100 Books: The Journey

I promise I'll get to talking about the books themselves, but first kindly indulge some personal reflection.  For me 2012 was a year of learning.  I learned that being a real, live "grown up" is both wonderful and terrifying (the latter more often, particularly when you're unemployed, which I was for the first quarter of the year).  I learned (or rather, re-learned) that I have some truly remarkable people in my corner, in multiple cities, no less.  And I learned once again that stories really are the thing that means more to me than almost anything else in my life.

Don't get me wrong--the wonderful people and the comforts I'm fortunate enough to have are important too, but I've always loved stories, and they've been there for me every step of the way, through thick and thin.  In a way that's what my goal of reading 100 in a year was about:  I wanted to immerse myself in other worlds and in the minds of characters completely different from myself, and see if stories were still everything I thought they were by year's end.  And you know what?  They were all that and more.  Those places, fictional and otherwise, gave me somewhere to go when I was feeling down or lost, somewhere I could dream and think and just be.  And those characters, even the ones with whom it seemed, on the surface, that I had absolutely nothing in common?  I found tiny links of understanding, a million little ways I could relate to each and every one of them; reasons to root for them, and commiserate with them, and learn from them.

I received a lot of uninvited commentary on my plan to read 100 books, mostly a lot of arguing about quantity vs. quality, and here at just about the end of December I've finally sussed out my response:  for me the quantity is an essential part of the quality.  Not only was I more likely to find things to love with a wider field of stories and voices, but it also added variety and diversity and color to a life that occasionally becomes bogged down in the boredom of my routine.  That's without mentioning too the impact reading so many stories and experiencing so many writing styles has had on my own writing--I definitely feel more certain than ever that I can one day be a part of the canon from which all of these stories came.

What else did I learn, specifically?  I learned that in a year without any new Harry Potter-related projects, there was still magic to be found elsewhere.  Lev Grossman, George RR Martin, and Gail Carson Levine continue to work magic with their stories, and fill a need so many of us have for a little bit of wizardry in our lives.  I also learned that maybe once you've dabbled in the fantastical world of magic, Muggle realism is a more difficult realm to transition into than it seems (sorry, Jo).

I learned that history, whether reimagined grimly (Roth), dramatized (Bolt), or weaved with fiction to create harrowing adventures (Hollick) or stories of people in a different time who just aren't that different from us (McCann), still serve as one of the best foundations for a truly poignant tale.

I re-discovered the merits of literature for young people done right by authors like John Green and Suzanne Collins, as well as the fact that not all red-hot trends are deserving of the acclaim they receive (looking at you, E.L. James, and you too, Elizabeth Gilbert).

I traveled countless miles without ever leaving my home.  I went around the world with the likes of Salman Rushdie and Paulo Coehlo, and even visited Kenya alongside the President himself.  I slipped some educational non-fiction books into the mix, learning the secrets of how we socialize from David Brooks, how the global economy collapsed in on itself from Matt Taibbi, but most importantly all the ins and outs of shows like Saturday Night Life and Late Night with Conan O'Brien from the people involved.

I fit many obligatory classics in there too, from Shakespeare to Bradbury to Forster to Wharton back to Shakespeare again, and suffice it to say, they hold up just like you'd expect.

With so many diverse works enjoyed over such a compact span of time, it would be impossible to pick a single (or even a single dozen) favorites.  I recommend experiencing many of these books for a variety of reasons, though there are a few obvious exceptions (trust me, no one else on the planet needs to read Fifty Shades of Grey).  More than that, though, I recommend making your own list for 2013, compiling all those stories you've been meaning to read for ages, and making a commitment to really doing it this time.  It might be tough, but I guarantee it'll be worth it, because it will open up your world in ways you can't even begin to understand.  And if you can't think of anything to read, you know at least one person with a whole host of recommendations.

(It's me, by the way.)

For those wondering (and I saved this till the end in case you weren't), the following is the list of each book I read during 2012.  Those marked with an asterisk are the ones I most particularly recommend.


