Finally, a Record Broken: The Book List
Holy crap, I’ve read a lot this year in comparison to other years. Holy crap, I still have a ton on my 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) list.
So I’ve read 38 books this year; with that, I have busted the book list’s previous 2008 record. That’s great, and I don’t plan on slowing down for the year. (Yeah, some people are much faster at this, but this has been fun, so I’m enjoying it.) This is what happens when you don’t have a TV, have a long public transportation commute, have a husband who enjoys sitting next to you in mutual reading silence: you read a shitload of books. Good. Times. And I mean that in all sincerity.
Two of those books have been unpublished; I can’t go into detail, but one book is very promising and I’m hoping this author gets a shot at publication. The other book, well . . . a bit of work is needed, and I’m working on my critique. Interesting premise, execution needs some polishing. I read these books as a reader, not an editor or writer. Beta reading is hugely important and I enjoy doing it a lot. Good. Times. And I mean that in all sincerity.
(On that note, next to the unpublished novels, you’ll see a published nonfiction book that I recently read. I wish to high hell I could say the title and author, but that might drive said author here, and while I did enjoy the book, the last thing I want to do is be identified. Or have more blog traffic come my way from familiar sources. So, suffice it to say: I enjoyed the book and the writing. The end.)
Still, though, I recently had a ton of books wing their way to me from Amazon. Cue excitement from me, woo! I’m quite sure that, these days, I spend more on books than on clothes or electronics. That inspires a weird pride in me. Forgive my geekiness.
When the power went out a few weeks ago (again), I was stranded at home—the intersection leading to the Metro (a mile away) was a lake and the traffic light situation didn’t inspire much confidence (too many people around here don’t treat downed traffic lights as full stops). So, I stayed home, promising to think about work once in a while. When IP and I couldn’t stand the heat in our apartment anymore, we fled to Barnes & Noble in Rockville, where we browsed books for hours. We both ended up writing down several books that were added to our Amazon wish lists—rest assured that they’ll be on the book list in the future.
Ah, books. I love you!
So because I can’t do proper critiques, here’s an update on what’s recommended from the book list’s recent entries:
Total Immersion by Allegra Goodman: Definite recommend, as Goodman’s power to create fascinating characters making their way through all stages of life is amazing. The way that the short stories weave in and out of each other is absolutely brilliant without affecting the quality of the particular short story you’re reading. She wrote this when she was 21. Holy hell, to be able to write like that at 21!
The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte: This one had me scratching my head a bit. I liked it because there were some interesting bits about the rare book trade, and I’m always up for a bit of speculation as to the nature of the devil and the association that the pursuit of knowledge is the core of evil, but the book didn’t fascinate me and the plot strands and their resolutions were baffling. Meh. Atmospheric, but I’ll stick to Carlos Ruiz Zafon for my rare book/Spanish writer fix.
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson: A great read. It started out slow, and I found the narrator to be a bit grating with her initial, not-veiled hints as to what would happen, but the book was a quiet triumph. A powerful portrayal of families in crisis and the resentments we hold onto in spite of the love we have for those close to us.
Onto the book list.
Finished:
1) The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault
2) The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
3) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peal Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
4) Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
5) Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser
6) Unaccustomed Earth: Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
7) Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
8) Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
9) Shakespeare’s Wife by Germaine Greer
10) The Case for Books: Past, Present, and Future by Robert Darnton
11) Under the Dome by Stephen King
12) Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge by Eleanor Herman
13) Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics by Eleanor Herman
14) The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez
15) The Road by Cormac McCarthy
16) The Hidden by Tobias Hill
17) The Best American Short Stories 2009: Edited by Alice Sebold & Heidi Pitlor (Series Editor)
18) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Translated by Reg Keeland)
19) The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
20) The Grift by Debra Ginsberg
21) The Help by Kathryn Stockett
22) Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson
23) About My Sisters by Debra Ginsberg
24) Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg
25) The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Translated by Lucia Graves)
26) Do Not Deny Me: Stories by Jean Thompson
27) Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
28) Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman
29) Burning Bright: Stories by Ron Rash
30) Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy
31) One Day by David Nicholls
32) Published True Crime Book
33) Unpublished Novel—Beta Read
34) Unpublished Novel—Beta Read
35) Total Immersion by Allegra Goodman
36) The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte, Translated by Sonia Soto
37) Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
Re-read:
1) World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Currently Reading:
1) Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages by Ammon Shea
2) The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
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) Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg
4) The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
6) The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
