Reading and traveling fit together like peanut butter and jelly. One of the most often-asked pre-vacation questions is, “What books should I take?” Even though as a corporate flight attendant you’ll be working during your travels, you’re still going to have a decent amount of down time. It’s fun to explore new places, but sometimes you just want to curl up with a book and shut out the world.
What did you miss from the publishing world in 2017? Why not use the next year to catch up on what was hot! Whether you prefer history, crime novels, biographies or something entirely different, there’s something on this list for you.
- “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas in the Young Adult category is a fictional look at a controversial but relevant topic. The plot revolves around the aftermath of a 16-year-old girl, Starr, witnessing the police shooting of her unarmed friend that becomes national news. As the only witness to the incident, Starr is in a precarious position.
- “The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia” by Masha Gessen is a look at how, exactly, Russia traded its new-found democracy for yet another autocratic government. Her story follows four Russians born around the time the Berlin Wall came down. Further, if you’re interested in Russian history, “Nicholas and Alexandra” by Robert K. Massey is one of the most highly-regarded accounts of the man known as the Last Tsar and the Bolshevik Revolution available. It’s not a 2017 book, but it’s worth a tandem read with Gessen’s.
- For a dose of historical fiction mixed with mystery, check out “Prussian Blue” by Philip Kerr. Follow Bernie through Europe in the aftermath of World War II as he tries to avoid repaying a debt to an East German spy.
- In fantasy, Brandon Sanderson released “Oathbringer,” the third book from his Stormlight Archive series. The Voidbringers have returned and the Everstorm rages. Now the nations of Roshar must somehow come together to defeat a common enemy. But can they? (And we know this isn’t the book you’ve all been waiting for, but mystery still surrounds the release date for George RR Martin’s “The Winds of Winter.” Maybe next year?)
- If your love is science fiction, check out “The Power” by Naomi Alderman. In this story of the future, women all over the world gain the ability to release electricity from their hands, which has the power to kill. This leads to a complete reordering of society through wars and new religions.
- For the romantically inclined, read “Positively Pippa” by Sarah Hegger. Post-national scandal, Pippa Turner returns to her small hometown in Utah where she reconnects with her high school crush. Will they reconnect before she heads back to Hollywood?
- If you’re following the hilarious exploits of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and looking for a light, fun read, Janet Evanovich’s “Hardcore Twenty-Four” came out last month. This time, Stephanie is on the trail of a mysterious figure responsible for several Trenton beheadings … of corpses.