1.  The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

2       Game of Thrones and Philosophy by William Irwin

3.     The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

4.       Watership Down by Richard Adams

5.      The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

6.       The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta*

7.      The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

8.      The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth*

9.      The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

10.  The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra

11.  American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

12.  Watchmen by Alan Moore

13.  Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel

14.  Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

15.  Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury*

16.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins*

17.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

18.  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

19.  The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

20.  Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard

21.  A Passage to India by EM Forster

22.  The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

23.  A Room with a View by EM Forster

24.  Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

25.  The War for Late Night by Bill Carter

26.  The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain

27.  The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obrecht

28.  The Social Animal by David Brooks*

29.  Room:  A Novel by Emma Donoghue

30.  A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin*

31.  A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin

32.  A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin

33.  A Feast for Crows by George RR Martin

34.  A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

35.  Crossers by Phillip Caputo

36.  In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez*

37.  Pawnee:  Greatest Town in America by Leslie Knope

38.  The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo*

39.  On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

40.  One Second After by William Forstchen

41.  Bright’s Passage by Josh Ritter

42.  Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

43.  The Art of War by Sun Tzu

44.  Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

45.  The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

46.  The Grief of Others by Leah Cohen

47.  Talk Talk by TC Boyle

48.  Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

49.  Live from New York:  An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live

50.  Griftopia by Matt Taibbi*

51.  I Am the Chosen King by Helen Hollick*

52.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

53.  The Hypnotist by MJ Rose

54.  Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann*

55.  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

56.  Seriously, I’m Kidding by Ellen Degeneres

57.  A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt*

58.  Fugitives and Refugees by Chuck Palahniuk

59.  Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk

60.  Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway

61.  I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak*

62.  It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini*

63.  Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

64.  The Seagull by Anton Chekhov

65.  Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire*

66.  Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

67.  The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

68.  A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

69.  The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

70.  Spring Awakening (play) by Frank Wedekind

71.  Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama

72.  Othello by William Shakespeare

73.  Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare

74.  Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise

75.  Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

76.  Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

77.  50 Shades of Grey by EL James

78.  Paper Towns by John Green

79.  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green*

80.  Onward by Howard Schultz

81.  The Magicians by Lev Grossman*

82.  The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

83.  Zoe Letting Go by Nora Price*

84.  Alanna: the First Adventurer by Tamora Pierce

85.  In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce

86.  The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce

87.  Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce

88.  Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz

89.  The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

90.  Looking for Alaska by John Green*

91.  An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

92.  Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

93.  Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie*

94.  I Won’t Learn from You by Herbert R. Kohl

95.  World War Z by Max Brooks*

96.  Rabbit, Run by John Updike

97.  One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper*

98.  The Funny Thing Is… by Ellen Degeneres

99.  Henry and June by Anais Nin

100.          Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Schteynart

 

Reading List Round-Up 2012: Books 64-77

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
This book is intriguing, particularly for the homage it pays to books like Harry Potter, the Narnia series, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Grossman has an exciting concept to work with and a lot of creative inventions of his own embedded in worlds that resemble some of the greatest already built in fantasy literature.  Unfortunately, the characters he inserts into those inventions and those worlds are almost painfully dull. Certainly worth a read if you're like me and this is a genre close to your heart but if not the appeal may be lost in the shuffle.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
This is an excellent little play for those of us who wondered what Hamlet might have looked like from a different character's viewpoint.  Stoppard plays with the source material as well as the power of words and language in a way that is witty, engaging, and oddly tragic when the title characters meet their inevitable end.

Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
This one starts out vaguely interesting, as the titular event occurs within the first chapter, then the rest of the story delineates the events leading up to it, but on the whole it stretches a bit too far away from its own intriguing premise.  Too many details and sidebars crop up along the way and it feels meandering, which is probably why the Irish have taken to it so strongly.

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
This book is beautiful and haunting, much more so in light of the fact that it's based on a true story, a fictionalized account of the lives of Las Mariposas ("the Butterflies") a family of revolutionary-minded sisters living in the Dominican Republic under the horrific reign of "El Jefe" Trujillo. Alvarez weaves an engaging tale told through the memories and writings of the three sisters killed in an "accident" by the regime, with thoughtful reflections and additions by the lone surviving sister, who continues to tell her family's harrowing tale.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce
The third novel in Pierce's Alanna series stretches the already loose boundaries of realism within its world.  Alanna, who became an official knight in the second book, travels to a faraway village and becomes their shaman (after killing the previous shaman, naturally).  What follows is a little bit of coverage of her training her magical apprentices, but mostly a lot (a LOT) of angst surrounding her love/sex life.  

