“Nothing is static. Everything is falling apart.”
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
“She sat stirring her drink and feeling unclose to me. She worries over the way her love for me comes and goes, appears and disappears. She doubts its reality simply because it isn’t as steadily pleasurable as a kitten.”
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters by J.D. Salinger
“But anyhow, with all the cocktails, all the lying in warmish water and sun-bathing on hot sand in hot sun, jazzing with your stomach up against some fellow in the warm nights, cooling off with ices, it was a complete narcotic. And that was what they all wanted, a drug; jazz, a drug; cigarettes, cocktails, ices, vermouth. To be drugged! Enjoyment! Enjoyment!”
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Top Books of 2011 (And An Explanation)
First, let me apologize for not updating this blog regularly. I currently juggle about four different sites, and I’m just beginning to realize how much time and care I need to devote to each one. Also, I have not been writing because I have not been reading, and have therefore run out of fresh material. If you have still stuck with me, thank you. I’ll try my best to get back into my bookish ways soon for your sake.
Somehow, I still managed to finish 43 books this year, and would like to share with you those that made an impact on me in the hopes that you’ll find a new book or two to fall in love with.
Top Ten of 2011
10. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
A book about books! Does it get better than that? Anne Fadiman presents a collection of essays on everything from merging her library with her husband’s to the peculiar secret book collections everyone has. For instance, mine are baseball and cooking. What are yours?
I’m sure every book blog has spoiled the plot details for Room already, but it’s still worth a full read. You can read my review here.
8. Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon by Pablo Neruda
Confession: I adore Pablo Neruda’s poetry so much that I read the Spanish versions aloud (of which I understand maybe 5%) because I love the way they sound. He blends images of nature with the emotions of love and passion in a way that is honest and honestly not as cheesy as it may sound. For those already hooked, check out his 100 Sonnets as well.
7. The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanski
For baseball fans, Posnanski weaves a powerful narrative of the life of former Negro Leagues star Buck O’Neil, framed by his travels with the player. For non-baseball fans, this isn’t as much of a sports book as a tribute to an incredibly kind, generous, and big-hearted man.
Alain de Botton maps a relationship from beginning to end in the nitpicky way we rarely admit to. For the over-analyzers like myself, this was both refreshing and a little overwhelming. It’s beautifully written, insightful, and ill-advised for anyone in a currently uncomplicated relationship.
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
You have no excuse not to read this book. Seriously, I think it’s less than a hundred pages long. Despite its brevity, it remains one of the most moving stories I’ve ever read. Oh, and if you’re a movie buff, check out the 1992 film version with John Malkovich and Gary Sinise.
4. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
Set in World War II, it’s the true story of the ten Booms, a Dutch family who risked their lives to hide Jews during the Holocaust. Simply put, this is a book that changed my life.
3. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Easily one of my favorite books, let me warn you that it is not a great beach read. It took me months to wade through Hemingway’s prose, strong and brave and true as it may be (Midnight in Paris, anyone?). I fell in love with Robert and Maria, and was hooked from start to finish. Knowing my taste in literature and keeping in mind that this is a war novel, that’s saying a lot.
I don’t know if I can do justice to this book a second time, so feel free to click the link for my review from earlier this year. Suffice to say, Nabokov is a genius in execution and style, and this novel should be at the top of your list next year.
1. As They See ‘Em by Bruce Weber
Don’t groan, but this is another baseball book. Actually, it’s an in-depth study of umpiring in minor and major league baseball. Weber does a fantastic job of delving firsthand into the world of the rule keepers, chronicling everything from their disputes with management to fan harassment and a well-detailed plan for improving the integrity of the game while respecting those who govern it.
Happy New Year, Tumblr!
“They tell you to plan for change, but what they really mean is to plan for time, whether it changes things or not.”
“What We Believe but Cannot Praise” by Ben Greenman
The sweet, biting dedication in Salinger’s Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction.
“Wasn’t it the strangest thing that passion should ebb with long-knowing, and yet people are born to want to find The One?”
“What the Conch Shell Sings When the Body Is Gone” by Katherine Vaz
The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler
