Favorite Books of 2007
For the past two years, I've been keeping track of what I've read using LibraryThing. (I've recently switched over to GoodReads - be my friend.)
So, I've been looking through my LibraryThing and realizing that I didn't read much this year that I was enthusiastic about. With the exception of Harry Potter, I don't think I read a single new book -- I started a few, like The God Delusion, but meh. Nevertheless, I was able to pick out 10 highlights:
1. The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende
Surely you've seen the movie. Bastian was such a nerd that I wanted to beat up on him, and I was on the Academic Challenge team. Well, the movie only covers 1/3 of the book and substantially changes the meaning of the story -- a fact that so angered the author, he sued the producers. Read it in tandem with #2.
2. The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell
This has got to be one of the most oft-referenced books of all time. How many people have read it, though? (note: Amazon.com doesn't seem to have any non-used copies of this book; how can that be? Surely it hasn't gone out of print....)
3. The Last Picture Show, by Larry McMurtry
I will never eat canned peaches again.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
In retrospect, I realize I read so few good books this year because I spent a huge part of the spring and summer scouring the first six Harry Potter books for clues. If you scoff at the power of Potter, keep it to yourself, here -- the Harry Potter experience was one of the best memories I've got.
5. Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut, ed. William Rodney Allen
I got this from the library as soon as he died, as a way of mourning, I guess. Everyone should have an author they take really personally, and Vonnegut was one of mine. Particularly because he believed that we should all be in the business of helping each other out, somehow. Here's a quote from a 1973 interview with David Standish:
6. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, by Jim Cullen
The United States is perhaps the only country in the world that wasn't formed by geographic accident but because of an idea: that everyone is equal and should have the same chances in life. However that idea has or hasn't worked out, this is a good exploration of the concept.
7. How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff
This was simply one of the best books I've read in forever. Sort of like Kid Nation and 28 Days Later combined. That could have gone wrong, but this was utterly Printzworthy.
8. The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larsen
The Gilded Age fascinates me.
9. Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier
I picked this up while I was working on The Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction. I can't believe I'd gotten this far in life without reading any Gothic literature.
10. Rebel Angels, by Libba Bray
Unputdownable. I think that if you want to write for young adults -- which I do -- studying this book and its predecessor, A Great and Terrible Beauty, surely won't hurt you.
So, I've been looking through my LibraryThing and realizing that I didn't read much this year that I was enthusiastic about. With the exception of Harry Potter, I don't think I read a single new book -- I started a few, like The God Delusion, but meh. Nevertheless, I was able to pick out 10 highlights:
1. The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende
Surely you've seen the movie. Bastian was such a nerd that I wanted to beat up on him, and I was on the Academic Challenge team. Well, the movie only covers 1/3 of the book and substantially changes the meaning of the story -- a fact that so angered the author, he sued the producers. Read it in tandem with #2.
2. The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell
This has got to be one of the most oft-referenced books of all time. How many people have read it, though? (note: Amazon.com doesn't seem to have any non-used copies of this book; how can that be? Surely it hasn't gone out of print....)
3. The Last Picture Show, by Larry McMurtry
I will never eat canned peaches again.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
In retrospect, I realize I read so few good books this year because I spent a huge part of the spring and summer scouring the first six Harry Potter books for clues. If you scoff at the power of Potter, keep it to yourself, here -- the Harry Potter experience was one of the best memories I've got.
5. Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut, ed. William Rodney Allen
I got this from the library as soon as he died, as a way of mourning, I guess. Everyone should have an author they take really personally, and Vonnegut was one of mine. Particularly because he believed that we should all be in the business of helping each other out, somehow. Here's a quote from a 1973 interview with David Standish:
It goes against the American storytelling grain to have someone in a situation he can't get out of, but I think this is very usual in life. There are people, particularly dumb people, who are in terrible trouble and never get out of it, because they're not intelligent enough. And it strikes me as gruesome and comical that in our culture we have an expectation that a man can always solve his problems. There is that implication that if you just have a little more energy, a little more fight, the problem can always be solved. This is so untrue that it makes me want to cry -- or laugh.
6. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, by Jim Cullen
The United States is perhaps the only country in the world that wasn't formed by geographic accident but because of an idea: that everyone is equal and should have the same chances in life. However that idea has or hasn't worked out, this is a good exploration of the concept.
7. How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff
This was simply one of the best books I've read in forever. Sort of like Kid Nation and 28 Days Later combined. That could have gone wrong, but this was utterly Printzworthy.
8. The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larsen
The Gilded Age fascinates me.
9. Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier
I picked this up while I was working on The Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction. I can't believe I'd gotten this far in life without reading any Gothic literature.
10. Rebel Angels, by Libba Bray
Unputdownable. I think that if you want to write for young adults -- which I do -- studying this book and its predecessor, A Great and Terrible Beauty, surely won't hurt you.
posted by Christine at 1:52 PM
5 Comments:
wow, I read Devil In The White City this year too; I loved it, totally did not expect to love it as much as I did. It surprised me how all the different threads of stories actually worked. It makes me smile that we both read it this year. And every time they started up the ferris wheel I expected disaster lol.
Tim Ferris told me about Library Thing; and I checked out your new find, that looks good too; for some reason though, I'm feeling like I just want to keep track of them on a page on my blog. Maybe I will change my mind.
Oh! The Ferris wheel was terrifying, wasn't it?
I just thought there was something weird and creepy about putting together a whole fake city just for a short time.
Interesting, slightly offbeat list. And I think you've coined an interesting new word: unputdownable. I'll try to remember to credit you when I use it next time.
Oh, I wish I would've coined unputdownable. But it's actually a word - look.
Christine, we are going to find you some words you can copyright :-)
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