This year I read a total of 58 books (see Google doc for full list). Of these 58 books, five were graphic novel TPBs and four were books that I had read before. Fiction consisted of 39 books and non-fiction made up 19 on the list. For my top ten list below, the four books that I read in previous years were not considered.
My Top Ten List:
1. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
-- With Freedom getting so much attention I decided that I needed to read The Corrections this year. I was not disappointed. This is a rich, complex and finely tuned book about the modern family. The writing sparkles off the page. Franzen does things with words and sentences that are so wonderfully perfect that it is easy to miss in the true joy of reading his book. In terms of craft, style and substance, this is the best book that I have read this year.
2. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
-- See my thoughts on this book here.
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Johnathan Safron Foer
-- Without a doubt the best book about 9/11. This book is a love letter to NYC and Foer writes a touching narrative about a precocious boy traveling around the city post-9/11. At moments touching, heart-breaking, humorous and perspicacious this novel ends with a haunting image that has been etched in the minds of many since the horrible day back in 2001.
4. Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky
-- This is a transcript of the week that David Lipsky spent with David Foster Wallace while on his Infinite Jest tour. DFW was one of the brightest minds I have ever read and I am always excited to hear more from a man who took his life way too early.
5. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
-- This is the second book of Atwood's Mad Adam trilogy and her follow-up to Oryx and Crake. This series of books by Atwood is currently the best dystopian speculative fiction works being created. Anyone interested or worried about our future should read them.
6. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
-- This is the story of Lewis Carrol's muse for Alice in Wonderland. This novel is captivating and so fluidly written that it is hard not to be sucked in to the complicated and confusing lives of those involved. So many misunderstandings and unfortunate circumstances lead to a rather sad tale.
7. The Convalescent by Jessica Anthony
-- Anthony really challenges the reader by writing a book about an unlikable character struggling in the modern world on the backdrop of the history of his family. What this book does is highlight the people who live unnoticed with wonderful subtlety and nuance. When this funny and smart book ends you realize that Rovar is in all of us more than we ever knew.
8. Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
-- An exploration of suburban life, friendships and family. Just as the book seems to be settling in to a narrative, a whole new aspect is introduced that stretches the reality and confronts the reader with entirely new questions. Coupland's sentences are electric.
9. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
-- Aimee Bender writes wonderfully fantastic stories. I already talked about this book here.
10. Waiting by Ha Jin
-- I am going to include this book on my list even though Jin has not answered any of my letters yet. I'll assume he is busy teaching and writing. Jin's writing is not as crisp as other books on this list - probably because Jin writes in English, which is his second language. But this adds a layer to the work that I find both interesting and explanatory. Waiting is a fascinating but quiet look into Chinese life with a love story that will connect with everyone.
Honorable Mention: Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto
-- This book is great in theory, but lacking a bit in execution. I found it to be too anecdotal and had a few too many unsubstantiated claims. Nevertheless, I think that it should be required reading and Gatto's opinions about open-source learning are spot-on.
No comments:
Post a Comment