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2009: the year in books
Jan. 3rd, 2010 01:43 pmIt's time once again for my summary of what I've read in the past year. As usual, grad school makes precise record-keeping difficult--I read many books at once, I skim some books and read only pieces of others. So I will simply do the best I can.
I think that this year I will list my reading in two ways: my usual chronological list, and a second list in which the books are grouped in categories. My reading is usually 90% novels and just a few other things here and there, but I have the feeling that there was more diversity to what I read in 2009, so I'm curious to see how it breaks down.
( The chronological list )
( The categorized list )
Well, it's nice to see that I was able to do more reading that I chose for myself this year, as opposed to my previous years in grad school, when it's been all I could do to keep from drowning in the reading for various classes. Also, it was the year of Marilynne Robinson; I read all three of her novels this year, heard her read on twice, got my copy of Gilead signed by her (it's a first edition!), and attended a very interesting Q and A with her during which she and I talked about the intersections of real and imaginary geography in writing. In addition, it's quite clear that short fiction was the theme of the second half of the year--lots of novellas and story collections in the latter part of my list.
These are a few of my favorite books of 2009:
Break It Down by Lydia Davis. Davis's stories are extremely short and extremely precise. She can do so much with just a few words. Not all of the stories are successful, but she has a way of hiding deep insight in these little paragraphs about mundane matters. When you're not looking, these stories will cut you.
Runaway by Alice Munro. Alice Munro is brilliant. Her stories are the opposite of Lydia Davis's: long, rich, and full. But they too will cut you.
"The Dead" by James Joyce. This is a re-read, so I guess I'm not supposed to mention it, but reading it again after so many years was a revelation. It is a novella that is perhaps even more enjoyable on a second or third read, when the characters feel like old friends to you, as they are to each other. It has the most beautiful ending ever written.
Pilgrim At Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. I can't remember the last book that demanded as much of me as this one. I had to read mindfully, and try to hold whole chapters in my mind as I read. Beautifully written (though occasionally a bit overwritten), the book is Dillard's attempt to come to a spiritual understanding of the natural world. This one will merit a second reading at some point.
I think that this year I will list my reading in two ways: my usual chronological list, and a second list in which the books are grouped in categories. My reading is usually 90% novels and just a few other things here and there, but I have the feeling that there was more diversity to what I read in 2009, so I'm curious to see how it breaks down.
( The chronological list )
( The categorized list )
Well, it's nice to see that I was able to do more reading that I chose for myself this year, as opposed to my previous years in grad school, when it's been all I could do to keep from drowning in the reading for various classes. Also, it was the year of Marilynne Robinson; I read all three of her novels this year, heard her read on twice, got my copy of Gilead signed by her (it's a first edition!), and attended a very interesting Q and A with her during which she and I talked about the intersections of real and imaginary geography in writing. In addition, it's quite clear that short fiction was the theme of the second half of the year--lots of novellas and story collections in the latter part of my list.
These are a few of my favorite books of 2009:
Break It Down by Lydia Davis. Davis's stories are extremely short and extremely precise. She can do so much with just a few words. Not all of the stories are successful, but she has a way of hiding deep insight in these little paragraphs about mundane matters. When you're not looking, these stories will cut you.
Runaway by Alice Munro. Alice Munro is brilliant. Her stories are the opposite of Lydia Davis's: long, rich, and full. But they too will cut you.
"The Dead" by James Joyce. This is a re-read, so I guess I'm not supposed to mention it, but reading it again after so many years was a revelation. It is a novella that is perhaps even more enjoyable on a second or third read, when the characters feel like old friends to you, as they are to each other. It has the most beautiful ending ever written.
Pilgrim At Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. I can't remember the last book that demanded as much of me as this one. I had to read mindfully, and try to hold whole chapters in my mind as I read. Beautifully written (though occasionally a bit overwritten), the book is Dillard's attempt to come to a spiritual understanding of the natural world. This one will merit a second reading at some point.
