Constant Reader discussion

First, I hope this is in the right folder. If not, I trust one of our moderators will move it and thank you in advance.

I wondered what books everyone in Constant Reader considered the best of 2009. I don't mean the "Best Reads" but the "Best Books Published in 2009."

For me, it would have to be Hilary Mantel's Booker winning Wolf Hall and William Trevor's beautiful and elegiac (and Booker longlisted) Love and Summer.

I thought the writing in Wolf Hall was a bit too formal at times, but it was beautiful and the formality fit the subject matter very well. I think the problem was that I was distracted more than a problem with the book. I would recommend it to people who love literary novels or those with an interest in Tudor England and in Thomas Cromwell in particular, since the book is told from his perspective.

As for Love and Summer, I don't consider it Trevor's absolute best, but it is wonderful, another polished gem from William Trevor and just gorgeous. I would recommend this one to anyone who loves books written by a master.

I don't know that I've read enough published this year to say. I'm not sure I've read ANY published this year. (I should go look).

I've read 52 books this year, counting audiobooks and only ONE was published in 2009. That was a good one, The Girl Who Played with Fire. But since that's the only one, it's not much of a list.

Wow! I'm just impressed that you've read fifty-two books this year, Sherry! That's one book a week. I can't do that. I'm a slow reader and right now, I'm writing more than I'm reading anyway.

This was an especially satisfying year of reading for me, though the majority of the books I chose weren't new releases. What's likely to happen is, in ten years or more, I'll happen upon or finally get to various books published in 2009 and be enchanted.

Of the five books I read that were published this year, I was most impressed by Waters' The Little Stranger.

Hmmm ... I, too, read over 50 books this year, but only four were published in '09. The best was The Last Shot - A Novella and Ten stories by Leon Rooke.

I have read 66 YA and adult fiction/nonfiction this year.Of those published in 2009, my favorite (and the only I gave 5 stars): The City & The City. I gave a strong 4 stars to The Help, Shanghai Girls, The Year of the Flood, and The Pretend Wife.

For nonfiction I had 2 (very different) faves: Farm City The Education of an Urban Farmer and Methland The Death and Life of an American Small Town. (For anyone who really likes Omnivore's Dilemma, I recommend Methland as another piece of the picture.)

YA I only read one 2009 publication, and it was good: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Thanks for the Methland recommendation!

Yulia wrote: "This was an especially satisfying year of reading for me, though the majority of the books I chose weren't new releases. What's likely to happen is, in ten years or more, I'll happen upon or final..."

Yulia, I don't know how I could have forgotten The Little Stranger. I think that was my all time favorite. Thanks for mentioning it, and thanks for the great discussion we had about it. :)

I don't feel so bad Sherry. I only read one that was published this year. But I am woefully lacking , I only read six books on the list. I had marked 16 to read. I wonder what stuff I have been reading. Apparently I am out of step with everyone.

I haven't read very many books this year, Carol. I'm out of step, too. It seems like other things kept taking priority over reading.

I have read just not what others are reading. I mean we read Bronte, and other great books.

Gabrielle wrote: "Yulia wrote: "This was an especially satisfying year of reading for me, though the majority of the books I chose weren't new releases. What's likely to happen is, in ten years or more, I'll happen..."

Yes, that was the best part, getting to discuss it with you and sort out my thoughts on the characters. It also revealed so many aspects that I hadn't caught on my own. I even look forward to rereading it, which I usually don't do.

I'm not big on lists per se -- I'd like to read enough just to make a decent one -- but this year-end review of notable books of the year provides some terrific-sounding titles. Just running down the little thumbnail sketches: Paul Johnson on Churchill; a posthumous Nabokov; translations of Revel and Tolstoy; and a few things I never knew about Patricia Highsmith!

Plus lots more. What amazing quality readers receive.

http://online.wsj.com/public/page/new...

Yulia wrote: "Gabrielle wrote: "Yulia wrote: "This was an especially satisfying year of reading for me, though the majority of the books I chose weren't new releases. What's likely to happen is, in ten years or..."

I'm really looking forward to the discussion in May. That should be even more illuminating. I thought it was a terrific book.

