What’s the best book you have read this year?
Mine has got to be Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon. No real contest.
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I’d have to say Politics by Adam Thirlwell, which has very little to do with politics, and everything to do with the interior experience of love & sex & relationships.
Though I’m REALLY enjoying The Line of Beauty right now – story of a gay Englishman forlornly obsessed with beautiful things and people, seems as if it’s written just for me. (Though apparently one or two people agree, it winning the Booker and all.) I think it’s also satisfying to me because I read his early work, The Swimming Pool Library, a million years ago and it seemed great in places and yet deeply deeply flawed. It’s always nice to see someone come into their full potential as an artist.
From an, admittedly, very short list of fiction titles this year (New Year resolution already written) it would have to Colm Tóibín’s The Master.. should have won the Booker :p
For fascination value, although not a new title.. William Blake – The Complete Illuminated Works published by Thames & Hudson…. That’s one crazy mixed-up kid!
Hey, I wouldn’t mind if Colm Tóibín’s book had one. I actually don’t like it when things I like win prizes. Ruins them somehow. Mekes me feel less special. (Because it’s all about me, you see – prize juries should really take this into consideration.) In this case, I’m trying to overlook the fact that this book I like won.
That should be “won” and “makes.” Whoops.
Fiction – What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt
Non-fiction – I’ve just started Bob Dylan’s Chronicles and I’m blown away.
Not that I’m admitting that it’s also all about me, Anne.. but if Tóibín had won, I wouldn’t have lost the £10 I bet on him.
I’m also blown away by Underworld but I haven’t finished it yet.
I finally got around to reading Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. It was gratifying to have a book which had come so highly recommended from so many people turn out to be as good a read (if not better) as I’d been led to believe.
So far it’s The Time Traveller’s Wife, but that could just be because that’s the book I’m reading right now, and that’s always my favorite.
I just read The Time Traveler’s Wife! One of the things I really loved about it was the living-breathing sense you got of Chicago as a city. As a former Chicago-an, it made me homesick. I loved it. Even the joint on Belmont where I got my tattoo makes an appearance. And Ann Sather, the great breakfast place … all my old haunts. I loved that part of it.
Tommy – I had the same experience wiht that book! So many people raved about it to me, that I finally just caved and read the damn thing … and once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. I also had to keep a running-list, as I read, of movies I needed to either see for the first time, or see again.
Peter Bogdonavich. Sheesh, what a director. What a trainwreck. However, his new book sounds AMAZING. I have to get that one, too.
“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
I’ve not read it yet, Sheila, but I have seen a couple of unfavourable reviews of the new Bogdanovich book.
There is, however, a great quote, attributed to Welles, that keeps cropping up in Bogdanovich’s interviews – “The terrible thing about LA is that you sit down when you’re 25 and when you stand up you’re 62.”
Well.. maybe not ‘great’ exactly.. interesting though.
When I was in 4th or 5th grade, I first read my favorite childhood book–The Mystery of the Haunted Mine by Gordon D. Shirreffs. It has long been out of print. I recently acquired it through Alibris Books(this is a plug–if you are looking for an old favorite, their service is quick, reasonable, and glitch-free). The most fun I have had reading this past year has been reading this book with my 9-year-old son. I got to relive a little of my youth, and my son LOVED the book. One interesting thing–I originally purchased the book through the Scholastic Book Service at my elementary school. In today’s academic environment, there is no way the powers-that-be would allow this book to be read or bought in school. There are people being shot in the back of the head, some very suspenseful sequences, lots of rifles and shotguns, talk of quiet, bitter Indians, and so on. Needless to say, my son thought it was the best book he has ever read. One other thing, the sixth word on the first page is ‘impetuously.’ Shirreffs believed a writer should respect a young reader’s intelligence, and expand his or her vocabulary.
You people are so smart. Reading your posts makes me feel so stoopid. :)
I hardly ever read fiction, and when I do, it’s usually mystery fluff by John Sandford or Stuart Woods.
I read TONS of non-fiction, mostly true crime and biographies. I finally finished slogging through Tim Pat Coogan’s “Eamon de Valera.” I like how he writes clearly (from being a newpaperman?) but Damn!, dude needs to chill on the footnotes. I about drove myself crazy flipping back and forth — read, check the footnote in the back, go back to reading, etc.
Any of you girls, back in the day, read “The Velvet Room” by Zilpha Keatley Snyder? That’s my favorite book from my childhood.
