Ten Favorites That I Read In 2009
In no particular order, here are my favorite reads from the previous post's list.
84, Charing Cross Road records a correspondence between a New Yorker and employees of an English bookstore after World War II. I am envious of an age when handwritten letters arrived on one's mailbox frequently and, during this internet age, it was a pleasant reminder to read of the connections made when responses were not instantaneous.
The Likeness is the second mystery from Dublin author Tana French. I discovered her work almost by accident; a customer was returning her first novel and, while waiting for my manager to authorize the customer's return, I flipped open to the first few pages of In the Woods. I was immediately sucked into the story of Dublin detectives on the hunt to solve a murder. After finishing that first mystery in near record time, I lucked out and learned that her second novel was just arriving in stores. I couldn't put The Likeness down either.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is another collection of correspondence, though fictional, again taking place around World War II. The book had been on the bestseller list for a while and I admit that I never took much interest in it. Then a friend recommended it, the book having been sent to her by a friend. Over the course of a couple days, I devoured it and was upset with myself that I had not looked into it before. Since then I have given this book as a gift and can only hope that each recipient has enjoyed it as much.
This next title was suggested by the same friend and am I glad she did. A Homemade Life has managed to rise above other books in a category that has enjoyed an increased popularity thanks to books like Julie and Julia. Are the books cookbooks with bits of personal story thrown in or memoirs with recipes sprinkled throughout? I think A Homemade Life is a great read that also happens to contain great recipes, though I should probably hang my head in admitting I've never tried to make a single one. Though the chocolate cake recipe is suppose to be amazing.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is another book that had been flying off the shelf at the store that I never really looked into. Then, while browsing a bargain remainder bookstore, I saw it for $4 and figured for that price, I could take the plunge. I had also just given it as a gift, based on the fact that "everyone buys it" and figured it would be good to know if I had given a dud of a book or if it really was the gem customers had said it was. I recognize how dicey it can be to rely on how frequently a book sells to decide if the book is worth the paper its printed on, but, at least in this case, I wasn't let down.
I started reading Big Oyster because the library copy of another Mark Kurlansky title, Salt, was checked out and for some reason I apparently decided that I needed to read about the history of the oyster in America. Kurlansky does an excellent job of making a readable story out of a topic one thinks could be utterly boring. I still haven't tried oysters, but I at least find their role in America's history interesting and am glad I took the time to learn it.
Set in the time of 9/11 NYC, Love Is The Higher Law looks at that day and its aftermath through the eyes of several teenage narrators. It took me quite some time from when this book was released to finally read it. I shouldn't have been hesitant to read it; author David Levithan is known for his expert handling of "adult" topics that have always affected teenagers as well. And he did that again here.
As an adult reader, I say its a shame if you've never delved into the teen section. There are many selections that should never be confused as being anything close to the "Gossip Girl" genre of teen books. Because I Am Furniture is one of those titles that rise above the genre. Because I Am Furniture also reminds one to investigate books that don't just fall into a normal prose format. Through poems, the reader follows high schooler Anke as she discovers that she is more than just furniture in the lives around her.
Wintergirls is by another author known for her hard-hitting teen books. If you haven't read Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, I recommend that title highly as well. Anderson manages to immerse herself into the minds of teens as the characters go through some of the toughest challenges any teen can face. Wintergirls is not a light read, and left me feeling the character's emptiness long after I finished reading the last sentence.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog was one of my picks for the book group I'm in. Not only did I really enjoy it, so did the other (two) members of my book group. You might think that a book about the concierge at a Parisian apartment building and one of the teenage inhabitants of that apartment building could draw you in so completely, but by the end of the book, none of us wanted to stop reading about those characters.
