Since the beginning of 2013, I have had pretty
much zero time to read. I moved. I work full time. I’m in college full time. I
write. I have people with whom I enjoy speaking on a semi-daily basis. I also
need to sleep sometimes. In the absence of free time in which I could pick up a
book in which to immerse myself, I found myself surrounded by books—hundreds
every day (due both to my job and to my large collection at home)—all of which
were calling out to me, yearning for my attention. So, as you can imagine, when
the semester ended in May, I devoted myself to my long-lost friends and
reacquainted myself with the language that I’d thought had slipped away from me
for good. But of course, it hadn’t. Those precious books had been there for me
all along, supporting me from a distance with their elusive metaphors and
sing-song voices.
Here are the results—the books I’ve read in the
past seven months (January 1, 2013 through July 31,
2013), NOT including anything I’ve read for work or school:
A
Light-Hearted Look at Murder by Mark Watson
This was an offbeat, sad, and quirky reintroduction
to reading after a long, busy break. I was expecting, based on the premise,
that this would be a hilarious book, but it was actually quite depressing. It’s
about a girl who begins writing letters to a man in prison through a
companionship program, but since his letters come in German, she must rely on
the translations provided by her lazy roommate. In the letters, this man describes
his years in college, when he acted as a Hitler impersonator and dated a seven
foot tall girl. His voice in the letters is deep and engaging, but the story is
full of sadness, and the ending is especially unsatisfying emotionally—though
not narratively.
The End of
Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
When his avid reader mother is diagnosed with
advanced pancreatic cancer and given only a few months to live, editor Will
Schwalbe begins sharing his thoughts on books he’s read when he accompanies her
on trips to treatment appointments. Their meetings turn into a book club of
sorts, and they read various books they’ve wanted to read their whole lives, as
well as rereading favorites and foraying into new genres. As they both confront
Schwalbe’s mother’s imminent death, this memoir unfolds into a touching ode to
her life. More about his mother than about the books they read, The End of Your Life Book Club is a
definite tearjerker, but also a must read for writers and anyone who’s ever had
a mother. After reading it, I gave it to mine for Mother’s Day.
The
Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis
I’d heard so many wonderful things about this book
that I decided to read it, despite it being young adult, which I do not read
very often. Sort of a story within a story, this book follows a teenage girl as
she develops a relationship with a drug dealer who is caring for his young
sister after their mother has disappeared. I had the notion that I would love this
book based on the first chapter, but the more I read, the more I despised the
narrator, this teenage girl. Young adult is a genre populated with weak female
leads, and it is a genre that needs them the most. This drug dealer, while
hurting deeply, did some terrible things to this girl, unforgiveable even in
his sympathetic situation—and the narrator stayed with him. That really upset
me and ruined the book for me, I have to say. Her actions were meant to be seen
as forgiving and compassionate, but she just seemed needy and submissive to his
abuse. The characters were extremely well developed, and the writing was, no
doubt, absolutely beautiful, but I found it hard to stick with some of the
characters’ actions and to understand their motivations.
On the Beach
by Nevil Shute
The end of humanity is approaching. After a
nuclear war that wiped out most of the planet, only Australia is left, and the
inhabitants know that the radiation is wafting their way. With only a few weeks
before they will die, this small community inquires about how and when it will
happen while simultaneously hoping it will not. Kind of a slow progression
toward their deaths, and hugely sad, this book is not for those who want a
tightly wrapped ending. A focus on the present moment and the hope derived from
that type of life manifests here. It’s a whisper instead of a bang sort of
deal.
Elliot
Allagash by Simon Rich
Every time I think, “I should probably read some
young adult fiction. This one looks good,” I always feel I’ve made the wrong
decision. Maybe young adult is simply not my thing, and I should finally
recognize that and stop trying so hard to enjoy it. With this one, I felt the
wealthy, snobby Elliot was too archetypal, as was the quiet, smart narrator.