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris for non-fiction, Sharpe’s Eagle by Bernard Cornwell for fiction.
“The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” by Edward Gibbon. No bull, it’s taken me all year to plow through, but it’s a marvelous read.
Every morning he saluted the parent of light with a sacrifice; the blood of another victim was shed at the moment when the Sun sunk below the horizon; and the Moon, the Stars, the and Genii of the night received their respective and seasonanble honours from the indefatigable devotion of Julian.
Marvelous.
i know what you mean, lisa. i was worried that The Time Traveler’s Wife would be too “Oprah’s Book Club” for this crowd. :0)
Designing Cities: Critical Readings in Urban Design.
Kidding…
There can be no contest with Dame Rebecca.
The best book I’ve read lately, however, is “Roosevelt’s Secret War” by Joseph Persico.
I’d have to say “A Short History of a Small Place” by T.H. Pearson. Love the way he describes small-town life from a child’s perspective. (Reminds me a little of Scout’s narrative from TKAM.) And, I swear, no-one is better at keeping a running joke going longer or to better effect. The toilet seat episode alone will keep me smiling for years.
Umm… that should be T.R Pearson. (I know, Preview is my friend.)
While it’s really horrifically lame to say, I have to admit that the book I enjoyed most this year was Stephen King’s The Dark Tower (which I have to consider as of a piece with Song of Susannah, which also came out this year). But then I’ve been reading the long tale of Roland for about 15 years, so it’s hard to be measured about it.
Finished, at long last!
Lisa,
I know what you mean about Tim Prat Coogan’s book (that is not a typo. I mean it.). It’s too detailed and confusing. I think it took me two months to read that bloody thing.
Lisa –
The Velvet Room? No! Tell me about it … is it still in print?
Howard’s End. I know, I’m not exactly “au courant”, but I discovered EM Forster when I was in Princeton.
no question
“the Lovely Bones”
never read such an original
amazing story about death before
hated to see it end
rossi – both my sisters said the same thing about that book. I haven’t read it yet.
Kate darling … How are you?? Howards End is my favorite of his. “Only connect”. The “Only connect” paragraph is one of my favorite paragraphs ever written. Love Forster as well. I came to him late, too. I had seen all the movies, of course, but finally read Room with a View, and then just got hooked!
Only connect.
I used to blither at P.M. about that when we were having the love affair and trying to work shit out. I would blither at him: “But Forster says to ‘only connect’ – We have to connect – only connect -It’s the only thing that matters …” etc. etc. etc. Ridiculous. Shut the fuck up, Sheila.
I’m having a bit of trouble remembering what I’ve read this year, but the one that sticks out to me is Like the Red Panda by Andrea Seigel. It stunned me at first that it was written by someone my age, but once the green monster wandered away, I loved it.
kira:
Oh, do I know what you mean about “the green monster”! The green monster has kept me from enjoying many a good book!!
Sheila,
Here’s the blurb on “The Velvet Room” from Amazon:
Robin was always “wandering off” (her mother’s words) to get away from the confusion she felt inside her. It was not until Robin’s father found a permanent job at the McCurdy ranch, after three years as a migrant worker, that Robin had a place to wander to. As time went by the Velvet Room became more and more of a haven for her–a place to read and dream, a place to bury one’s fears and doubts, a place to count on.
The Velvet Room, first published in 1965, was a Junior Library Guild selection, and part of Scholastic Books’ Arrow Book Club.
As a young girl who loved reading more than life, I DEVOURED this book. It’s awesome.
Emily,
I had TPC’s “The IRA” in my hands the other day but put it back because really, if I can’t get through a book about ONE person in three months, how long is it going to take to read a book of his about the IRA, for God’s sake. I mean, I have a LIFE, you know! (Plus Kevin Toolis’s book “Rebel Hearts” answered most of the questions I had, AND made me cry, too. Great book!)
“The Lovely Bones” is amazing. Her vision of what Heaven is like took my breath away.
If you haven’t already, y’all need to read “Lucky” by Alice Sebold, too. I know it was all over the media when it came out, but the hype was justified.
everyone seemed to LOVE the lovely bones but me.
i
HATED
that book.
but i did like the same author’s autobiographical “lucky” a lot better. can’t remember her name atm.