One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper
 Tropper's latest effort includes all of the features that have, by now, become his signature:  dysfunctional (usually Jewish) family, a pseudo love triangle, a too-smart-for-his/her-own-good kid, and of course, crippling tragedy.  The book feels just a bit lazy and formulaic at times, but as always Tropper makes up for things lacking in the prose itself with the heart behind it, and the simple capsules of wisdom and insight that take his books from the typical to works with genuine heart.


The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling
My full thoughts on this one have already been expressed here.

Talk Talk by T.C. Boyle

Maybe I'm just a holdout when it comes to jumping on the TC Boyle bandwagon, but I found this one extremely underwhelming.  It touches on two topics that are in themselves intriguing (the plight of the hearing impaired and identity theft/fraud), but the characters are flat and unsympathetic, and Boyle just plain doesn't seem to be making much of a point with the story.

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
This novel is beautiful, achieving scope without excessive length or verbosity, a misstep of which several of this month's other reads are guilty.  It takes place in New York City in the seventies and provide portraits of a manageable number of characters who each bring a unique perspective to the same moment in history.  In short this book is a beautiful snapshots of lives you can easily imagine being lived in reality, with just that little touch of fiction magic we all need in a good read.

I Am the Chosen King by Helen Hollick
This book is historical fiction at some of its romantic and intriguing best.  Centered around the family of Harold II, last of the English kings, this book depicts the lead-up to the Norman invasion in 1066.  This tome is a much more worthwhile read than any of the textbook entries I can recall on the material, though I'm sure some of the dramatics and specifics are to be taken with a grain of salt.


The Funny Thing Is... by Ellen Degeneres
Yet another light, quick read from everybody's favorite day time talk show host, as upbeat and uniquely humorous as we know and love her to be.  I was able to read and digest this one in just one sitting, and I can pretty much guarantee it'll leave you in a good mood whether you read an excerpt or the whole darn thing.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
This little book can most accurately be described as delightful.  It's part fantastical adventure, part fable on the importance of storytelling, and it is 100% charming.  Rushdie does here what he does slightly less well in longer works such as The Satanic Verses, which is deliver a compelling, beautifully articulated moral that is also concise.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
Green and Levithan team up to create a dual narrative that is occasionally shaky but overall possesses the same heart and humor that have become their hallmarks.  The characters of Will Grayson Will Grayson make up for in fabulousness what they perhaps lack in dimensionality, and given the target demographic of the novel, this seems to work in its favor.

I Won't Learn From You by Herbert R. Kohl
This is a book I borrowed from my teacher-in-training friend who is forever discussing issues within the educational system that sail right over my head, and therefore not my usual type of read.  However, the points brought up by Kohl surrounding creative maladjustment are interesting, particularly when contextualized with the latest data coming out of this nation's schools.  His arguments are clearly laid out and colored with personal examples, and the book on the whole makes for an excellent reference document when it comes to these issues.

Best Book:  Let the Great World Spin and I Am the Chosen King
Worst Book:  Skippy Dies
Fastest Read:  Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
Slowest Read:  The Casual Vacancy

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

The Casual Vacancy, AKA the most anticipated novel of the year, certainly achieves a separation from JK Rowling's previous work, but it's far less edgy than it is disappointing:  the woman who helped us believe that anything is possible if you're brave enough, and that love is the most powerful force in the world, proves herself in the course of these 500-odd pages to be every bit as jaded by the state of the world as the rest of us.

The problem isn't the novel itself, which is a witty piece that surely meets the current standard for contemporary adult literature (although it should be noted that it by no means exceeds said standard, with its framework of cliches all too visible).  The problem instead comes from the storyteller herself, the admittedly inflated expectations most of us have of her, and the novel's lack of any truly compelling overarching message.

I will be the first to admit that these problems are thrown into much sharper relief by comparison to the book's predecessor (well, 8 predecessors).  But it's an almost necessary comparison, one I'm sure Ms. Rowling both anticipated and considered as she was crafting this tedious tale of suburban life in the fictional Pagford, England.  Even the darkest, most unsettling moments in her Harry Potter series allowed for a sliver of hope that things could get better, that they just had to.  In Vacancy, Rowling all but slams the door on this kind of optimism, with the novel's dismal conclusion promising that its characters' cycles of pettiness and destruction will continue.  It's realistic, to be sure, but the sympathy and more importantly, the magic, get lost in the shuffle.

