This pile of books is never going away, so I’m going to cheat to catch up. These are nearly all books I read at the very beginning of the year that I didn’t know what to write about anyway, so I just need to nut up and get them out of my way so I don’t start to avoid this little project of mine.
#12: Stiff by Mary Roach.
Most non-fiction I read like I take a vitamin. It’s good for me, so I choke it down. Even the ones that I think will be interesting reads, like the book I’m reading now on the history of Muzak, often end up losing me unless the author is really great. Mary Roach is really great. This book is my favorite non-fiction book I’ve read in years because the subject matter – what happens to bodies willed to science – is fascinating in the best morbid sense, but Roach is also hilarious. She manages to be entertaining without being offensive considering the subject matter, which I imagine takes a very deft touch indeed.
#13: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Everyone in the world read this book ages ago, but I’m just now getting around to it and cursing myself for taking so long to do it. I’ve never really enjoyed short stories, just as I don’t always enjoy poetry. The format just doesn’t do anything for me. Lahiri is such a sharp exception to my impressions that she’s making me reconsider my stance entirely, to the point that I’m even considering writing some stories, when I’ve only ever envisioned novels before. My main beef with the short form is that it’s not enough. It’s not enough to make me care about the protagonist, it’s not enough to show a clear emotional arc, it’s not enough to teach me a lesson. Lahiri conquers all of those concerns. The first story in the book, A Temporary Matter, haunts me still. It so clearly delineates how easily a marriage can go awry that even I, content in my better than average marriage and safe within all the protective boundaries we surround ourselves with, could see how a simple fissure can become a cavern. Lahiri’s great strength is her structure. Every story read like an architectural schematic to me, every sentence had a purpose to the plot. It was masterful.
#14: The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith
I remember only the lesson I learned from this book. Which is that a writing session can be productive even if only one good sentence comes out of it. I never truly believed that until I saw the impact such gems can have, both in me as the reader, and for the characters in her book. I tore through this book in one evening, probably in a pain pilled fueled haze, which probably explains why I can’t remember more. That and the fact that I read it in January and I haven’t thought about it since. But I know I enjoyed it. This will go on the reread shelf.
#15: Fluke by Christopher Moore
I read this after loving his book The Stupidest Angel. Like the other work of his that I have read, it’s brilliant and absurd and hilarious. Full of fascinating scientific tidbits peppered with the funniest observances, it was a terrifically rewarding read. So rarely do you get a truly smart book that is so funny and a joy to read. Moore has made me a big fan.
#16: Ordinary Love and Good Will by Jane Smiley
I adore Jane Smiley’s work. A Thousand Acres is stunning and Moo made my jaw drop at the thought of all the intricate research. In one sense she reminds me of Jane Austen, relating a comedy in manners in a brand new setting. Ordinary Love and Good Will are two novellas published together. I’ve been avoiding them on my bookshelf [see above for my feelings on short stories] but I forced myself to pick them up and I was rewarded for it. Smiley is so great at understanding human motivations. At making the most outlandish character sympathetic. These stories were great, but I was so crushed to see them end. Oh how I wish she had made both of these full novels. The meat was definitely there, I don’t know why she didn’t, but I didn’t feel like either one was finished.
#17: The Believing Heart: Nourishing the Seed of Faith by Bruce C. Hafen
This is book 1 in a three part series that Elder Hafen wrote on the subject of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Elder Hafen serves in the Quorum of the Seventy, which is a part of the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In the past I’ve had some trouble reading books written for the LDS audience because of their relentless optimism and downright cornyness. Elder Hafen will always hold a place in my heart for being brave enough to admit that life is not always full of sunshine to scatter, even if you are the best Mormon that ever walked. His honest and tolerant approach coupled with his wise council made this book a life changer for me.