Lisa,
I think The IRA is a better book. I’ll give Toolis credit for one thing over Coogan in regards to his writing. He says in Rebel Hearts, right up front, that he’s a Republican sympathizer, so you know his point of view from the start. Coogan does this annoying dance where he tries to pretend like he’s not being biased and simply reciting history, when his own opinions are shown clearly by his writing. It doesn’t bother me that he has an opinion, only that he tries to pretend like he doesn’t and that he’s being far to all sides. For instance, in the glossary for The IRA that gives definitions of terms and acronyms, the entry for “unionist” reads “same as loyalist”. Right, as if there’s no difference between a person who would like Northern Ireland to remain a part of the UK and someone that would vengefully murder innocent people to keep it so. That’s like saying there’s no difference between the SDLP and the IRA. Creep.
Best book (that I hadn’t read already, which I do quite a bit): The Ordeal of the Constitution: The antifederalists and the ratification struggle of 1787-88, by Robert Allen Rutland. I blathered at you about this one earlier this year, I believe.
Best fiction (didn’t read much fiction this year): The Runes of the Earth, by Stephen R. Donaldson. I’d read all of the old “Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” years ago and when I saw this one on the new releases shelf at the local library branch I couldn’t resist.
Also worth mentioning–not because it’s well written, because that’s the last thing it is–is a fairly controversial work titled Unintended Consequences by John Ross. Any book that has been compared to both Atlas Shrugged and The Turner Diaries* is bound to have its interesting bits, I figured. There’s a certain amount of what I would call baloney in it, but I also found it thought-provoking, surprisingly so.
*In case it matters: I haven’t yet read Atlas Shrugged, not being an Objectivist ;-), and would not be interested in wasting my time reading The Turner Diaries.
Emily,
Hm. I guess I’m going to have to bite the bullet and read it, then. Thanks for the warning on his objectivity (or lack thereof).
Before my brain burst into flame reading de Valera, I was beginning to realize, “Hey, sounds like ol’ Timmy didn’t care for this dude very much” when I noticed that NOTHING he wrote was complimentary. I mean, surely he did something good! TPC even made Dev’s marital fidelity seem like a bad thing.
Another question: Do you (or anybody else) know of any books about NI, the IRA, that aren’t subjective? I’ve read Rebel Hearts, Belfast Diary, and Behind The Mask, and all seemed slanted to one side or the other.
Most NI books are pretty biased, aren’t they? Personally I’m so steeped in the nationalist version of history that I find it bracing to read other points of view.
I think Roy Foster, in his Modern Ireland, was at least attempting to write a “straight” history of the place, deliberately trying to cut through various myths of both sides.
I like reading Conor Cruise O’Brien on the subject, even though lots of people would consider him biased, because at least he has some objectivity in terms of identity, coming from a rebel family and developing some Unionist sympathy over time.
I thought Belfast Diary was interesting in terms of point of view. I can’t quite recall the author’s name – he was an American who lived in Belfast for a while, and was trying to make sense of things.
And just wondering – does everyone who reads Sheila have some connection to or special interest in NI? Seems like it.
Lisa –
I’m reading The Secret History of the IRA right now by Ed Moloney, a journalist. I can recommend that one, definitely. It does not have, at all, a romantic “oh, the good old IRA” sensibility – and you can tell by the people he interviewed for the book. The Acknowledgements section is a handbook of dissidents from the IRA. Most of the interviews come from former IRA members who have broken ranks with the IRA, and had a need to describe the insanity within the organization. The book, apparently, becomes, more or less, a biography of Gerry Adams … but I haven’t gotten that far yet.
It’s a very very good read so far.
Oh, I just realized you mentioned Belfast Diary. Did you find it so biased? I thought he was making some attempt to keep some distance and independence of mind.
I don’t mind the bias … as long as the bias is admitted to. It’s such a hot-spot area, and everything is so polarized, that as long as I read a ton of stuff from both sides, then maybe I can formulate my own views on it. It’s when someone (and Coogan is famous for this) pretends to be objective, but his writing drips with a point of view.
Oh and Emily – sorry, off-topic:
did you get my email? I have something I want to send to you.
:)
Cheers – carry on.
I didn’t, Sheila. But then again, I haven’t checked recently…
Okay, that’s cool. I seem to recall your birthday was close to mine, and I’ve got a little somethin-somethin for you.
Anne,
No, I didn’t find Belfast Diary biased, but I read a review that I sort of agreed with in that while the author (and I can’t remember his name, either) did try to tell both sides of the conflict, he only resided in the Catholic part of town, which tended to make him more sympathetic to their situation.
I started typing this before court, and now I’ve lost my train of thought. :) If I remember what I was going to say, I’ll come back.
A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White