#15 Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
This is non-fiction. Maybe that's why it was my least favorite book of the year? Sarah Vowell is super funny, usually.
#14 Say Your One of Them by Uwen Akpan
I didn't finish this book, but read two of the short stories. Honestly, it's a really well-written, and moving and book--but so depressingly hard to read. It made me very sad. I like painful stories that have some redemption--these stories were just pain-filled. I wish I could be more open and embrace this book, but it was too hard to keep reading. But: Oprah likes it!
#13 Lush Life by Richard Price
Richard Price was a writer for my all-time favorite TV show--The Wire, so I thought I'd love this book. It was good, not amazing. I forced myself to finish this so-so police drama. I wasn't into the characters or plot, at all.
#12 Octavian Nothing by M. T. Anderson
This is a very intriguing book written for the young adult crowd. I'm more than half-way through, and I'll finish it for book club in February. It got a little dull midway- so I put it down and Mark picked it up. It's set in Boston right before/during the Revolutionary War. Octavian Nothing, a young slave and science specimen, is the main character-- doesn't that name leave you wanting more? The plot is interesting, vocabulary fascinating, and Mark says it gets better towards the end. We shall see...
#11 Continental Drift by Russell Banks
I like Banks, so I picked up this book. Good, but it drags on and on.
#10 Waiting by Ha Jin
This woman waits forever to marry a married man. Does her patience win? I liked it well enough, but it was pretty sad at times. I picked it up for a quarter at the library. I love to buy books there on the cheap!
#9 An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by PD James
PD James is a go-to author for me. I love that she is well into her eighties, and still write absorbing mysteries. This was a different book for James-- it wasn't apart of her Adam Dagleish detective series. He makes an appearance in the book, but it stars Cordelia Gray, a young private investigator. I liked it, but I always like PD James.
#8 The Black Tower by PD James
I was mad as I read this book. Dagleish, a murder detective, is the main character. He's been confronted with series of deaths while on vacation, but can't go about solving them in the regular manner (because he's on holiday, of course!). I miss Kate, his partner, and all the to-do when the Yard gets involved. I liked it in the end because James plays with your mind so fabulously!
#7 Hanna's Daughters by Marrianne Fredriksson
This was recommended by my friend Kaaren. This book was set on the Swedish/Norwegian border. It follows three generations of women and show how each is affected by their family and the culture around them. The character sare beautifully crafted: real. It's simple, warm, and heart-wrenching at times. This book makes me think of this biblical adage--The sins of your fathers will be passed down to you.
#6 The Likeness by Tara French
A good mystery.
#5 The Lazarus Project by Aleksander Hemon
Just finished this tonight. It took me a while to get through. Hemon has mostly written short stories, and while this is a novel, it feel like many short stories connected by a loose narrative. The stories are good, and the writing is good. You're not propelled through the book, but you stroll through the book, enjoying the ride. This book has two narratives: 1) One modern-day Bosnian writer living in Chicago is researching his book, 2) An immigrant to Chicago (and possible anarchist), Lazarus, was murdered by the Chief of Police. It's good, check it out.
#4 The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
What if the Jews has settled in Sitka, Alaska? This was a fun book to read. It was drawn-out and complicated towards the end. But overall, I really enjoyed it.
#3 The Private Patient by PD James
PD James never fails to entertain. I was absorbed in this book, and read it quickly. I love the way she writes.
#2 Into the Woods by Tara French
To tell you the truth, I initially read the book jacket on this one because the cover was so graphically appealing. This is another mystery, a double murder mystery. She's a new Irish author, and I really enjoyed this book.
#1 City of Thieves by David Benioff
After I read this book, I couldn't stop raving about it. Read it, it's good.
Let me know if you've read any of these...and agree or disagree with my ranking. I found that it was a lot harder to write about the books that I liked more... I wonder why that is. Also, what do you recommend I read this year?
you make me want to read. i have a pile of baby books, parenting, food, vaccinations and more. but would love a good novel.
ReplyDeletei will just do my book post here. haha
ReplyDeleteum, you read a lot.
other books i liked this year: water for elephants. a great summer read. made me think a lot about youth, how life changes, the frailty of life, memory.
i also really liked atonement. intense, but i love, love, loved the movie, so wanted to read the book. made me think about the repercussion of split second decisions. beautifully written, which, as a visual person, i love.
really did not like: julie & julia. liked the movie, strongly disliked the book. the protagonist is so annoying.
and one that you listed that i agree with: city of thieves- a great read. didn't change my life, but it was such a pleasure to read. well written, great characters & char. development, super interesting plot.
and one i experienced differently from your list: say you are one of them. when i was thinking of doing a best of 2009 books, i would have put your #14 as one of the best books i read all year. it resonated with me for many reasons: i think it tells an accurate, aching portrayal of the least of these in africa; i loved that each story, since told in different contexts, used local pigeon english, which made it harder to read at first, but which gave it more authenticity; for me (personally) reading the whole book was redemptive and hopeful as it portrays the resiliency and courage of children who have nothing. i actually preferred the fact that it was so emotionally devastating (not because i like to be sad, but) because i think it tells a truer story than is usually told. most of this type of story are neatly tied up, or they end with some sort of moral or light. these didn't. they forced the reader to deal with the messy and awful. it reminded me of the many stories that my friends told me when i was in west africa, and for me, i think it stands as a witness to those lives (and deaths) that are struggling across the world from us.
it gave me so much to think about, and i was really surprised that oprah picked it as a book (since the redemptive aspect of it is less overt). anyway, it is a hard book to read cover to cover, and obviously not for everyone, but i think more than any other book for *me* in 2009 it stayed with me. as an artist, i also appreciated the fact that he is a priest writing such dark stories- that he could be true to his roots as a follower of Jesus without sugarcoating the stories. That is always something i wrestle with. Finding authenticity & not having to inject a happy/uplifting aspect to each thing I create.
Anyway, as you can see, I sub-blog posted!
Loved your comment sooz! Like I said, I knew I should like Say You're One on Them---for all the reasons you listed--- but sadly, I didn't. Mark just said he didn't understand why I didn't like that book. Thanks for the suggestions for the new year too!
ReplyDelete