this year's reads

The Year of the Short Story
Before I moved into my new apartment (with roomates) my usual morning routine consisted of one cup of oatmeal, one pot of coffee, and one short story. A few of these collections were from familiar favorites, but some were great new finds. It feels right to start the list, like the day, off with these.

Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing by Lydia Peele
I chose it because it had the best title on the new release shelf. I wasn't disappointed. These stories, set mostly in rural mid-west and southern areas, feel like stories Carl Sandburg would enjoy.

It's Beginning to Hurt by James Ladsun
Another book I picked because of the title, and another win. Incredible characters in these stories.

The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
Everything he writes is magic.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
It's easy to see why she's a Pulitzer winner. Most of these nine stories start off slow but when I got to the last page I would have to cover the last sentence to keep fight off the temptation to see how they end. I loved this book.

Unacustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
see above.

Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner
I re-read these because I was introduced to a writer who obviously drew a lot of influence from Faulkner (more on her later). Faulkner's still not my favorite. Please don't hate me.

The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios by Yann Martel
A much lesser known work by the author of Life of Pi. A few of these stories were earlier works of his, and pretty raw (including the title story) but one story, The Time I Heard the Private Donald J. Rankin String Concerto with One Discordant Violin, by the American Composer John Morton will be one of those stories that stays with me forever, and is read again and again.

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The New to Me Award
These are books by an individual many have read, but I'm just discovering. In high school, I always ended up in English classes that did more writing than reading; I blame that in part. My writing mentor/editor/friend/SideWalk Chalk chair Amy Hudock is a huge fan of this author, and has been trying to get me to read her work for several years. I'm glad I finally did. I'll list them in the order I've read them.

A Mercy by Toni Morrison
After the first chapter I realized I had developed a literary crush on a 78 year old woman. In many ways, this book was a prequel to her most famous work, Beloved, although this one was an easier read. A Mercy is told in six different voices by six different characters. The beginning, told by Florens, and a selection near the end narrated by Florens' mother are two of the most beautiful passages I have read.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
Once again, how someone can write such beautiful prose describing the most despondent situations amazes me.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
This was my least favorite of the three I read, and it was still powerful. Each of these books circles around a single traumatic event in one character's life and the web it weaves describes more about the brokenness of the human spirit than any author I've read. An obvious influence in her writing style is Faulkner, which led me back to some of his works this year as well.

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Classics, Read or Re-Read
It wasn't until my mid twenties (the thirtieth birthday is this week) that I began to appreciate and understand the timelessness of some of the classics. Not necessarily all of them in this section, but each author mentioned at least had some work(s) that will be read as long as people are reading. I tend to go back and forth between contemporary and classics... these are the ones from this year.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
I read this directly after finishing the three Morrison books, just to appreciate who she appreciated.

The Mayor of Castorbridge by Thomas Hardy I'm a big Thomas Hardy fan, but holy moly he would have been the death of any party.

Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut
Maybe not one of his most famous books, but he could do no wrong.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
He's in almost every way the antonym of Faulkner. I appreciate them both. I love me some Hemingway.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The irony is not lost on me, but I always end up taking this book when I go camping in the mountains. Probably because it fits so perfectly in my backpack. I never get tired of it either.

De Profundis by Oscar Wilde
I found the collection of letters now known as De Profundis in the back of an old copy of Wilde's Dorian Gray, and it has become one of the writings that has most influenced my life. I've read it multiple times each year.

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Poetry at Intermission
I haven't read a lot, but this year I've read a few that make me want to read more.

Harvest Poems by Carl Sandburg
A copy of Harvest Poems was given to me by one of my favorite people I met this year, Steve Bare. He told me it was one of the collections he is always re-reading. Many of them made me want to live in the midwest. "Explanations of Love" is the one that has stuck with me several months after reading.

Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake
I saw an exhibit on Blake in New York a few years ago, shortly after reading him for the first time. It made me appreciate him even more.

The Book of Hours: Love Poems to God by Rainer Maria Rilke
I first read Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet several years ago, and when I came across this book of love poems to God by a man who himself could not decide what he thought about God it moved to the top of my reading list. Rilke, along with Wilde has had a huge impact on me.
A selection from one of the poems (less about God and more about Rilke's understanding of himself while writing these poems):
"I would describe myself
like a landscape I've studied
at length, in detail;
like a word I'm coming to understand;
like a pitcher I pour from at mealtime;
like my mother's face;
like a ship that carried me
when the waters raged."

