I Feel the Need . . . The Need to Read!: The Book List

Embarrassingly enough, I’ve let the book list suffer tremendously this year. Not only am I not updating it on this blog, I’m also not reading thanks to the wedding. I was totally consumed by our nuptials to the point of ridiculousness, I’d say; wanting to make every detail perfect really interferes with even your most beloved everyday activities. Does that happen to everyone? No, but it happened to me. I’m not proud, but it’s happened.

I haven’t posted anything about the book list since March. That’s five months ago! And that was the first one of the year! But now I feel like I’m making a slow return to reading, and for that I’m happy. Right now I’m perusing Barnes & Noble, ready to order a bunch of books and dive into reading once more. Even as I was planning and not reading, I felt the desire to write. Write what, I’m still not sure, but I just need to pick up a damn pencil. Or just start typing on a blank Word document.

I’ve read a total of 12 books this year. Jesus! Apparently at this time of year last year, I was only at 16, but I had just discovered Jasper Fforde and that number was about to jump tremendously (and it doesn’t help that Fforde’s next novel, Shades of Grey is delayed yet again). I haven’t ordered shit from BN.com since March 2 (that’s truly frightening!).  Will I be able to catch up and surpass last year’s total of 33 books read?

I certainly hope so; it’ll be easier if I read more books like The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Not quite as impressive as The Shadow of the Wind, I think I was more in tune with the plot and less taken in with the language.  Don’t get me wrong, the language was still stunningly beautiful and, like The Shadow of the Wind, awakens in me a desire to write like Ruiz Zafón, like Donna Tartt, like Maria Amparo Escandon.  However, like The Shadow of the Wind, the climax and dénouement were easy to spot well before they occurred; I admit to a bit of confusion as to which Sempere I was seeing, but other than that, I was far from lost. I still enjoyed the stunning language, but what were supposed to be either shocking revelations or unsettling conclusions felt more like huge moments of “Yeah, didn’t see that coming.” I say none of this sarcastically or with disdain; it just means that my eyes were a bit more open when reading Ruiz Zafón this time around. He is an excellent writer and Lucia Graves is a top-notch translator, but I’m not that shabby of a reader.  I still retain some of the literary analysis skills imparted to me by the University of Michigan Department of English faculty.  I was thrilled to see this author return, though; I’ve been on the lookout for Ruiz Zafón’s next novel since I put down The Shadow of the Wind. More of his work needs to be translated, like, now.

Although wedding planning took far too much of my time, here are some quick and dirty reviews of what I read:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: Meh. I have no idea why people think this was a funny or particularly interesting story. If anyone’s trying too hard with the magical realism, it’s Diaz.

Fool: Again, meh. One of Moore’s weaker stories.  Not humorous, the bawdiness taken to an extreme (well beyond what we saw in Lamb), and a cast of unsympathetic characters make this a poor novel.

People of the Book: I read Year of Wonders and hated the way Brooks wrote. Why I thought People of the Book would be any better escapes me. The premise is interesting enough, but the book descends into confusing metaphors and a Mission Impossible-esque ending. Boo.

The World of Normal Boys: Extremely powerful story. Graphic with the sex, but strong on emotion, consequence and loss. Definitely recommend.

Every Man Dies Alone: Beautifully written book.  In fact, given this novel, I would put Fallada into the realm of writers I wish I could emulate in style.

What Now, Little Man?: Also Fallada, but not as strong as Every Man Dies Alone. Would still recommend, though.

The Audacity of Hope: Policy, really, with then-Senator and now President Barack Obama falling into the talking points that come with policy; less interesting and honest than Dreams from My Father.  I particularly loved the part where he says that seeing people wave the Mexican flag angers him. Oh, Barack (and politicians everywhere), will you ever learn? If I based my identity solely on my citizenship papers, I’d lose the richness that comes with my history. Same with the U.S. in general.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Simple re-read in preparation for the movie (which I’ve only seen once; see what else wedding planning can do to you and your time!?).  Still excellent even if I still want to kick Ron down a flight of stairs during the middle parts of the book.

Hopefully this post is a sign of better things to come with my reading and writing.  Off to Barnes and Noble to buy some books. Onto the second book list of the year.

Finished:

1) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
2) Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose
3) The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor
4) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
5) Fool by Christopher Moore
6) People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
7) The World of Normal Boys by K.M. Soehnlein
8) Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada
9) The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
10) Little Man, What Now? by Hans Fallada
11) The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Translated by Lucia Graves)

Re-read:

1) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Currently Reading:

1) The Aeneid by Virgil (Translation by Robert Fagles)
2) South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Waiting To Be Read (Already Purchased, Got as Gifts, Borrowed from My Husband or Otherwise Accessible without the Use of Funds, But Not an Assurance That I Will Read These Before I Buy More Books):

1) Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn by William J. Mann