Like Yulia said, I too will probably get around to reading a lot of the 2009 books in a few years. Out of the books I've read this year, however, I've only read a few published in 2009:

The Year of the Flood, Atwood.
Manhood for Amateurs The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son, Chabon.

And I'm slowly dragging my way through Stephen King's latest, because I'm a bleeping sucker. My reading habits are usually more diverse and exciting than what those authors might portray.

I'm interested in looking into Wolf Hall which I keep seeing mentioned, but haven't sat down with it yet.

El saidWolf Hall which I keep seeing mentioned, but haven't sat down with it yet.

I am 6oth in the queue at the library. It must be very popular.

I also read and enjoyed The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I will definitely look forward to more books from this author !

Of the 108 books I read this year only 8 were published in 2009.
The only receiver of 5 stars was The Book of Night Women (Marlon James). Amoy (Allard Schröder), Binnen de huid (J.J. Voskuil) and Summertime Scenes from a provincial life III (J.M. Coetzee) all received 4 stars.

I read around 70 this year, a lot of them ARC's, but of the YA variety. My favorite "grown-up" read was Mary Karr's Lit because it had a lot of poetry and a lot of booze, a combustible mixture that's entertaining. Oh. And it was damn well-written, too.

My favorite YA book was the quirky dystopian novel, The Maze Runner.

carol (akittykat) wrote: "



El saidWolf Hall which I keep seeing mentioned, but haven't sat down with it yet.

I am 6oth in the queue at the library. It must be very popular."

It can take a long time to read as well, Carol.

Published in 2009? Without a doubt, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Wonderful. I even got my brother to try it--he got it on audiobook, and now I'm going to listen to it.

Lots of others that weren't published this year. Do we need another thread for best reads?

Sara

I ordered Wolf Hall and The Help . Also one called The Great World Spin. Does anyone know anything about it?
I won't get to these until Feb. probably.

Carol,

The Great World is part of my TBR mountain. Didn't it just win some big prize? Or named number 1 on a so-called "important" list?

Let me know what you think of The Help.

Sara

Writer & Reader wrote: "Carol,

The Great World is part of my TBR mountain. Didn't it just win some big prize? Or named number 1 on a so-called "important" list?

Let me know what you think of The Help.

Sara"

Will do. I don't know anything about the Great World. It came as a package from amazon. Buy The Help,Wolf Hall and the Great World for $28.00 and free shipping. Better get it today, if you want it.

Every year I swear I'll keep a list of books I read. Every year I don't.

All I can tell you off the top of my head is that I read 2 or 3 books a week. And quite of few of them this year were 2009.I do remember I like Herta Muller's The Appointment, and The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker.

That doesn't include the poetry books. They're usually small, but I seldom read a poetry book straight through. I dip in and out of it until I've read it all, and then often start over.

Create a "Read in 2010" folder, Ruth. Click that bookshelf for every book you finish in '10. Presto!

Ruth wrote: "Every year I swear I keep a list of books I read. Every year I don't.

All I can tell you off the top of my head is that I read 2 or 3 books a week. And quite of few of them this year were 2009..."

I do that, too, Ruth, and every year, I do not. LOL But your post reminded me to buy The Appointment. Thank you!

And thank you, NE. I'll do that for 2010. I usually try to write book reviews for my blog of every book I read, but this year, with the writing of the new book with my writing partner, I got way, way, way behind. A folder is a terrific idea. Thanks!

Looking back, there were two books published in 2009 that I particularly enjoyed. Before I Forget by Pulitzer Prize- winning columnist Leonard Pitts was terrific - one of those books that made me want to grab people and yell, "Read this! Now!" Very few books are written about father-son relationships in African American families (unless you count Urban Lit, which I do not read). The other was by CR group member Carleen Brice. Her second novel, Children of the Waters, was as beautifully written and touching as her first, Orange Mint and Honey. OMAH has been filmed as a Lifetime movie called "Sins of the Mother". It stars Jill Scott whom many people enjoyed in HBO's "The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency" and will premier on the Lifetime Movie Network on Feb. 7, 2010.

Carleen lists her favorite books published in 2009 written by African Americans on her blog:

http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/

CR members who were around last year may remember that Carleen created this blog last year to encourage a wider audience for books written by African Americans. She originated National Buy A Book By A Black Author And Give It To Somebody Not Black Month (December), which received widespread attention in the national media, including the Washington Post and New York Magazine. Well, guys, it's December again.....

