01 January 2014

Best Books of 2013, Part 1

Best Book I Should Have Read A Long Time Ago: Margaret Atwood, THE EDIBLE WOMAN

Best Page-Turners, The  Stieg Larsson "Failed To Finish GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST" Memorial Category
Laura Lippman, AND WHEN SHE WAS GOOD
Simon Van Booy, THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATENESS
Jordan Belfort, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Modern Library of Awesome
Graham Greene, THE END OF THE AFFAIR  
Dashiell Hammett, THE MALTESE FALCON  
Carson McCullers, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER
Evelyn Waugh, A HANDFUL OF DUST
John Steinbeck, THE GRAPES OF WRATH
Samuel Butler, THE WAY OF ALL FLESH
Henry James, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE

Best Villain, Maniacal Laugh, Maniacal Laugh!!! The food in Frank Bruni's BORN ROUND. (Sincerely, this is an excellent memoir from two underexplored sides of eating disorders: binge eating/ overeating, and EDs among men. And part of what makes it great is how frank Frank is [sorry] about his struggles and how present the threat.)

Most Surprising
For achievements in relying on narrative ignorance to spring a late plot twist, Beatriz Williams, A HUNDRED SUMMERS
For redemption from previous disappointments, Dave Eggers, THE CIRCLE

Hidden Gems of 2013
Fiction: Andre Aciman, HARVARD SQUARE - a NETHERLAND-style tale of friendship and culture clash, disguised as a Bildungsroman
Nonfiction: Daniel James Brown, THE BOYS IN THE BOAT - a touching and shocking personal history of the Great Depression, disguised as a sports book

Best Book Endings
Barbara Kingsolver, FLIGHT BEHAVIOR
Ayelet Waldman, RED HOOK ROAD



2 comments:

jess thrift said...

I heard so many lukewarm things about Flight Behavior, I decided not to read it until I'm retired and my kids are grown. And now you have made me wonder if that was a poor decision. Hmm.

Ellen said...

I probably wouldn't have read it if not for my book club. I had had some not so positive Kingsolver experiences but I liked this a lot. I appreciated that it tackled Issues but not in a didactic, "look we resolved everything" manner, and the protagonist was very well drawn.