Today I'm on my last favorite list...Young Adult. Now this genre of book is always a little tricky with me. I'm not even close to being a young adult, but I have two living with me. And I have way enough of the typical trappings of this age to go around. I am not patient with angst, drama, fit-throwing, emotional outbursts, and anxiety in my books because I'm trying to survive this stage in my children. So you could say that I'm pretty hard to please in this category. Yet I've found five this year that blew my mind. In all five there are strong characters with mountainous obstacles, and I've been moved, sometimes to tears. Here they are in no particular order:
Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell
I said it a couple of days ago, and I'll say it again. You are missing out on LIFE if you don't read this author. Although this novel is technically YA, it is good for everyone. This story about outcasts finding each other, young love, and rising above the worst home life is one you will not forget. Precious characters is what Rowell does. Just do yourself a favor and read it.
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
This book defied all odds with me. YA is touchy, and I don't read Sci Fi AT ALL. But enough people told me it was excellent, and the movie was coming out so I caved. And I'm glad I did. A compelling, precocious protagonist, clever twists and a knock out ending did it for me.
Rose Under Fire - Elizabeth Wein
From the author that impressed us with her strong females and twisty plot in "Code Name Verity", we get more of what we loved in her new book which stands as a companion novel (a few consistent characters in the two books). The ladies in this book don't get any more kick ass than this...survivors of torture, starvation and experiments in the Ravensbruck concentration camp in WWII. At this point, I'll read anything Ms. Wein writes.
The Sea of Tranquility - Katja Millay
This gem was recommended to me by Rhapsody Jill, the expert in all things YA. Yet I hesitated and shame on me for that. This book had some similarities to Eleanor & Park (outcasts that find love), except the characters are older and more damaged. The characterization is so real and raw, the chemistry palpable. I was so completely moved, and similar to a Rainbow Rowell book, it ended too soon.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
Yet another well-crafted book, written in the form of letters, that truly captures high school in the 80's from the perspective of a bright, shy and damaged young man. I loved all the cultural references, as well as the message that there can be joy in being yourself and finding your people.
So I'm back again today to talk about my favorite fiction reads in print for 2013. Definitely the pool to choose from was much smaller because I have not had much luck in sitting down and reading the written word this year. All of the books below were published in 2013 except for Murakami.
Calling Me Home - Julie Kibler
This was a surprise find for me, chosen as a monthly book club selection by She Reads. I am still thinking about this story about love and friendship between blacks and whites in the South. I could not put this book down. It broke my heart but in the best possible way. Definitely not one you want to miss!
Indiscretion - Charles Dubow
HIGHLY recommended at SIBA. Read in one sitting my the slowest reader on earth (me). Loved by everyone in my book club. Smutty, twisty, and impossible to resist. Not exactly high brow, but every now and again you need a book like this in your life.
Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
I suspect you will see this book on my year end lists. It was a bizarre premise but one that tickles your brain...one woman living and dying over and over again, with many different outcomes. As a ruined, battered woman. As a mistress. As a search and rescue worker in the Blitz. As an assassin of Hitler. Fascinating storytelling that forced you to think about coincidence and destiny. And while I did struggle to understand the WHY of the whole thing, it was a clever and engrossing read.
Night Film - Marisha Pessl
The world either loved or hated this book. I was in the loved category, despite the hype. It was unique, using different forms of media (newspaper clippings, police reports, web pages) to tell the story of a man driven to investigate the suicide of the daughter of a reclusive, iconic filmmaker. It gripped me from beginning to end. It was trippy and twisty and delicious. But you ain't seen trippy until you've dabbled with Murakami...
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami
May I present the King of Trippy. I had been insanely intimidated to even try his books, with his imagery, symbolism, cats, wells, and precocious teenagers. But I finally tackled this one, and I think I loved it. I'm not altogether sure what it was about, but it was interesting and unlike anything I'd ever read before. For that, it belongs on this list.
