It's time for my self-imposed October book report (a couple days late), and it wasn't until now that I realized I read 25 books in 10 months (I was late in posting last year's report, too, in December, hence the shorter time period). That's probably a record for me. Some of these books were fairly short, some were skimmable, a couple were audio books. Still, the fact that I read the complete Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante in addition to all these others is both a testament to how sucked in I was by that series and also how much time I diverted my attention from other things. That's kind of glorious.
(See: Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5)
A theme that emerges in this list is powerful female friendships. This was, of course, at the heart of the Neapolitan Novels, but also was crucial to Swing Time, Girls Burn Brighter and The Color Purple. I read a lot of short stories this year, too, but the only collection I read fervently from cover to cover was The Interpreter of Maladies. This may be one of my favorite books ever.
Also, God bless the library. I possess only 5 of the books below. The rest were checked out from the library. I feel much more inspired to read going there - even moreso than when I go to bookstores. There's less pressure at the library to pick out something you know you'll like. I never would have read a third of the books below if not for the gamble the library affords me.
Here's what I read.
1. Do Unto Animals: A friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better by Tracey Stewart: I confess I bought this because I am in love with the illustrations by Lisel Jane Ashlock, and only after I purchased it did I realize it was written by Tracey Stewart, who is married to television host John Stewart. I found her writing to be delightful and thought it might be a lovely book to share with younger animal lovers as it contains fun recipes for homemade treats and cute craft tutorials.Here's what I read.
2. Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems and Poems by Mary Oliver: This collection was solace in January. Her words on hope resonated deeply. Her depiction of being out with her dogs in the dark morning hours, and her short poem, "The Storm," about her dog making exuberant tracks in the snow, deepened my feelings of kinship with her. I might go back and purchase this one so I have it every January.
3. On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee: This dystopian journey was a good stretch of my imagination.
4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey: I'm glad I finally read this. It definitely felt of an era to me, and I'm not so sure it's held up over time. But the characters were so memorable and have stuck with me, which is not something I can say about a lot of novels.
5. Why Sinatra Matters by Pete Hamill: If you want the reason why Sinatra matters, you won't find it in this book, until the author's last memory of Sinatra on the final page - and it was pretty underwhelming. I appreciated that this book wasn't an accounting of Sinatra's wives or an assortment of celebrity gossip, but a good general framing of the world Sinatra entered before he added his piece to it. For unabashed Sinatra superfans like me, it was an enjoyable, quick reminder of Sinatra's rise, fall, comeback and lasting impact.
6. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri: Best thing I read this year. All nine of these stories were intimately told and stirred my soul, and several brought me to tears. I gained an appreciation for the Indian-American experience and the experiences and feelings that are universal to anyone who is assimilating into a new culture or environment. I still get chills thinking about "A Temporary Matter."
7. Rabbit, Run by John Updike: This is a book in which I had to remind myself that I don't need to sympathize with the main character, or any character at all. I enjoyed Updike's style but hated Rabbit Angstrom.
8. Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver: I love Kingsolver's way of writing about family - the families we have by birth and those we gain through our experiences. And she always weaves in themes of our natural environment and human rights, and while verging on preachy, she does make you consider all sides.
9. Idaho by Emily Ruskovich: I really loved this one. The writing was gorgeous. It felt like a puzzle with missing pieces, and some pieces that fit in different ways. It caused me to imagine different scenarios for how the plot played out. It was a beautiful portrayal of love in all its complicated forms, and also an interesting study in how personal narrative can both empower and betray us. I also loved the role that music played throughout the book, particularly the song at its core, which, I learned, was written by the author's father.
10. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: When you open a book and some of the preface pages are devoted to family trees, you know you're in for a real saga. I tore through it. So different, so shocking (violent children!), and the different kind of read I needed. The ending made it impossible for me to not continue. This is not the most flattering depiction of friendship, but it felt honest and daring.
11. News of the World by Paulette Jiles: A quick read and not my usual genre...I glazed over some of the Civil War description but generally I enjoyed the sweet story of the old man Captain Kidd ("Kepp-dun") and the young Johanna, a former captive of the Kiowa tribe he is charged with returning to her German family. And, you know, things happen along the way.
12. Swing Time by Zadie Smith: I loved it at first, but it became a tedious read and I no longer cared much about the characters by the end. I love you Zadie, but not this book.
13. Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao: Another top book of the year. Not for the faint of heart due to details of human trafficking and sexual abuse, but a powerful story about friendship.
14. Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante: I read this one in Italy, appropriately, and I was on the plane home when I got to the ending and realized I couldn't quit.
15. Swearing is Good for You: The Amazing Science of Bad Language by Emma Byrne: Basically, swearing is good for you. You probably don't need to read a whole book about it, but it was a fun diversion.
16. The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything by Neil Pasricha: Never retire. Figure out what your ikigai is, also known as the reason you get up in the morning. Stop wearing out your brain with decision making. Nothing new, but some good reminders and visualizations.
17. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Cried in the car listening to Tim Robbins read this one on the audiobook.
18. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion: Another audio book, another cry.
19. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante: This one was not terribly plot-driven. I started to lose steam but tried to appreciate Ferrante's way of illuminating the quieter details of the main character's thoughts.
20. The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald: Sweet and sad, but Fitzgerald's writing is delightful. I'd love to read more of her work.
21. Lancelot by Walker Percy: I am still wondering why I had never heard of Walker Percy before this book. It was such a different kind of read for me - it did feel a little dated and it did get pretty weird in the end, the narrative style was effective.
22. Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta: Toward the bottom of the stack. The characters didn't really seem to grow, and they really needed to.
23. Less by Andrew Sean Greer: A joy.
24. The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante: After the slower third book, it was exciting to read this conclusion where so many things happened! Loose ends were tied, but some mysteries remained, and that felt very appropriate. Ultimately, a beautiful saga of a deeply entwined community, how one contends with or rises from that community and how it forms a sense of identity, and how a complicated friendship can divide and unite. I'm not doing it justice here at all.
25. The Color Purple by Alice Walker: A contemporary classic for a reason. Such a beautiful story of perseverance, self-discovery, and love between sisters.
Plus selected chapters/stories from...
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute by Grace Paley
How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti
Ninety Nine Stories of God by Joy Williams
The Collected Stories of Mavis Gallant
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