Besides my favorite Toni Morrison books and Alice Walker's The Color Purple, I love A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, Wilhelmina. I think it's a wonderful book by an African American author.

Back to 2009's books, I think I'm going to love the Booker shortlisted The Glass Room, but have to admit, I've only skimmed it, I've not read through it carefully like I will later.

Newengland wrote: "Create a "Read in 2010" folder, Ruth. Click that bookshelf for every book you finish in '10. Presto!"

Presto, ha! I don't even get around to entering half the books I've read onto Goodreads--even if I stack them next to the computer.

Presto chango! then. (Too much Harry Potter for this guy....)

I don't think that I've read anything that was actually published this year.

But I came across this article that seems relevant to this conversation: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st... (The article title is The Best Debut Fiction in 2009.)

I wonder if anyone here has read any of the books on this list?

Thanks for that list, Erin! Some of those books sound really good.

I've found only two books on my read list for the year so far that qualify for the topic. I thoroughly enjoyed both books but I doubt I'd enter either in a best book of 2009 list.

The Women and A Year of Cats and Dogs

Erin wrote: "I don't think that I've read anything that was actually published this year.

But I came across this article that seems relevant to this conversation: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st......"

Tinker sounds interesting.

Even though I have read more than 60 books this year, I don't think I have read many books published in 2009. Around January 1st, let's start a new thread of the best books we read in 2009. The publishing date doesn't matter. Right now, I am rereading EMMA by Jane Austen, and it will probably make my top ten.

A new thread is a good idea, Jane. I didn't realize most of us had read older books. Books read in 2009 would be a lot better. Emma definitely makes my top ten list as well.

My numbers are down this year, 39 out of my average 50. Only three were published this year though. Wolf Hall and The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt, which both I rated 5 stars, and The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels, which disappointed me, and I rated 3 stars.

Good idea. It is hard to think, because I did not keep a list.

Capitu wrote: "My numbers are down this year, 39 out of my average 50. Only three were published this year though. Wolf Hall and The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt, which both I rated 5 stars, and The Winter Vau..."

I loved Wolf Hall and had to give it five stars. I thought it was a huge achievement. However, the extremely formal language, while suitable for the subject matter, did begin to be "too transparent" after the halfway point to me. I was too aware of all the colons and semi-colons on each and every page.

Still, I loved it.

Capitu, how was The Children's Book? It's on my wishlist. NE, I am partway through The Maze Runner. I was reading it in the bookstore because I am 37th on the hold list at the library. I do like really well done YA lit.

Michael--I am curious about your little-known Patricia Highsmith fact. I read a couple of her Ripleys last year and was happy to discover her.

Several of the others mentioned are on my TBR pile or on my Christmas wishlist. I do keep track, in a little journal by my bed (where I do most of my reading, as that is when small children are least likely to interrupt me). I have missed documenting several months this year, though. I will take a look at the shortened list. I know I read over 100 this year. Lots of escapist needs to fill in 2009.

Sarah wrote: "...Michael--I am curious about your little-known Patricia Highsmith fact. I read a couple of her Ripleys last year and was happy to discover ..."

Click on the title, or the thumbnail summary, on that page from the Journal. Link is in post 14. It takes you right to their full review. She had a vivid life, Sarah! For better or worse -- well, worse, IMO. But that's JMO.

Ruth wrote: "Every year I swear I'll keep a list of books I read. Every year I don't.

All I can tell you off the top of my head is that I read 2 or 3 books a week. And quite of few of them this year were 2..."

I'm not sure what's worse. No lists at all, or lists like mine, where I carefully rated, catagorized and sometimes even wrote short blurbs on books for years. Then there would be many years of no recording, even though many books were read. It's been on again, off again, and the only books I can honestly recollect from my childhood were the ones that truly stood out. Very frustrating indeed!

Newengland wrote: "Create a "Read in 2010" folder, Ruth. Click that bookshelf for every book you finish in '10. Presto!"

Yes, but you're probably a filer by instinct. Pilers mean well, but they have to have a good memory. People view me as organized. They have no idea :).