One last list from me tomorrow, and that will be Young Adult, some of the best stuff I read this year.
Surprise, surprise! Here I am with an actual proper post! It is amazing how out of practice you get with this thing. But I couldn't let the year pass without doing a favorites list. They are so much fun...I love doing them, and I love reading everyone else's.
As usual, I'm going to break things down in groups, and start with my favorite, audios. In my audios list, there is a mixture of biographies and fiction and YA. When I break out my lists for fiction and YA, those will only be what I read in print.
It is hard sometimes to really isolate the root of the awesome in audios. Is it great writing? Is is phenomenal narration? Sometimes it is both. In the list below, rest assured that the moons have aligned and you will be treated with the best of everything.
Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt
There is nothing fun about teen angst, coming of age, and AIDS in the 80's, but this debut novel is worth the tears and heartbreak. It is gorgeously written, a masterpiece, and ultimately filled with hope. While the narration of Amy Rubinate was solid, the real attraction here are the words. In my review, I gave it 4.5 stars but over time, the story has stayed with me, and I feel it deserves a place on this list.
Me Before You - Jojo Moyes
Well, here we are, more crying. But I'm sure none of you are surprised to see this book on any list because it grabbed the world by the heart and squeezed. Truly one of the most precious and touching books you will read (or listen to) this year, about a young woman at odds with her life and her quadriplegic employer. The narration of Susan Lyons was excellent, but the real highlight was the message.
Rod - Rod Stewart
You don't have to be a fan of this guy or his hair to enjoy this audio. Although he was a musical presence in my youth, I always thought he was a sleazy oaf. But please believe me when I say that this is the most fun you will have listening to an audio. His antics, his self-deprecating humor, his raw honesty, brought to life by the impeccable narration of Simon Vance, was an 11 hour belly laugh.
Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson
I'll give credit to Isaacson for doing a great job of making this biography extremely readable, but the raw data...Jobs' quirky personality, his career path, his brilliance, his vision...really made this read a winner. Whether you like the guy or not, whether you are an Apple addict (like me), the facts themselves are nothing short of mind-blowing. Dylan Baker as narrator became Jobs, throwing in all the passion and enthusiasm that you would expect in a book about this great man.
The Dinner - Herman Koch
This was another fun book to listen to for many reasons. Snarky commentary on the rich? Unreliable (and possibly sociopathic) narrator? Unexpected twists and turns, never knowing what was coming at you from around the corner? Good stuff. And I may be partial to delightful little British accents in my narration, like Clive Mantel here, but you could tell this guy (who normally narrates children's books) was having a ball. It has been optioned for a movie, to be directed by Cate Blanchett.
The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton
I have a hard time verbalizing how much I love Kate Morton and her meandering, long-winded, gothic storytelling. Her novels have at least 200 extra pages in them, but somehow I am still disappointed that it is over when I turn the last one. The extra added punch that makes these stories so magical is the narration of all of them by the amazing Caroline Lee. If you are a Morton fan, you must not miss this one.
Where'd You Go Bernadette - Maria Semple
This was definitely the "it" book to listen to this year. To start with, our protagonist, Bernadette, was larger than life. Strange, lovable, and completely full of piss and vinegar. I laughed my way through this one. But the narration by Kathleen Wilhoite? Probably some of the best narration I've ever heard EVER. They have optioned this for a movie, and I'm not surprised in the least.
Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
This was certainly the year for Rainbow Rowell for me. I've read all three of her books, and I would now consider myself a Rowell fangirl. I implore you...just read her. Her books are perfection. They are gritty and real, but ignites a chemistry in her characters and creates a preciousness that turns people like me (cynical and snarky) into mush. Our narrator, Rebecca Lowman, did an amazing job...the perfect mixture of youth and wit. I promise you that with any of Rowell's books, you will fall in love with her characters so hard that you won't want it to end.
Tomorrow I'm going to talk about my favorite Fiction reads in print! See you then!
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