Here are two books that were the cream of the crop from this year’s personal reading. The first is a book of literary criticism published by an Austrian psychologist in 1976. The second is a novel that takes places in 1920s-1950s Russia by an American novelist, published in 2016.

The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim – a detailed, insightful book. Well worth the time.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – an engrossing saga, beautifully written.