Top 10 Books of 2012

 

Let me take this opportunity to offer a belated "Happy New Year!" to my tens of followers. I hope that 2013 is off to a good start for all.

Yes, I have been a bad blogger again. Life has been challenging. Blogging is time-consuming. And that's all I'm going to say about that. I thank you all for sticking with me, and I'll try to do better moving forward. That's what new year's resolutions are for, right?

One of my favorite things about the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one are all the top 10 lists. I have participated by posting a top 10 lists of my favorite books each year. This year was among the very hardest to narrow down due to the sheer number of books I read in 2012. In the end, these were my choices. It is my habit and tradition to only rank my #1 book. All others are listed in the order in which they were read.

1. Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon

The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

Gods Without Men by Hari Kunzru

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

In One Person by John Irving

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rivka Brunt

*****

I have to tell you, I have spent the past several days crafting a fantastic blog post. I wrote a paragraph or more on why each book was selected. It had live links to the books, the authors, video I shot, and lots of cover art. I saved it dozens of times along the way, and I was almost finished. It would have been posted tonight. And then it just... disappeared. And only the tinest bit of it was recoverable. I don't know why. I'm fairly sick about it. And I don't have the energy to recreate the effort. So, I'm afraid all you get this year is a list. :-(

Suffice it to say, I cannot recommend these 10 books highly enough.

In brighter news, my next post will list all 202 books I read in 2012.

Forget Waldo, where's Susan?

Well, I don't like to dwell on my personal life here, but I just participated in an exciting Twitter discussion where I claimed to be a book blogger.  So I, uh, thought I should blog something, starting with a brief explanation of some stuff I've been up to:

• Most notably, I am in the process of a major cross-country move.  That involves packing up a lot of books and a lot of everything else.  Briefly, my San Francisco apartment is going into storage, and I'm entering a (hopefully brief) nomadic period.  I'll be spending time in DC and NY in the next few weeks, and then back to SF later this summer through August.  After that, I'm not sure, but you may assume it will be a very literate city.  ;-)  Blogging will resume a more regular schedule in the near future.
• I mentioned above that I'm Tweeting these days.  Remember when I used to do Mailbox Monday?  Well, it's a whole lot easier to just Tweet when new books arrive.  Or when I post a review somewhere.  Or just a quick update on what I'm reading.  Please feel free to follow me at SusanTunis on Twitter.
• Did a stranger hand you a free book on Monday night?  That's because it was World Book Night!  The US participated
  
  for the first time ever, and I was so proud to be a book giver on this inaugural year.  Not only that, but I got to hand out copies of A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, which happens to be my very favorite book of all time.  What a thrill!  I had a great time accosting commuters as I myself was crossing San Francisco.  I felt a little like a freak as I shouted about free books to disinterested people, but it was really fantastic to give out books to the people who were really into it.  Here's a photo of one happy customer.  (I love that her clothes match my blog, LOL.)  My favorite was a young man from Argentina, who couldn't believe there were no strings attached to the gift.  After I gave him the book, he asked, "Okay, what do I have to do now?"  I explained that all he had to do was read it and enjoy it.  He was delighted, and will be practicing reading in English.
• 
  Speaking of Mr. Irving (my very favorite author), I am so excited to have acquired tickets last night to hear him speak in Washington, DC in two weeks.  This is the perfect way to jumpstart a life on a different coast.  I've heard him speak many times before, but he's awesome and I worship him.  I can't believe I haven't read the forthcoming book, In One Person yet!  Yay for John Irving!  Boo hiss for Simon & Schuster publicity!
• On the other hand, I've had the pleasure of catching "Author Guy" Christopher Moore on tour for Sacre Bleu twice, and videotaping him each time.  I promised him that I'd wait for the book tour to end before posting, but that video and several others will be posted in the near future, I promise.
• What else?  Well, since I'll be on the East Coast, I'll likely be attending BookExpo America again this year (but maybe not the Book Blogger Con), and of course Thrillerfest in July.  I haven't missed one yet.  Oh, and I attended my first ever Left Coast Crime about a month ago in Sacramento.  It was great to see so many author friends and to make several new ones!

So, I think that catches you up on the basics.  Sorry to be slacking off, but it simply can't be helped at the moment.  I look forward to catching up in a big way in May.  I've read some amazing books that I look forward to sharing with you!  For now, I'd love to hear what you've been up to, and about anything extraordinary you've been doing reading.

Mailbox Monday: I can't resist a sale edition

Well, you can't say that I didn't warn you that there's be a long list this week!

Field Gray
by Philip Kerr
Release date:  4/14/2011
Source:  paper galley from publisher

Well, easy come, easy go.  This was given away at my San Francisco Book Crossing (SFBX) meeting on the day it arrived.  I've given away other galleys from this series there, and they're gotten a positive response.