Rowling has been adamant during multiple interviews surrounding the book's release that she "needed" to write this story.  I'm just not sure that we, her magic-loving, escape-hungry fans, needed to read it.

2011: The Run-Down

Continuing with tradition, I've decided to rehash some of my favorite things in 2011 (mostly in pop culture, admittedly), and take a look back at the year that was.
*Fun fact: While compiling this list, I realized I might be one of the only people in America who earnestly did not pay any attention to coverage of the Royal Wedding.

Favorite Performers:

Ryan Gosling:  I think pretty much everyone else on the planet can think of at least one reason why he makes the list, but I’ll try to jog the memory of anyone drawing a blank.  First of all, he was everywhere at the movies this year, from Blue Valentine to Crazy Stupid Love to Ides of March to Drive.  He’s just plain awesome in 99% of his public appearances, from bringing his dog to Jimmy Fallon’s show for an interview to intervening in a brawl on the streets of New York.  Not to mention the unf factor.  I mean, seriously, have you LOOKED at the man?

The HP Trio (aka Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson):  True, it’s very possible that none of them will really have a career to speak of now that the biggest franchise of their lives has drawn to a close, but even if these three never do anything of note again, all the memories they’ve given us are more than enough to last a lifetime.  I know I’m not the only one who enjoyed every minute of growing up alongside them while they brought my favorite stories to life.  I’ll miss all the hype and the anticipation of a new HP film every two years, but it’s undeniable that these three absolutely went out on top.  So to Daniel, Rupert, and Emma—thanks for a decade of magic.

Amy Poehler:  Ms. Poehler has always been both hilarious and extremely innovate (and very underrated-ly so), but she really took 2011 by storm.  Parks and Recreation aired its entire flawless 3^rd season during 2011, and continued its winning streak in season 4.  As if that weren’t enough, Amy also delivered a commencement address at Harvard this spring, in which she imparted her unique brand of wisdom to an audience of young people who genuinely need to live in the same spirit of passion, determination, and kindness that is evident in everything this fantastic woman does.

People I’m Sick of Hearing About:

Anyone with the last name Kardashian (second year in a row, congrats ladies!). 
All the batshit crazy Republicans running for President in 2012. 
Anyone who is or has been a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

Best Shows:

Parks and Recreation
How I Met Your Mother

Great Episodes:

Parks and Recreation:  “Road Trip” and “The End of the World”
Community:  “Remedial Chaos Theory”
Modern Family:  “Phil on Wire”
The Office:  “Goodbye Michael”
How I Met Your Mother:  “Symphony of Illumination”

Top 5 Films:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two
2. The Ides of March
3. Contagion
4. Bridesmaids/Horrible Bosses (tie)
5.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Disappointments:

Codes and Keys:  Death Cab doesn’t work when Ben Gibbard is happy.  There, I said it.  This album is boring and repetitive.  Additional note:  now that he’s divorcing Zooey D, maybe the magic of DC’s initial gloom will return (silver lining, yes?)

America/the American economy:  No jobs, no money, no concern from the men in charge; no wonder the 99% have taken to the streets.

Honorable Mentions (no category, but they kept me interested/intrigued/excited throughout the year):

ADELE:  Remember the first time you heard Someone Like You?  Did you cry in public a little bit, like I did?  This woman’s voice is magic.  Case closed.

Steve Carrell:  Since he didn’t get an Emmy, I’m giving him my equivalent.

The cast of Parks and Recreation (especially Aziz Ansari and Adam Scott):  Flawless, and the fact that they didn’t snag a SAG nod for their work as an ensemble is criminal.

Jason Sudeikis:  This is rumored to be his last season on SNL, and I’m psyched to see if the career momentum he’s had recently continues.

Alexandre Desplat:  If he doesn’t get an Oscar (or at least a nomination) for the DH2 soundtrack, I’m considering it a crime.

Arrested Development:  It’s coming back!!!

JK Rowling:  Always and always, because none of the magic would’ve been possible without her.

Seth Meyers:  Killed it at the White House correspondent’s dinner, head writer at SNL in his 11^th year, remains absolutely charming in everything he does.

That's all I've got!  Here's hoping that 2012 brings even more laughter, epic moments, and joy (and you know, not that pesky apocalypse).  Happy New Year, and thanks for reading!