Top Ten Books I Read in 2011
(in no particular order)
Nothing Daunted is a tale of two Smith College educated women who leave behind the comforts of their 1916 lives to go teach in a one room schoolhouse on the frontier. Perhaps my use of the word tale makes you think its fiction; in fact the book is written by one of their grand daughters. The material for the book was culled from the extensive correspondence both women had with their friends and families back East. I was quickly drawn into their story and eagerly awaited the unfolding of each new chapter much as their family awaited their letters. At the start of the book, I was aware that only their time on the frontier was covered; by the end I wished the narrative continued even once their teaching contracts were up.
Erik Larson's books read like fiction yet each is a highly researched piece of non-fiction. In The Garden Of Beasts continues in this tradition. It follows the US ambassador to Germany during the 1930's and his family's realization of the true nature of the Nazi regime. The most compelling member of the ambassador's family is his daughter who wants to indulge in all that her connections can bring her, however, as the years unfold, the shine fades and she begins to see what was truly happening in Germany. I find this time period so intriguing because it seems unfathomable that the German people and the world as a whole could have turned a blind eye to Hitler's early moves and yet this book does an excellent job of drawing the reader into that world. Of course the current audience has the benefit of history and yet Larson still manages to draw the reader into the unfolding horror.
I started the year off with Julia Child. As Always, Julia is a record of her correspondence with Avis DeVoto. It all started when Julia responded to a piece written by DeVoto's husband Bernard about the poor quality of American-made knives. The rest, as they say, is history. A decades long correspondence followed, with DeVoto encouraging the piece de resistance that Child would become famous for, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The letters included much food talk that went over my head yet the descriptions of food and cooking and Paris and Julia's struggles with compiling the cookbook sucked me right in. I was also fascinated by the talk of the political climate in the US. At one point Julia's husband is questioned about possible communist activities and beliefs and it was gripping to read about proceedings that could have changed their lives drastically had Joseph McCarthy decided Paul Child's actions were un-American. The letters made me feel like I knew these women intimately and the struggles they dealt with in their daily lives in a time so different from my own.
I have read a few books this year that claim to be the guide to the other side. The previous side being one of comfortable living and wanting not and the new other side being one in which the world has turned upside down on oneself and one must fight to come out on top. The Feast Nearby is on the surface such a memoir, except that the new side also includes a more present approach to daily living. Robin Mather has lost her husband and her job and retreated to a cabin on a lake in Michigan. But she has her dog, and her parrot, and a daily desire to make her life better. The Feast Nearby was a pleasant surprise after a disappointing read of another such book of this kind earlier in the year (Cherries in Winter). Mather does everything right, perhaps just by honestly facing her days. Her life appears as full, if not more so, by the end of the book as it appeared empty on that first night in the cabin. That spirit alone is enough for me to recommend this book, as well as my impression that one could call this a modern day We Took To The Woods, a title I read and loved in 2010.
Shadow of the Wind is a book I should have read about ten years ago, or at least the first time a friend of mine recommended it to me. But I didn't. We all do stupid things sometimes and taking so long to read this novel is on my list. I borrowed it from the library and I'm not sure I slept at all between the time I checked it out and the book dropped into the return box. I pretty much ignored the world as I was following Daniel's journey to uncover information about the author Julian Carax, an author Daniel discovered after a trip with his father to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Such a place seems magical to me and if the mere thought of a Cemetery of Forgotten Books peaks your interest as well, I'll warn you now that you might miss a night's sleep in discovering it. I can assure you the lost sleep is worth the discovery.
You've all heard the cliche "you shouldn't judge a book by the cover" but what if sometimes its ok to do just that? With an actual book no less. Running the Books grabbed me from my first glance at the cover though it might not grab you if you didn't frequent libraries before the computer age. The image is comprised of stamps from the date stamps librarians used to stamp the check out cards that were in the pockets at the back of books. The book details author Avi Steinberg's time as a librarian in a Boston prison. From his interview to eventually finding his footing as librarian to his last day, Running the Books follows Steinberg's time among the books and the prisoners and the delicate line he was forced to walk with both. An interesting look at the role that a library plays in a prison environment.
The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet chronicles the cross country journey of young T.S. on his way from his family in Montana to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.. The margins of the book are filled with the various charts and maps that T.S. creates to calm the chaos of his life and its this interest of his in maps that leads him to the Smithsonian. As a character who does not quite understand the world around him, his maps, charts, and drawings also help T.S. work his way through the confusion and grief that his older brother's death has plunged his family into. While I did find myself having to suspend my disbelief a couple of times, overall I was more than willing to accompany T.S. on his journey.
The Bill McKibben Reader collects essays that environmentalist and journalist Bill McKibben has written over the past twenty five years or so. For all of my earth-loving ways, I had never heard of McKibben so this was a good introduction. At the beginning of each essay, the publication year is listed which was a definite plus in placing yourself in the right historical mindset. One of the most important things I took away from this collection was something McKibben mentioned in an essay about the Keystone Pipeline (recently delayed, hopefully indefinitely, by President Obama). McKibben mentions how even if the Pipeline were to exist and have no environmental impact at all (a near impossibility as he states it and which I agree with) that in 30 years, give or take, we would be back in the same situation regarding the dwindling supplies. The only true solution that will help us is to rethink everything; to truly learn to use less resources and to reuse that which we must use instead of just creating more energy efficient items that allow us to continue living at the same pace of destruction while believing that we are still doing good.
Blankets is an award winning graphic novel by Craig Thompson. It chronicles his upbringing in a strict religious household and the isolation he felt both within his family and outside that household. His first love and heartbreak accompany illustrations of the stark yet beautiful winter weather that surrounded him in Wisconsin. I feel like anything I say won't do justice to Blankets so I'll just leave it at this: the graphic novel is truly greater than its parts. Neither just words nor just artwork would have told Thompson's story in quite the same way.
My final selection for 2011 is a novel by Louise Erdrich, Shadow Tag. Shadow Tag immerses the reader in the story of a family splintering apart. It is stark and lonely and stifling. Or, rather, that could aptly describe the characters. That mood seeps over every page as if her characters had come alive and were drawing me into their lives. I was intrigued at the idea of writing a fake diary and the complications that arise from this, at once expected and somehow still surprising. Perhaps the part that affected me the most was the unveiling at the end. The small spoiler I need to include here is this: at the end of the book one learns the story is being told by someone within the story and learns how imperative the telling of this story was to that character. A welcome reminder for me that the desire to record a history can be much needed.
Erik Larson's books read like fiction yet each is a highly researched piece of non-fiction. In The Garden Of Beasts continues in this tradition. It follows the US ambassador to Germany during the 1930's and his family's realization of the true nature of the Nazi regime. The most compelling member of the ambassador's family is his daughter who wants to indulge in all that her connections can bring her, however, as the years unfold, the shine fades and she begins to see what was truly happening in Germany. I find this time period so intriguing because it seems unfathomable that the German people and the world as a whole could have turned a blind eye to Hitler's early moves and yet this book does an excellent job of drawing the reader into that world. Of course the current audience has the benefit of history and yet Larson still manages to draw the reader into the unfolding horror.
I started the year off with Julia Child. As Always, Julia is a record of her correspondence with Avis DeVoto. It all started when Julia responded to a piece written by DeVoto's husband Bernard about the poor quality of American-made knives. The rest, as they say, is history. A decades long correspondence followed, with DeVoto encouraging the piece de resistance that Child would become famous for, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The letters included much food talk that went over my head yet the descriptions of food and cooking and Paris and Julia's struggles with compiling the cookbook sucked me right in. I was also fascinated by the talk of the political climate in the US. At one point Julia's husband is questioned about possible communist activities and beliefs and it was gripping to read about proceedings that could have changed their lives drastically had Joseph McCarthy decided Paul Child's actions were un-American. The letters made me feel like I knew these women intimately and the struggles they dealt with in their daily lives in a time so different from my own.
I have read a few books this year that claim to be the guide to the other side. The previous side being one of comfortable living and wanting not and the new other side being one in which the world has turned upside down on oneself and one must fight to come out on top. The Feast Nearby is on the surface such a memoir, except that the new side also includes a more present approach to daily living. Robin Mather has lost her husband and her job and retreated to a cabin on a lake in Michigan. But she has her dog, and her parrot, and a daily desire to make her life better. The Feast Nearby was a pleasant surprise after a disappointing read of another such book of this kind earlier in the year (Cherries in Winter). Mather does everything right, perhaps just by honestly facing her days. Her life appears as full, if not more so, by the end of the book as it appeared empty on that first night in the cabin. That spirit alone is enough for me to recommend this book, as well as my impression that one could call this a modern day We Took To The Woods, a title I read and loved in 2010.
Shadow of the Wind is a book I should have read about ten years ago, or at least the first time a friend of mine recommended it to me. But I didn't. We all do stupid things sometimes and taking so long to read this novel is on my list. I borrowed it from the library and I'm not sure I slept at all between the time I checked it out and the book dropped into the return box. I pretty much ignored the world as I was following Daniel's journey to uncover information about the author Julian Carax, an author Daniel discovered after a trip with his father to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Such a place seems magical to me and if the mere thought of a Cemetery of Forgotten Books peaks your interest as well, I'll warn you now that you might miss a night's sleep in discovering it. I can assure you the lost sleep is worth the discovery.
You've all heard the cliche "you shouldn't judge a book by the cover" but what if sometimes its ok to do just that? With an actual book no less. Running the Books grabbed me from my first glance at the cover though it might not grab you if you didn't frequent libraries before the computer age. The image is comprised of stamps from the date stamps librarians used to stamp the check out cards that were in the pockets at the back of books. The book details author Avi Steinberg's time as a librarian in a Boston prison. From his interview to eventually finding his footing as librarian to his last day, Running the Books follows Steinberg's time among the books and the prisoners and the delicate line he was forced to walk with both. An interesting look at the role that a library plays in a prison environment.
The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet chronicles the cross country journey of young T.S. on his way from his family in Montana to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.. The margins of the book are filled with the various charts and maps that T.S. creates to calm the chaos of his life and its this interest of his in maps that leads him to the Smithsonian. As a character who does not quite understand the world around him, his maps, charts, and drawings also help T.S. work his way through the confusion and grief that his older brother's death has plunged his family into. While I did find myself having to suspend my disbelief a couple of times, overall I was more than willing to accompany T.S. on his journey.
The Bill McKibben Reader collects essays that environmentalist and journalist Bill McKibben has written over the past twenty five years or so. For all of my earth-loving ways, I had never heard of McKibben so this was a good introduction. At the beginning of each essay, the publication year is listed which was a definite plus in placing yourself in the right historical mindset. One of the most important things I took away from this collection was something McKibben mentioned in an essay about the Keystone Pipeline (recently delayed, hopefully indefinitely, by President Obama). McKibben mentions how even if the Pipeline were to exist and have no environmental impact at all (a near impossibility as he states it and which I agree with) that in 30 years, give or take, we would be back in the same situation regarding the dwindling supplies. The only true solution that will help us is to rethink everything; to truly learn to use less resources and to reuse that which we must use instead of just creating more energy efficient items that allow us to continue living at the same pace of destruction while believing that we are still doing good.
Blankets is an award winning graphic novel by Craig Thompson. It chronicles his upbringing in a strict religious household and the isolation he felt both within his family and outside that household. His first love and heartbreak accompany illustrations of the stark yet beautiful winter weather that surrounded him in Wisconsin. I feel like anything I say won't do justice to Blankets so I'll just leave it at this: the graphic novel is truly greater than its parts. Neither just words nor just artwork would have told Thompson's story in quite the same way.
My final selection for 2011 is a novel by Louise Erdrich, Shadow Tag. Shadow Tag immerses the reader in the story of a family splintering apart. It is stark and lonely and stifling. Or, rather, that could aptly describe the characters. That mood seeps over every page as if her characters had come alive and were drawing me into their lives. I was intrigued at the idea of writing a fake diary and the complications that arise from this, at once expected and somehow still surprising. Perhaps the part that affected me the most was the unveiling at the end. The small spoiler I need to include here is this: at the end of the book one learns the story is being told by someone within the story and learns how imperative the telling of this story was to that character. A welcome reminder for me that the desire to record a history can be much needed.
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