The Floor of Heaven: A True Tale of the Last Frontier and the Yukon Gold Rush
by Howard Blum
Release date:  4/26/2011
Source:  paper galley from publisher

This looks very interesting.  I read very little non-fiction, but I'm not ready to give this up yet.  I may have to read it.

The Wilder Life
by Wendy McClure
Release date:  4/14/2011
Source:  paper galley from publisher

More intriguing non-fiction.  This memoir of obsession for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie books looks very cute.  I suspect there's someone out there that wants to read this book way more than I do.  Possible future giveaway.

The Kor
by Warren Fahy
Release date:  3/14/2011
Source:  purchased from Amazon via Kindle

I think I've established a willingness to purchase anything this author puts out.  I'm sure I'll sample it sooner or later, though I'm not sure I want to read it.  We'll see.

The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
Release date:  9/26/2006
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

This is the year I finally gave audio books a serious listen.  I'm not a whole-hearted convert, and I generally have paper copies of the books I listen to.  I frequently read along, or switch back and forth.  Still, some books work really well in audio, and it allows me to maximize my reading time, i.e. while browsing in the mall, stitching embroidery, etc.  I love my Audible.com monthly subscription, and I have an absolute weakness for their frequent sales!  Grabbing up a pile of $5 audio books is like the old days of binging on remaindered hardbacks.  I miss those days.  I spend so little on books these days that I have no problem with an occasional splurge like this.  And, as the last literate person in America not to read this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and given the fact that it's less than seven hours long unabridged, picking it up is a no-brainer.

How to Talk to a Widower
by Jonathan Tropper
Release date:  7/17/2007
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

You may recall that I finally read my first Tropper novel, This is Where I Leave You and loved it.  I'm more than happy to give another one a try.

Grave Peril (Dresden Files #3)
by Jim Butcher
Release date:  4/1/2000
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

Well, obviously I've been aware of this bestselling series for years.  I never so much as looked at one of the books until the first book in the series was offered during the last Audible sale.  I listed to 15 minutes of that book this morning, and based on that I've decided to pick up #3 for light "reading" later. 

A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages
by Kristin Chenoweth
Release date:  4/14/2009
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

I'm so not proud of this.  I've resisted picking up this book for two years now.  I resisted it during previous Audible sales.  I am actively disinterested in Chenoweth's faith, and passively disinterested in her love life...  But I love the theater.  And that part--which is presumably the largest part--might be pretty darn interesting.  Don't judge me.

A Prayer for Owen Meany
by John Irving
Release date:  3/28/1989
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME.  A statement so bold it needs a font to show it.  I've read this masterpiece twice, but the second time couldn't hold a candle to the joy of reading it for the first time.  I've had this audio book on my Audible wish list since I first subscribed.  I wonder if I can recapture some of the magic by experiencing it in a new medium?  This was the ultimate no-brainer.  Oh, and this sale continues until March 22nd, so there are likely to be a few more $5 audio books next week.

The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles Book #1)
by Patrick Rothfuss
Release date:  3/27/2007
Source:  purchased with audible.com credit

With the recent high-profile release of the second book in this series, I've heard too many good things from too many respected people not to be curious about these books.

Prophecy
by S.J. Parris
Release date:  5/3/2011
Source: paper galley from publisher

This is a great-looking cover.  This appears to be the sequel of a well-received historical thriller called Heresy.  Anyone read it?  Looks interesting.  I've never read Parris.

Sleight of Hand
by Peter Beagle
Release date:  3/1/2011
Source:  paper galley from publisher

Hold on to your hats, but I have never read any Beagle.  I know, I know.  This collection of stories looks really delightful, and I'm looking forward to diving in.  I'll probably read one story at a time between novels.  BTW, another great cover!



Books finished this week: 

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown - A review will be posted this week.

Currently reading: 

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (paper galley) - I'm almost done and loving this novel!

Storm Front (Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher (audio book) - Yeah, I got sucked in.  It's easy, entertaining, and much better than current bestseller A Discovery of Witches.


So, what books have you acquired this week?  What books have you been reading?  Please feel free to share in the comments.

Resistible, but wholly worthwhile

The Irresistible Henry House: A Novel
by Lisa Grunwald

I must confess that my interest in Lisa Grunwald's latest novel, The Irresistible Henry House was captured by comparisons to the work of John Irving. That's a reliable way to catch my attention, but it almost always leads to disappointment. Not so here. The book does have a distinctly Irvingesque quality, though it's difficult to put my finger on what exactly makes it so.

