1. Shadow Divers, Robert Kurson
Thrilling, interesting, exciting, well-written, and true. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it, due to Kurson's skillful blend of action, adventure, danger, history, and mystery. The passion and dedication of the real-life divers who discover a mystery U-Boat off of the New Jersey coast is infectious, and the dangers that they face are startling.
2. One Day, David Nicholls
The concept of checking in on the characters once every year for twenty years worked very well and propelled the story forward in a highly effective manner. It also made me realize how quickly time slips by and how trivial the majority of life can be. Sometimes I cheered the characters on; sometimes I wanted to slap them for making incredibly stupid decisions. I was a bit disappointed by the ending of the book, though I have to give Nicholls credit because I certainly didn't see it coming at all.
3. Tales from the South Pacific, James Michener
The descriptions of the occupied islands are so detailed and lush, I felt like I was there along side the Naval officers and SeaBees. All the characters were interesting people and mythical in stature. They were all people with whom I wanted to spend time and get to know better. They were inherently human, but also larger-than-life. When I finished the book, I felt like I was leaving behind a great group of new friends.
4. The Gorse Trilogy, Patrick Hamilton
One of Hamilton's overtly darker works, with a protagonist slightly akin to that of Hangover Square. The sinister nature of Earnest Ralph Gorse is, however, what makes these stories so compelling. These three works are especially relevant in today's voyeuristic society because in each story the reader must sit helplessly by and watch the careless, gullible (yet all somewhat culpable) women that Gorse chooses as his victims be taken advantage of by this twisted, sadistic man. It is almost a light form of torture for both the hapless victims and the powerless reader.
5. Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger
A fascinating and balanced tale with an interesting mix of characters. If anything, I wish Niffenegger had delved into her characters more deeply, so that I could truly feel for them. I felt like there was a skimmed over lightness to this book that kept me at arms-length rather than allowing or inviting me fully into the story. Nonetheless, a strong and enjoyable sophomore effort.
6. You Or Someone Like You, Chandler Burr
A book whose major themes are some of my major interests: hollywood/movies, literature, and Judaism. A lovely piece of contemporary literature, written in clean and distant prose filled with emotion, it raises questions about Judaism and choice and how the religion fits into today's society that are fascinating and thought provoking. In thinking about this book, I keep coming back to the word "distant." There is a sense of curation surrounding this book that echoes the glass house in the Hollywood Hills - transparent, yet distant - in which the story is set.
7. Losing Mum and Pup, Christopher Buckley
This memoir is incredibly moving. I read the entire book in one day, and was very glad for having done so. As an only child, I was able to relate to Buckley's story on many levels and I can see myself returning to this book as a source of comfort and strength many years in the future. I highly recommend this book for parents and children (only or not) alike.
8. A Painted House, John Grisham
Though this book doesn't revolve around a court case, there are certainly elements of crime and the struggle between right and wrong (as well as the main character's own struggle to define these elements for himself). The fact that a 7 year old is as clearly articulated as a law student or judge, wrapped in a book that recalls both The Grapes of Wrath and Little House on the Prairie, speaks to Grisham's true prowess as a writer.
9. Matched, Ally Condie
A very engaging teen-dystopian-fantasy-love-triangle book. The heroine is extremely likable, and the two guys are quite evenly matched, yet one of them is presented as a clear favorite, which makes everything a whole lot easier. The world of Matched is one that is deeply creepy beneath it's organized surface; the amount of regulation going on is rather scary when given a lot of thought.
10. The Terminal Spy, Alan Cowell
A fascinating book that got me thinking about the world and politics in new ways, though it also left me with quite mixed feelings. For the first half of the book, Cowell hardly seems unbiased, yet it is somewhat difficult to tell where his sympathies truly lie. He is setting Sasha (the spy of the title) up as a victim, yet it is unclear if the reader is supposed to feel sympathetic toward him for anything other than the suffering at his time of dying. And of course, in the end, there are no definitive conclusions. On the other hand, I learned much about Russia's recent history and geopolitics. As vast as the world seems sometimes, (true) stories like this remind me that it really isn't all that big and that there is so much to experience outside of the small sphere of my life.
Worst: Drood, Dan Simmons
In the interest of saving you the time it will take you to read all 771 pages of this book, I am just going to say: don't. I started out hoping that everything would come together in the end, because for the first two-thirds of the book, it seemed like it could be that kind of story, where the reader will be rewarded at the end for following and navigating all these varying threads, but in the end nothing is resolved, and I felt rather cheated.
Special Mention: Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
It was well worth it to read Never Let Me Go twice, so much so that I wrote a whole post about it. This is a very good book. Read it. (preferably before you see the film, but it's different enough that you can read it after you've seen the film and still get plenty out of the experience.)
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