Ironically, Ellen, I am as abstract and random as a Myers-Briggs test taker can get. But if you have a file called "Read in 2009" and simply click it for every book you read as it passes from the "Currently reading" box to the "read" box, it's a cinch. Even for the AR likes of me!

(Plus, Ruth could run circles around me when it comes to analysis, organization, and General Acumen -- a Civil War hero, I believe.)

Newengland wrote: "Ironically, Ellen, I am as abstract and random as a Myers-Briggs test taker can get. But if you have a file called "Read in 2009" and simply click it for every book you read as it passes from the ..."

Oh hell, I'd forgotten all about Myers-Briggs's tests. I had a course, rather euphemistically entitled "Invitation to Inquiry," and some of the students - rightly, I thought - balked at having their personalities reduced to four letters. I'm not sure I fared well on this test, either.

All righty then. A file called "read in 2010" will occur. Whether books will be recorded promptly remains to be seen.

Newengland wrote: "Ironically, Ellen, I am as abstract and random as a Myers-Briggs test taker can get. But if you have a file called "Read in 2009" and simply click it for every book you read as it passes from the "Currently readin..."

Ha. That's assuming that the books I'm reading get onto the Currently Reading in the first place.

Tinkers!

Of the début novels in 2009 list that Erin linked above in #33, I have read only Paul Harding's book Tinkers. I liked it very much and almost nominated it for the next Reading List, but then doubted that I could count on being available to lead the discussion.

Ok, so it looks like I'm the unofficial booster for books published in 2009 - I would not have thought that I had read that many books that were published this year, but out of the 35 I've read so far this year, 15 were published this year and 10 of them I gave 4 stars.
A lot of you are forgetting that although it was written long ago, the English translation of Every Man Dies Alone was just published this year.

So here's my very personal and random list of the best books published this year. Most of them were very fast reads for me too - in case anyone is looking to fit one in even before the new year starts :)

1. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders - this was also on the debut fiction list from NPR cited above. A great new voice from an exotic place and I can still recall many of the stories so many months later. They were also loosely interconnected - a technique that I really enjoy.

2. Farm City The Education of an Urban Farmer - a terrific memoir/year in the life piece that really makes you think about the food you eat - totally not in Michael Pollan style, but with a lot of humor. By early Oct, I had given up meat, poultry, dairy, wheat and sugar (I'm not quite as rigorous about the last 3 as I am about the first 3) and in a roundabout way I think it was this book that started me down that path.

3. The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon - I went to college with the author and even though I haven't seen or talked to him in over 20 years another college friend mentioned the book and when I started reading the personal connection fell away and I was totally hooked. A fun adventure non-fiction tale, a particularly big hit with men, even a lot of non-regular book reading ones.

4. Every Man Dies Alone - we read this together on CR later in the year and so there is a discussion archived for anyone that wants to learn more - an extremely powerful piece of writing. I'm still determined to seek out some more books by him.

5. You or Someone Like You - this had a very contemporary feel to it and it was about a lot of different things - Hollywood, literature, what makes someone Jewish - I really enjoyed it.

6. A Gate at the Stairs - we are reading this together in 2010 here at Constant Reader - I think we'll have a great discussion. I'm pretty much in awe of Moore's talent as a writer.

7. Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned Stories - another great short story collection and also a debut in publishing I believe. We read one of his stories in the short story group that was available for free online, but really it wasn't anywhere near as good as most of the others in the collection. Another man's man kind of book, some really good stuff.

8. Beat the Reaper A Novel - a super fun fast paced book that entertained like a great TV show or movie, light and fluffy but with lots of great twists and turns. I can't believe it won't be made into a movie very, very soon.

9. Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It - I've read her stuff before and enjoyed it but wasn't overly impressed with her, this story collection moved her way up in my book and I now understand why she was named a young author to watch a while ago by Granta.

10. War Dances - I really, really like Sherman Alexie - his YA stuff is fantastic, but I was surprised at how mature this was and how much it moved beyond a lot of his typical themes.

Just one more thing - I managed to get all those books from the library despite so many of them being "new" - a lot I ordered online from my library system in advance - I'm mentioning it only because if you do use the library it might not be a bad idea to poke around online and see what is coming out in 2010 and get yourself on the list now so you can get first crack at the new stuff!