous issues. Women Talking , Miriam Toews Toews is wickedly, and painfully funny. I've blogged a

I was asked by two people recently to recommend my favourite books. One friend asked me for my top 10. I scoffed. Then he said, "fifty?"  I said, "Pfft..." "One hundred?" "Impossible." Upon further reflection, I thought: I can make specific lists based on books I've read in the last, say, ten years or so... Lists such as: Best 20 Books I've Read Recently that Made me Go, "Damn, that's really good writing!" (pretty pithy title, right?) and Top 20 Books I've Read Recently that Made me realize I'm part of a human race that maybe doesn't totally suck (that'll be my next list). Ok, so back to the list in question: Best 20 Books I've Read Recently that Made me Go, "Damn, that's really good writing!" -- in no particular order: Glass Hotel , Emily St. John Mandel A friend of mine introduced me to Mandel's  Station Eleven. Last year, I read Glass Hotel; currently, I'm reading Sea of Tranqui