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Books read, 2012
Ha ha, am I sober enough to post this? Let's see.
I sort of hit 25 books this year, which was my goal. It's a small goal, as reading goals go, but considering I don't commute and that I also had a big writing project this year that ate virtually every part of my creative brain, leaving very little for reading, I feel okay about how far I got.
Earthbound, Joe Haldeman
I have a soft spot for everything Haldeman writes, and not just because I took classes from him and know firsthand what an awesome guy and amazing writer he is. (Seriously, no other writing professor of mine took the time to teach us the business of writing; Haldeman did.) Unfortunately, much as I wanted to read him wrap up the series he began with Starbound and Marsbound, the ending here was too fast. Still, even not-quite-perfect Haldeman is better than most.
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
Loved the prose and imagery; wished the story had been slightly less obscure at the end. Also, I couldn't help but be reminded of one of the crappier seasons of Heroes, which isn't Morgenstern's fault but did taint the novel slightly for me.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle
I last read this book when I was, I dunno, 12? A long time ago, at any rate, enough that I barely remembered some of the mysteries. It was very nice to revisit them.
St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, Karen Russell
Even if Russell has problems with endings, her prose is so beautiful that I can forgive her. Includes a short story that inspired Russell's brilliant Swamplandia!, which I enjoyed very much in 2011.
The Scar, China Miéville
One of my two favorite books this year. It's the second in the New Crobuzon trilogy, but I don't think you really have to have read Perdido Street Station to follow along. Fantastic characterization, especially of the complex and not entirely likeable female lead. It's rare that I plow through an 800-page book and want to start it all over again from the beginning, but this was that book. Unlike ...
Iron Council, China Miéville
... the sequel, which made me want to bang my head against the wall for its near-complete lack of characterization and the rambling narrative. The disadvantage of Miéville's excellent worldbuilding is that his failure mode is boring as shit.
The Puzzler's Mansion, Eric Berlin
Third in a series of YA books about a teenage puzzle genius, and written by a friend of mine. It's definitely enjoyable, but I have to admit I preferred the previous two entries. Still, as a teenage fan of The Westing Game, I'd have been all over this book.
Love, Virtually and Every Seventh Wave, Daniel Glattauer
I admit that I picked up the first book in the series, Love, Virtually, because DT had done a radio adaptation of it (SHUT UP), and it was terrific. The sequel ... somewhat less so. It's flabby as hell, taking an entire book to get to a point it could have reached a hundred pages earlier if only the characters hadn't behaved like idiots.
Are You My Mother?, Alison Bechdel
I wanted to love this, having really enjoyed Fun Home, not to mention all our Dykes to Watch Out For books, but this one is bathed in a bit too much psychobabble for me. Someone with a higher tolerance for that would enjoy this more.
I Am Forbidden, Anouk Markovits
I forget how I heard about this book -- maybe Entertainment Weekly? -- but in any case, a novel about a woman trying to find her way out of the Satmar Hasidic community is right up my alley. In fact, I think the novel requires so much knowledge of Jewish religion and culture that I wonder how gentiles find their way through it, but I personally found it gorgeously written and deeply compelling.
Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
Holy crap, this book. One of my two favorites this year, along with The Scar. Features unreliable narrators who are horrible, horrible people, and yet I couldn't look away for a minute. Also, I realize there are people who hate the ending; while I can certainly understand how that could happen, I totally disagree. It's the right ending for these characters. (Vague review is vague, but seriously, you cannot discuss this book without major spoilers you do not want if you plan on reading it.)
Un Lun Dun, China Miéville
Continuing my Miéville kick for this year, I read a YA of his that reminded me very much of a cross between The Phantom Tollbooth and The Sandman, and which I know I'd have been all over had it existed when I was a teenager. I totally loved this book.
Dark Places, Gillian Flynn
Another Flynn book with a dislikable narrator, and another one that really grabbed me, though less than Gone Girl. Flynn seems to enjoy playing with different people's perceptions of the same reality, and that's perfectly fine with me.
Yes, Chef, Marcus Samuelsson
Samuelsson's memoirs are very much worth reading if you care about fine cooking, even if he comes off as arrogant and self-absorbed for much of the book. (In fairness, he clearly knows that about himself, too.)
A Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle
More Holmes, although I don't think I'd read this one long ago, because I certainly didn't remember the bizarre interlude in Utah.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle
Not sure if I read this one when I was a kid. This is the problem with being 42: you flat-out don't remember what you read thirty years ago. Anyway, I enjoyed it.
The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman
I don't know how I managed to become a professional UI designer without reading this book, but goddamn, it's a hell of a book. It's also incredibly accessible even if you're not in the industry, so I really recommend it to anyone who's ever wondered why physical objects, like lighting controls and industrial doors, don't always work the way you expect. There's supposed to be a new edition coming out this year; I'm very much looking forward to it.
Telegraph Avenue, Michael Chabon
Oh, how I wanted to love this book the way I'd loved Kavalier & Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Oh, how it read like the kind of novel Thomas Pynchon would have written much better.
The Angel's Kiss, Justin Richards
While this was sold as a novel, it's essentially a novella, being only 40 pages long. It's also a delightful pastiche of hardboiled detective novels told from River Song's point of view, and while the ending was a bit nonsensical and rushed, the rest of it was enjoyable as hell.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice, A Monstrous Regiment of Women, and A Letter of Mary, Laurie King
Several friends, as well as my husband, have been telling me for some time that I need to read the Mary Russell books, so I finally started them this year. They're essentially fanfic, albeit highly entertaining fic, so I can't complain even if Russell is a massive, massive Sue.
Chicks Unravel Time, edited by L.M. Myles & Deborah Stanish
With very minor exceptions, an utterly delightful, female-centric look at Doctor Who, and which almost always made me want to go back and watch old episodes, not that I have the time for that. Definitely recommended for fellow fans, and not just because my friends are all over this book.
Also read: I completed Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan graphic novels, read Brian K. Vaughan's amazing first collection of Saga, and am currently in the middle of a highly enjoyable unpublished SF/hardboiled detective novel written by that guy I'm married to. With any luck, it won't remain unpublished for long.
Next up, once I finish![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
columbina's novel: Gun Machine, by Warren Ellis, out tomorrow in the U.S.
I sort of hit 25 books this year, which was my goal. It's a small goal, as reading goals go, but considering I don't commute and that I also had a big writing project this year that ate virtually every part of my creative brain, leaving very little for reading, I feel okay about how far I got.
Earthbound, Joe Haldeman
I have a soft spot for everything Haldeman writes, and not just because I took classes from him and know firsthand what an awesome guy and amazing writer he is. (Seriously, no other writing professor of mine took the time to teach us the business of writing; Haldeman did.) Unfortunately, much as I wanted to read him wrap up the series he began with Starbound and Marsbound, the ending here was too fast. Still, even not-quite-perfect Haldeman is better than most.
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
Loved the prose and imagery; wished the story had been slightly less obscure at the end. Also, I couldn't help but be reminded of one of the crappier seasons of Heroes, which isn't Morgenstern's fault but did taint the novel slightly for me.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle
I last read this book when I was, I dunno, 12? A long time ago, at any rate, enough that I barely remembered some of the mysteries. It was very nice to revisit them.
St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, Karen Russell
Even if Russell has problems with endings, her prose is so beautiful that I can forgive her. Includes a short story that inspired Russell's brilliant Swamplandia!, which I enjoyed very much in 2011.
The Scar, China Miéville
One of my two favorite books this year. It's the second in the New Crobuzon trilogy, but I don't think you really have to have read Perdido Street Station to follow along. Fantastic characterization, especially of the complex and not entirely likeable female lead. It's rare that I plow through an 800-page book and want to start it all over again from the beginning, but this was that book. Unlike ...
Iron Council, China Miéville
... the sequel, which made me want to bang my head against the wall for its near-complete lack of characterization and the rambling narrative. The disadvantage of Miéville's excellent worldbuilding is that his failure mode is boring as shit.
The Puzzler's Mansion, Eric Berlin
Third in a series of YA books about a teenage puzzle genius, and written by a friend of mine. It's definitely enjoyable, but I have to admit I preferred the previous two entries. Still, as a teenage fan of The Westing Game, I'd have been all over this book.