Spanning from 1946 to the late sixties, the novel presents a portrait in intimate detail of Henry Gaines from infancy though early adulthood. The one-time Henry "House" was a practice baby. For several decades in the mid-twentieth century, it was common for university home economics departments to run practice households in which to teach their students how to run a home. Many of these came complete with practice babies, borrowed from orphanages when they were just a few months old, and handed off from "mother" to "mother" as the students learned childcare.

Of course, this is unimaginable today--to the point that I thought the premise was the author's invention, until I researched further. The inability to form close attachments is just the tip of the iceberg of the issues this kid's got, which makes him an intriguing literary character. Unlike most practice babies, Henry never returned to the orphanage after a couple of years of being handed off like a baton in a relay race. He'd captured the heart of Martha Gaines, the needy Program Director. Henry was raised in the practice house with the cloying Martha and a never-ending procession of "mothers" and babies. We observe Henry through many stages of development and phases in his life, and not only are we treated to a really fascinating character study, but we also get a perceptive study of a changing post-war America. Along the way there are cameo appearances by a surprising number of famous figures of the times.

As enjoyable a read as this was, it had two significant flaws in my view. Starting with the novel's title, and again and again throughout the text, we're told how charming, charismatic, and yes, downright irresistible Henry is, but for me it never translated to the page. I've read plenty of characters who charmed my socks right off. Not only didn't Henry Gaines even come close, he really wasn't all that likeable. He was a character that I felt sympathy for, but he was a frankly manipulative cold fish. Grunwald really failed to bring the character's purported attractiveness to life.

The other problem is that most of the other significant characters were, if anything, less likeable than Henry. Martha vacillates between an intense neediness and something close to evil. The less said about Henry's birth family the better. The women who parade through Henry's life are largely an unappealing lot. The most sympathetic is Mary Jane, the proverbial girl-next-door, a constant through Henry's tumultuous life. I suspect that there are readers who will have difficulty connecting emotionally with these characters.

Despite the criticisms above, I really enjoyed this novel, and would recommend it to readers intrigued by the premise and the era, and who are willing to spend time with flawed characters seeking redemption.

John Irving’s finest novel in years

Last Night in Twisted River

by John Irving

I may as well come out and say it: I love John Irving. My love is unconditional. I will defend his lesser novels against all defamers. Happily, I will not be put in that position any time soon, because Last Night in Twisted River is his strongest novel in years. It's a wonderful read!

I recently told a friend, "It's so good it hurts." Reflecting on what I had said, I realized I was right. Sometimes reading his books hurts. He populates his novels with sweet, sentimental, anxious men, and then he tortures them. Mr. Irving's signature blend of comedy and tragedy is again on display. Only in his world does an oft-repeated tale of whacking a bear on the nose with a frying pan lead to an accidental death.

The novel opens in rural New Hampshire in 1954. Widower Domenic Baciagalupo is the cook at a logging camp, where he is assisted by his 12-year-old son Danny. It's a rough and tumble world, personified by the gruff and rugged logger, Ketchem, who becomes the closest thing to family that either Baciagalupo has. Last Night in Twisted River is an epic novel, spanning some 50 years. The aforementioned accidental death is the novel's catalyst. It causes Domenic and Danny to go on the run, sought for decades by a vigilante sheriff. But aside from being the tale of this truncated family's life in exile, this is a story about how you become the person you are.

Specifically, Mr. Irving is looking at how a writer becomes a writer, because that, indeed, is what Danny Baciagalupo becomes--a successful one, too. In fact, Danny Baciagalupo's career is... John Irving's career. There is no attempt to disguise the obviousness of the career trajectory, the subject matter of the books, the literary criticism--all are identical to Irving's. It seems clear that the author is having some fun with the self-referential material, but for fans like me, Irving gives us unusual insight into his process, and possibly some of his own attitudes on the life of a writer. Though, perhaps we can't assume that is so, as Danny has much to say about readers' assumptions about the autobiographical nature of fiction, and the value of what is borrowed versus what is imagined.

In a recent review, I commented on the way that Pat Conroy returns again and again to certain themes and plot elements in his fiction, but "jumbles them up in new and interesting ways." certainly this is true, too, of Mr. Irving. In this novel we again find bears, writers, absent parents, endangered children, New England settings, prep schools, and so forth. It's easy to compare different aspects of this novel to what has come before. A dash of Garp and a soupcon of Owen Meany. But right from the start, the work of which this reminded me the most was The Cider House Rules. Not in subject matter, but in the period setting and the span of the story being told. And probably in the nature of the male relationships in this novel.

Last Night in Twisted River is a long, heart-wrenching story. You won't be racing through it. You may learn more about logging than you ever wanted to know. But John Irving's language is magnificent and you won't soon forget these characters and their epic journey. This book is a must read for all fans of John Irving and of great literature.