I’m sure there are a few middle-school kids who would love it, though.
The Memory
of Love by Linda Olsson
I read Linda Olsson’s previous two books and loved
them, but this one was slightly too pretentious for me. The main characters are
too introspective and self-absorbed, even when they seem to try to be helping
other people. Gorgeous prose at times, though, certainly.
Bootstrapper:
From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm by Mardi Jo Link
I read this memoir because I know the author’s
family, and I work for the book review company she co-founded,
ForeWord Reviews (
Shameless plug. But seriously,book lovers should probably visit. You know, if you want to.). While the
premise does not seem all that engaging (newly divorced woman struggles through
raising three teenage boys on a farm), Mardi Jo Link is such an astoundingly
great writer that she drives her story forward with crazily badass strength.
It’s laugh-out-loud funny and a tear jerker at the same time. Highly
recommended.
Island
by Aldous Huxley
More an exposition on spirituality than a novel,
this is quite different from A Brave New
World, the only other of Huxley’s works I’ve read. A man crashes on an
island to discover a group of people who have lived separated from civilization
(by choice) for decades. Curiosity ensues. I recommend it for people with a
dozen hours to use reading spiritual texts or novels of the like who wish for a
change of pace. A slow pace, but one that takes you through a story that will
reveal wise insights into the way we behave.
Doctor Who:
Shroud of Sorrow by Tommy Donbavand
Because I’m a major nerd, I saw this book and
absolutely had to read it. It was pretty awesome. I’m definitely going to read
more of the Doctor Who books as I see them.
The Carriage
House by Louisa Hall
The father of three young women has a stroke, and
his long-time sort of girlfriend moves into his house to care for her—while his
dementia suffering wife is still living there. The three daughters come home as
well, and they lobby against the neighbors when they decide to tear down the
carriage house that is on their property after some lines have changed. The
girls (the oldest a young mother, the middle child a architecture student
contemplating getting back with her ex, and the youngest still in high school)
each tell their own side of the story, the author using perfect narrative
distance in a third-person point of view. There is humor, there is sadness, and
there is truth in these characters—they are whole people. As I was reading
this, I was thinking, “This is the type of book I want to write.”
Bay of Fires
by Poppy Gee
This reminded me of a less gory, less emotional,
more community-centered version of The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A fisherwoman visits her family on the Tasmanian
coast, where the body of a tourist washes up on the shore, reminding residents
of the disappearance of a teenage girl the previous year. The characterization
in the novel is marvelous. Poppy Gee gets so deep into each character’s head
you feel you can understand what they will do next and why. This does not make
the plot predictable though; you’ve got to continue reading to find out
who-dun-it (also easy to figure out) and to see where the relationships between
the characters will lead. I don’t really recommend it if you find the plot
interesting, but for writers, this is a must-read for skills in
characterization and narrative distance.
On Beauty
by Zadie Smith
A genius plot with characters who, while not
entirely likable, drive the story forward with their intricate and diverse
motivations. It captures a realistic picture of the relationship between
highbrow academia and inner city dignity. The characters are all relatable and
vividly real, though they are all extremely difficult to like, likely because they’re so real.
Best New
American Voices 2010
In an effort to read more short stories (and write
them) in preparation for applying to MFA programs this fall, I read this
collection of stories from the top MFA programs, hoping some of the talent
would rub off on me—or that I could recognize myself in them. These are all
fantastic stories, some of them I could see myself writing, some of them not
really fitting of my preferences, and others I wish I had written. This is probably the most important book I’ve read all
year so far.
The
Incurables by Mark Brazaitis
This collection of short stories I had the
impression by the cover and the author’s credentials would be absolutely
amazing, but I was vaguely disappointed. The author captured the mental states
of a handful of characters from a town in Ohio with imagination, but I wasn’t
extremely impressed. Great intent and decent hand at the craft, but this book
just wasn’t for me.
So there you go. The books I read in the past
seven months.
Peace, Aimee