Love, Virtually and Every Seventh Wave, Daniel Glattauer
I admit that I picked up the first book in the series, Love, Virtually, because DT had done a radio adaptation of it (SHUT UP), and it was terrific. The sequel ... somewhat less so. It's flabby as hell, taking an entire book to get to a point it could have reached a hundred pages earlier if only the characters hadn't behaved like idiots.
Are You My Mother?, Alison Bechdel
I wanted to love this, having really enjoyed Fun Home, not to mention all our Dykes to Watch Out For books, but this one is bathed in a bit too much psychobabble for me. Someone with a higher tolerance for that would enjoy this more.
I Am Forbidden, Anouk Markovits
I forget how I heard about this book -- maybe Entertainment Weekly? -- but in any case, a novel about a woman trying to find her way out of the Satmar Hasidic community is right up my alley. In fact, I think the novel requires so much knowledge of Jewish religion and culture that I wonder how gentiles find their way through it, but I personally found it gorgeously written and deeply compelling.
Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
Holy crap, this book. One of my two favorites this year, along with The Scar. Features unreliable narrators who are horrible, horrible people, and yet I couldn't look away for a minute. Also, I realize there are people who hate the ending; while I can certainly understand how that could happen, I totally disagree. It's the right ending for these characters. (Vague review is vague, but seriously, you cannot discuss this book without major spoilers you do not want if you plan on reading it.)
Un Lun Dun, China Miéville
Continuing my Miéville kick for this year, I read a YA of his that reminded me very much of a cross between The Phantom Tollbooth and The Sandman, and which I know I'd have been all over had it existed when I was a teenager. I totally loved this book.
Dark Places, Gillian Flynn
Another Flynn book with a dislikable narrator, and another one that really grabbed me, though less than Gone Girl. Flynn seems to enjoy playing with different people's perceptions of the same reality, and that's perfectly fine with me.
Yes, Chef, Marcus Samuelsson
Samuelsson's memoirs are very much worth reading if you care about fine cooking, even if he comes off as arrogant and self-absorbed for much of the book. (In fairness, he clearly knows that about himself, too.)
A Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle
More Holmes, although I don't think I'd read this one long ago, because I certainly didn't remember the bizarre interlude in Utah.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle
Not sure if I read this one when I was a kid. This is the problem with being 42: you flat-out don't remember what you read thirty years ago. Anyway, I enjoyed it.
The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman
I don't know how I managed to become a professional UI designer without reading this book, but goddamn, it's a hell of a book. It's also incredibly accessible even if you're not in the industry, so I really recommend it to anyone who's ever wondered why physical objects, like lighting controls and industrial doors, don't always work the way you expect. There's supposed to be a new edition coming out this year; I'm very much looking forward to it.
Telegraph Avenue, Michael Chabon
Oh, how I wanted to love this book the way I'd loved Kavalier & Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Oh, how it read like the kind of novel Thomas Pynchon would have written much better.
The Angel's Kiss, Justin Richards
While this was sold as a novel, it's essentially a novella, being only 40 pages long. It's also a delightful pastiche of hardboiled detective novels told from River Song's point of view, and while the ending was a bit nonsensical and rushed, the rest of it was enjoyable as hell.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice, A Monstrous Regiment of Women, and A Letter of Mary, Laurie King
Several friends, as well as my husband, have been telling me for some time that I need to read the Mary Russell books, so I finally started them this year. They're essentially fanfic, albeit highly entertaining fic, so I can't complain even if Russell is a massive, massive Sue.
Chicks Unravel Time, edited by L.M. Myles & Deborah Stanish
With very minor exceptions, an utterly delightful, female-centric look at Doctor Who, and which almost always made me want to go back and watch old episodes, not that I have the time for that. Definitely recommended for fellow fans, and not just because my friends are all over this book.
Also read: I completed Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan graphic novels, read Brian K. Vaughan's amazing first collection of Saga, and am currently in the middle of a highly enjoyable unpublished SF/hardboiled detective novel written by that guy I'm married to. With any luck, it won't remain unpublished for long.
Next up, once I finish
columbina's novel: Gun Machine, by Warren Ellis, out tomorrow in the U.S.