Revamping this blog to become a book-centered one, since that is now my chief hobby! Getting things started with my Top Ten List from 2011:
It was hard enough to just pick ten books, so I didn't rank them beyond that. Here they are, in alphabetical order by the author's last name!
Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong by Brandon L. Garrett – This book is a great exploration of how innocent people end up being convicted of crimes, something that happens with much greater frequency than I think most people realize. I honestly didn’t learn a lot from it, since I’ve been interested in this topic for a while, but I recognize it as a great book to recommend to people who are new to the topic and am really glad that there’s now a well-written book to point people to!
Elizabeth I by Margaret George – I love historical fiction set in the Tudor era but often get frustrated because so much of it focuses on the love lives of the key players instead of taking a broader view of the political and cultural events of the time. Margaret George came to the rescue in 2011 with this amazing novel about the later years of Elizabeth’s reign. Yes, there’s some obligatory romantic angst about Robert Dudley and the Earl of Essex, but also a wealth of detail about politics and trade and the social life of the court…bliss!
A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel – Hardly shocking that I liked this one! Manguel traces the practice of reading from its earliest days onwards, covering topics like reading aloud, illustrations, reading as a public vs. private activity, etc., etc. Well-written with a perfect balance between information and humor.
1491 and 1493 by Charles Mann – Yep, I’m cheating and listing two books as one here. I can do what I want, it’s my list! 1491 describes what the ‘New’ World was really like before Columbus arrived, while 1493 describes the legacy of the Colombian Exchange and the trade routes that sprang up between Europe and the Americas. Both are amazing books that taught me a lot and made me realize how little I really knew about that era of history and the impact it had on how our world looks today.
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion –I’m not normally into zombie books but this one won me over with its sweet love story between ‘R.’, a zombie who wants more than his drab undead existence currently offers him, and Julie, a living girl R. tries to protect from the other zombies after eating her boyfriend’s brain and absorbing some of his memories. First sentence: “I am dead, but it’s not so bad.”
Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal -- McGonigal argues that there’s a reason why video games are so appealing and makes a strong case for the transformative power of finding ways to create real-world ‘games’ that incorporate video games' appealing qualities by giving a wide range of examples of people doing exactly that. Great book that I found myself thinking about quite a bit after having read it!
This Burns My Heart by Samuel Park – The story of a Korean girl who chooses not to marry for love and spends the rest of her life wondering if she made the wrong decision. About as cheerful as that plot description makes it sound, but the writing is beautiful and it contains one of the most romantic proposal scenes I’ve ever read. Memorable and haunting.
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett—This was the Year of Ann Patchett for me in some ways, as I read State of Wonder over the summer and went on to read most of her other books over the course of the rest of the year. Bel Canto is her best known book for a reason…its eloquent description of the shifting relationships between a group of people taken as hostages after a rich businessman’s birthday party is raided by a South American terrorist organization is not to be missed.
Doc by Mary Doria Russell – One of the things I love about this novel is that people are often reluctant to pick it up even after having been told how great it is (“A historical fiction novel about Doc Holliday? Hmmm, okay.”) but almost always end up falling in love with it once they do try it. It’s a Western, but it’s a western with absolutely gorgeous writing, a large cast of vividly drawn characters, and numerous literary references. (Including to The Aeneid!) First sentence: “He began to die when he was twenty-one, but tuberculosis is slow and sly and subtle.”
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson – This amazing work of non-fiction traces the story of three African-Americans who took part in the Great Migration and sought better opportunities for themselves and their families outside of the South. Wilkerson masterfully balances their individual stories with enough background detail about the historical context to allow you to fully appreciate their courage and perseverance. I learned a lot from this book and know that the stories of Ida, Robert, and George will stay with me for a long time…
Runners Up:
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne
The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
Sovereign by C.J. Sansom
1776 by David McCullough
The Five Worst Books I Read This Year:
The Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer by Lucy Weston (Because it wasn’t even fun. I thought it would at least be fun.)
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (Because of horrible character names and a heavy-handed plot completely lacking in subtlety.)
The Metropolis Case by Matthew Gallaway (because of all the incest and a really sad scene where the main character has to put his cat to sleep…but mostly the incest.)
The Confession of Katherine Howard by Suzannah Dunn (because she made the Tudors talk like 21st century teenagers and that is Not Okay.)
Cradle and All by James Patterson (Because of everything. Everything!!!)