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The Books about Faith/Living/Purpose
It's been a tough year, years really, for me and faith. The purpose of this list isn't to go into that... I've written about that stuff enough for now... but these are the books I've read for one reason or another that touch on one of these topics.

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
Plan B by Anne Lamott
Grace, Eventually by Anne Lamott
I grouped them all together because they were really all the same book. That's not to say I didn't like them, or take something from them, because I did, but it feels like reading the same good story over and over. By the third book she was running out of material. Still, she is a beautiful story teller, writer, and person. I disagree with some of her thoughts her diehards love her for, agree with a few things many despise her for, and appreciate her willingness to talk about it. She's a thought provoker for sure, but you can probably stick to Traveling Mercies.

To Own a Dragon by Donald Miller
I found a copy of this book sitting by the sink in the restroom of Charleston Place and thought if it's not a sign it's close enough to a sign. He's growing on me. I've read Blue Like Jazz and liked it enough, but thought Searching for God Knows What was much better. This one, his description of life without a father was up there with Searching.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
This was his latest, and an interesting read... He uses the making of a movie about Blue Like Jazz as a jumping off point to talk about the story our lives are telling.

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Another book I've read once the past few years, and will probably continue to do. He doesn't just give permission to wonder about life but celebrates it. I love him for that.

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Memoir/Biography/Essays
Memoir is one of my favorite genres. The Lamott, Miller, and Rilke books would have all fit here as well. These are the others I read.

Dylan on Dylan edited by Jonathan Cott
If there's anyone I wish I could have been besides me it would be Bob Dylan. This collection of unedited interviews is the next best thing.

Lincoln's Greatest Speech by Ronald C. White Jr.
A study of Lincoln's 2nd inaugural address. Lincoln's understanding of the written word - syntax, sentence structure, voice, technique - and its ability to transform culture is almost unmatched.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and American Slave by Frederick Douglass
Worth re-reading every few years. One of my "If I could have a conversation with anyone" choices for sure.

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn
Sometimes I buy books just because of the cover, or title. Sometimes those books turn into my favorites. Sometimes they don't. This is one that didn't. It's an interesting story, for sure - Nick meets his father while working as a caseworker in a homeless shelter - just not one that I thought was told very well.

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The Rest
Other books I've read this year.

Hold Love Strong by Matthew Aaron Goodman
A debut novel about life in the slums. It wasn't my favorite book of the year, but one I enjoyed and will read again.

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
I read it again because I feel like any book someone writes that inspires an entire nation of people to kill him for writing is worth trying to really understand what he was saying.

Starting Out in the Evening by Brian Morton
I saw this movie before I knew it was a book. The movie starred Frank Langella in a role he should have won an award for. It was a perfect movie. The book was great too, but this was one of those rare circumstances where I felt like it really needed an actor to bring the character to life... Rent the movie. And read the book. But definitely rent the movie.

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A Book I'm Reading Now That Is Making an Impact

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Foer is hands down my favorite contemporary novelist. His first two books, Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close will always be read and re-read and re-read. I've been waiting several years for his next work, and it was a surprise to hear that such a gifted novelist was writing a nonfiction book about life as a vegetarian. This book is the story that came out after he and his wife, novelist Nicole Krauss, had a son and needed to decide what type of diet their family would eat. Foer and Krauss had previously had an on-again-off-again diet of being vegetarian, but wanted to decide once and for all. His research into the factory farming industry and the history of husbandry is eye-opening and the stories he weaves make it connect on a level that other books dealing with the same issue don't quite live up to. It's at the very least a pretty daring work by someone who could have been comfortable doing what he does best. The closest I've come to being vegetarian is the few months a year I go only eating vegetables and fish, but by the time I'm done with this book that could change.

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Next Up

Atomic Farmgirl by Teri Hein
She's SideWalk Chalk's board advisor, executive director of 826Seattle, a wealth of knowledge, and an all-around incredible person. I'm looking forward to the read.