We’re getting close to the end of the year, so it’s time to consider my favorite reads of 2017. In addition to assorted reading for research (I’m now a bit of an expert on Chicago history and contraception and abortion in the 19th century) I finished 45 novels this year. I started probably at least a dozen more, but I’ve decided to move past the need to finish what I start, no matter how glowing the reviews in the New York Times and elsewhere. It’s noteworthy that only six of the 45 novels I...