The best of 2016

The last year was a good year for me, on the whole. Although it seemed at some times the world was going mad, personally I have very little to complain about.
So here are a few of the best things from 2016

I am quite happy with the direction my blog is going at the moment. Two to three posts a week is a good schedule for me, and I feel much more creative and that is exactly what I was looking for.
The photograph that caught the most eyes was this one from the autumn leaves in the sun. Very beautiful indeed.

I have seen so many beautiful exhibitions this year, I can hardly pick a favorite. But the Paul Klee exhibition in Paris was really special, and it is also the blogpost that was most read on this subject.

And now, for the books. This year I read amazing and beautiful books.

In total I read 155 books, 78 fiction and 34 nonfiction. I read 30 historical books and 15 biographies,

26 of these were books by French authors, 13 about  Italy or by Italian authors.
18 were in the original English. The rest was in Dutch or in Dutch translation.

It was very hard to make a choice to pick the ones I loved most, but here are my top three books in fiction and non-fiction of 2016.

Fiction.
My favorite book of 2016 is a Dutch novel set in 19th century Russia, but unfortunately there is no English translation of this book.
My second and third book of 2016 are translated into English and are:

The first man by Albert Camus (here) This is a beautiful account of a poor boy who grows up in Algeria and who fortunately has a teacher who helps him.

Augustus by John Williams (here) Stunning and beautiful novel about the Roman emperor Augustus.

Non-fiction
My top three non-fiction of 2016
It's what I do by Lynsey Addario (here) An autobiography by one of the best female war-photographers there are. Very interesting and shows how much we need these brave men and women to show us what is going on in the world.

Deep South by Paul Theroux (here) I love the South (although I have never been there) and this book is all you want to know and more.

Van Goghs ear by Bernadette Murphy (here) Is there anything new to be said about Vincent van Gogh? Yes, this books proves it. Very interesting and it gives you a deeper understanding of Vincent and the last year of his life.

Comments

  1. What a great year of art and books! Here's hoping 2017 is even better. :) Hope you have a Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much and I hope 2017 will be great for you as well!

      Kind regards,

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