State of the Reading Union: 2011
Jan. 2nd, 2012 12:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akashiverBack in August I discussed the best non-fiction books and best fiction books I’d read so far in 2011. In total, I ended up reading about 87 books in 2011. Here's my reading summary for the second half of the year.
Best Non-fiction (since August)
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
I read a lot of "powerful women in history" bios this year, and Massie's portrait of Catherine is probably the best of them. It's an engaging, highly personal look at the life of a fascinating woman. Massie has the advantage, of course, of having Catherine's own memoirs to draw on -- if only Cleopatra had left an account of her first sexual experiences! -- but he uses them adeptly, and comes across as a wry, astute and sympathetic biographer.
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal
If you like reading true crime and/or abnormal psychology cases, make sure to pick up this page-turner. Seal's account of a con artist's progress across the U.S.A. is gripping, chilling, and thought-provoking.
Game Change by John Heilemann, Mark Halperin
An entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 presidential election. How this book will measure up in 40 years time, I don't know, but if you spent any part of 2008 wondering what the hell John McCain was thinking, this book will tell you.
Best Fiction (since August)
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
What a charming book! It's hard to believe that Simonson's tribute to love, politeness, and the importance of a nice cup of tea is a debut novel (and knowing the publishing world, it might not be). But Simonson's gently-humorous account of the forbidden love between a retired English major and an English-Pakistani shopkeeper is a winner. The story stumbles in the final two chapters (perhaps this was a debut novel after all), but for the most part, this is a lovely, well-written comedy with heart. Think "Bend it like Beckham" with books instead of football.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
This is one of my "I really should have read this, shouldn't I" reads. And yes, I should have. Russell's tale of a Jesuit missionary expedition to an alien planet is gripping and poignant. I found the first half more compelling than the second, and was left a bit cold by the ending, but there's no doubting Russell's talent.
The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
A gorgeously-written character study of two misfits who find each other, but who struggle to act on their feelings. There's a lot of soulless "literary" writing out there, where well-crafted sentences substitute for originality and a strong narrative. Giaordano's novel is the real deal. His imagery surprises, but his observations also strike home. I can't say I *liked* these characters, or what happens to them, but I believed in them and found their journey a poignant one.
Best Short Story Collections
Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness, Volume 3 by Mike Allen
This lovingly-crafted anthology provides a nice cross-section of the SF field. Steampunk (Nicole Kornher-Stace's "To Seek Her Fortune") rubs shoulders with pseudo-academic history (Tori Truslow's "Tomorrow Is Saint Valentine's Day") which passes the baton onto literary SF (Gregory Frost’s “Lucyna’s Gaze”). Allen has a knack for digging out treasures from the slush pile, and he manages to not only showcase some strong stories from authors I already knew (Tanith Lee's "Fold"), but also creepy gems like Georgina Bruce’s "Crow Voodoo." I have to 'fess up, though, and admit that two of my favourite stories were by authors I know personally: Frost's wonderfully-crafted tragedy, “Lucyna’s Gaze," and Marie Brennan's brilliant lost history, "The Gospel of Nachash,” which I found both compelling and also dangerously persuasive. I can't now look at certain supernatural creatures without thinking of Brennan's apocrypha. It's very cleverly done.
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Yes, I know. Everyone who likes SF has read this but me. Still, I really enjoyed reading modern classics like "Stories of Your Life" for the first time, as well as encountering personal favourites like "Seventy-Two Letters" again. I'm always impressed by the diversity of Chiang's stories and the strength of his ideas, and both virtues are on display in this collection.
Best Non-fiction (since August)
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
I read a lot of "powerful women in history" bios this year, and Massie's portrait of Catherine is probably the best of them. It's an engaging, highly personal look at the life of a fascinating woman. Massie has the advantage, of course, of having Catherine's own memoirs to draw on -- if only Cleopatra had left an account of her first sexual experiences! -- but he uses them adeptly, and comes across as a wry, astute and sympathetic biographer.
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal
If you like reading true crime and/or abnormal psychology cases, make sure to pick up this page-turner. Seal's account of a con artist's progress across the U.S.A. is gripping, chilling, and thought-provoking.
Game Change by John Heilemann, Mark Halperin
An entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 presidential election. How this book will measure up in 40 years time, I don't know, but if you spent any part of 2008 wondering what the hell John McCain was thinking, this book will tell you.
Best Fiction (since August)
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
What a charming book! It's hard to believe that Simonson's tribute to love, politeness, and the importance of a nice cup of tea is a debut novel (and knowing the publishing world, it might not be). But Simonson's gently-humorous account of the forbidden love between a retired English major and an English-Pakistani shopkeeper is a winner. The story stumbles in the final two chapters (perhaps this was a debut novel after all), but for the most part, this is a lovely, well-written comedy with heart. Think "Bend it like Beckham" with books instead of football.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
This is one of my "I really should have read this, shouldn't I" reads. And yes, I should have. Russell's tale of a Jesuit missionary expedition to an alien planet is gripping and poignant. I found the first half more compelling than the second, and was left a bit cold by the ending, but there's no doubting Russell's talent.
The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
A gorgeously-written character study of two misfits who find each other, but who struggle to act on their feelings. There's a lot of soulless "literary" writing out there, where well-crafted sentences substitute for originality and a strong narrative. Giaordano's novel is the real deal. His imagery surprises, but his observations also strike home. I can't say I *liked* these characters, or what happens to them, but I believed in them and found their journey a poignant one.
Best Short Story Collections
Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness, Volume 3 by Mike Allen
This lovingly-crafted anthology provides a nice cross-section of the SF field. Steampunk (Nicole Kornher-Stace's "To Seek Her Fortune") rubs shoulders with pseudo-academic history (Tori Truslow's "Tomorrow Is Saint Valentine's Day") which passes the baton onto literary SF (Gregory Frost’s “Lucyna’s Gaze”). Allen has a knack for digging out treasures from the slush pile, and he manages to not only showcase some strong stories from authors I already knew (Tanith Lee's "Fold"), but also creepy gems like Georgina Bruce’s "Crow Voodoo." I have to 'fess up, though, and admit that two of my favourite stories were by authors I know personally: Frost's wonderfully-crafted tragedy, “Lucyna’s Gaze," and Marie Brennan's brilliant lost history, "The Gospel of Nachash,” which I found both compelling and also dangerously persuasive. I can't now look at certain supernatural creatures without thinking of Brennan's apocrypha. It's very cleverly done.
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Yes, I know. Everyone who likes SF has read this but me. Still, I really enjoyed reading modern classics like "Stories of Your Life" for the first time, as well as encountering personal favourites like "Seventy-Two Letters" again. I'm always impressed by the diversity of Chiang's stories and the strength of his ideas, and both virtues are on display in this collection.
