This was a slightly disappointing reading year, in that I only read about 35 books. Part of this is because I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November and didn't read much of anything as I tried to focus on writing. I also didn't listen to as many audiobooks this year as I usually do, choosing more often to listen to podcasts. Still, I did read some very good stuff, and wanted to do a top ten list to make sure those books I enjoyed but didn't review would get a little end-of-year attention.
1. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
This memoir by Roz Chast is the first graphic memoir/novel/anything that I've ever read. I bought the brand-new hardcover after hearing about it on the Slate Audio Book Club podcast. Listening to Dan Kois and Hanna Rosin reading a section in the voices of Roz's parents, I was overcome with laughter, and also, having grown up in my own hoarders-like situation, I knew there would be parts I could relate to. This book is hysterically funny, at times heartbreaking, completely honest, and full of awesome. Everyone should read it.
2. Ancient Oceans of Central Kentucky
In a year when I didn't blog as much as I would have liked, and didn't review as many books as I'd hoped to (in both cases, I realize that's the same story as EVERY year, but I digress), I did post a review of this amazing debut novel by David Connerley Nahm. I skimmed through several best-of-the-year roundups online, and didn't see this novel on any of them. WHY DO I HAVE TO SAY THIS AGAIN?? GO FIND THIS BOOK AND READ IT!!
3. Station Eleven
This is the fourth book by Emily St. John Mandel, and her breakout. I was lucky to be one of the first to get it from my local library, and I read the whole thing in one day, during the October Read-a-thon. It's post-apocalyptic and literary, with both smarts and heart, and unlike the Nahm book, it actually DID make many best-of-the-year lists, deservedly so. Count me on the bandwagon.
4. Can't and Won't
Lydia Davis has become a favorite of mine, and this one, her latest collection of stories (some short, and some short-short), was a solid effort. A handful of the pieces didn't do it for me, but overall, this book was a joy. Like Ancient Oceans, this is one I initially got from the library, and then bought my own copy because I liked it so much. I now have most of Davis's books, and really I should just plan to buy the new ones as they come out because I can't imagine not liking them.
5. The Days of Abandonment
This was the first book I read by elusive Italian author Elena Ferrante. I bought it at the library book sale a few years ago, and finally read it because of the World Cup of Literature event hosted by Three Percent. It was blisteringly angry, and also maybe a little crazy. I bought into it, and I loved it. I bought another Ferrante book soon after finishing this one, so definitely plan to read more of her.
6. Bluets
Like the Ferrante novel, this book by Maggie Nelson sat on my bedside table for a LOOONG TIIIIME, while I hoped to write a review or at least post some of the passages I liked best. (As usual, I didn't get to it.) It's hard to say whether this book is prose, or prose poetry, or something else I don't have a name for. It consists of over 100 passages and short paragraphs, all numbered, all growing from thoughts about the color blue -- thus the title. This book isn't for everyone: there are F-bombs in it, and sexually graphic moments, and you might wonder if Nelson has them in there merely to shock the reader or to make some point that's not entirely clear. But good heavens, a lot of the sections in the book are SO BEAUTIFUL, so finely-crafted and moving, I don't even care about the comparatively small number that mention screwing and sodomy and what-have-you. I'd really like to read more by Nelson, and look forward to hearing what she'll do next.
7. My Life in Middlemarch
This book by Rebecca Mead is part memoir, part biography of George Eliot, and part literary criticism/appreciation of Eliot's novel Middlemarch. As a huge fan of Middlemarch, I was eager to read this book, and it didn't disappoint. It brought me to tears several times. My only problem with it is that it's the kind of book I would have wanted to write, and Mead has already written it, dammit. Since she's British, and read Middlemarch far earlier in life than I did, she clearly had an advantage over me anyway, so I forgive her, and truly appreciate her work. Moreover, she brought attention to Middlemarch, and that makes me very happy.
8. Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Confession: I listened to Jenny Lawson's "mostly true memoir" on audio, very early in 2014, and haven't revisited it. But when I looked at the list of books I read during the year, and saw this title, all I could think of was how incredibly funny it was -- I mean laughed-till-I-cried, might-need-my-inhaler, almost-wetting-my-pants, loud-guffaws-in-public kind of funny. Anything that makes me laugh that hard is always worth my time. If you like funny books and you don't mind one that includes at least 85 occurrences of the word "vagina," give this one a shot.
9. Home Leave
I got an ARC of Brittani Sonnenberg's debut novel from LibraryThing, so I've already written a review of it, and don't need to say much more. I really admired all the different perspectives, and the variety of styles, that Sonnenberg used to tell this story. That willingness to experiment helps her to stand out from the crowd.
10. Bury Me in My Jersey
This one is a memoir by Tom McAllister, a writer who also co-hosts my favorite podcast, Book Fight! Because I love the podcast, I was probably predisposed to enjoy the book. Moreover, since it's a memoir, and I know Tom's voice from the podcast, I could "hear" him narrating as I read it. A big part of the book is about Tom's adolescence and young adulthood in and around Philadelphia, and specifically his family's devotion to the Philadelphia Eagles football team. Tom's experiences in Eagles fandom, and the loss of his father to cancer when Tom was only 20, are woven together into a mosaic of love for both family and a wider community (in this case, both fellow Eagles fans and Philly itself), and of grief at losing his dad when he still badly needed his dad's guidance and encouragement. I've learned a decent amount about basketball and baseball from my husband and sons, but I still know almost nothing about football, and I'm happy to remain in ignorance. And yet, I enjoyed this book very much. It doesn't matter if you have an interest in football, or in any kind of "fandom," or if you've lost a loved one too soon, or like to read about father-son relationships, or you've considered writing as your vocation but don't see how you could ever actually do it -- there is something in McAllister's book for all of these readers. And if you're like me, and you've listened to enough episodes of the Book Fight! podcast that you can tell which voice is Tom's and which is Mike's, then you should definitely read Tom's book. Like, stop reading this now and go find a copy!
Cheers to discovering some excellent books in 2014, and let's hope 2015 is full of fantastic reading!
