Hassan's Book of 2011

As 2011 comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on the fifty five books that I have read... through fifteen thousand, six hundred and fifty eight (15,658) pages.  The longest book was The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, by Steig Larsson (743 pages) and the shortest was Not a Star, by Nick Hornby (69 pages).  My most productive month was February (9 books), and my least was September (no books at all).

I have encountered three books that absolutely sucked (that I didn’t finish),

Two books that were quite simply “Not Good” (one of which I didn’t finish),

Ten books that were just “Meh” (another one not finished here),

Twenty one books that I considered as “Good,”

Seventeen books that were “Very Good,” and

Seven books that I would recommend as REQUIRED READING:

• True Notebooks, by Mark Salzman
• Little Princes, by Conor Grennan
• Microserfs, by Douglas Coupland
• Finnie Walsh, by Steven Galloway
• One Day, by David Nichols
• The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz
• The Myth of You and Me, by Leah Stewart

Microserfs, Finnie Walsh, and One Day are all great books, but were all re-reads from previous years.  I highly recommend all of them for having characters that you will carry with you... but none of them can fairly qualify for Hassan’s Book of 2011.

• True Notebooks is stories and writing of children in the LA prison system, by Mark Slazman (a writer, and their instructor).
• Little Princes shares the experiences of Conor Grennan in his quest to free children and return them to their families in Nepal.
• The Long Walk is the tale of Slavomir Rawicz who escaped the Russian Gulags ... on foot.
• The Myth of You and Me is the story of a friendship.

If I were going to recommend just one of these, I would have to say that the amazing experience of Mark Salzman and the writing of these children who have made mistakes and find a system more focused on retribution than rehabilitation sucks you in and doesn’t let you go.  The Hassan Book of 2011 is True Notebooks.

A LOOK BACK

• Hassan’s Book of 2010 was Three Day Road, by Joseph Boyden
• Hassan’s Book of 2009 was The Help, by Kathryn Sockett
• Hassan’s Book of 2008 (and of the decade) was Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2011-55 - My Other Life, by Paul Theroux

55 - My Other Life, by Paul Theroux, 456 pages, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996
WHY I PICKED IT:  Recommended by my friend Tony
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days
RATING: Very Good

This is the (admittedly fake) autobiography of Paul Theroux... this tale follows the 35 years of Paul's life, from 15 to 50.  Rather than telling us just what's going on, he tells the story through the major influences in his life at different stages, his uncle, his boss, his benefactor, his best friend, etc.  It's a great read (if not a bit long in the middle), but a bit too melancholic for my tastes.

Minor spoiler alert (consider not reading): If I were going to fabricate my autobiography, I'd make it just a bit more upbeat at the end... rather than conveying all kinds of contentment in the middle and discontent at the end, wouldn't you?

2011-54 - The Myth of You and Me, by Leah Stewart

54 - The Myth of You and Me, by Leah Stewart, 276 pages, Three Rivers Press, 2005
WHY I PICKED IT:  Picked it up in Powell's Books in Portland
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: REQUIRED READING

Cameron meets Sonia when she was 15, and they became best friends... from high school, college, and starting their lives.  Now, 8 or 9 years later, they've not spoken since just after college ... this is that story.  The friendship between two women, the reasons they broke up, and the paths that their lives took.

A brilliant tale that sucks you in and reminds you of your own faded friendships... so much so that the author has a place on her website for just such stories (some of which she includes in an appendix to the book).

(as an aside, how much of enjoying a book is being in the right frame of mind to enjoy it?  how many "bad" books were simply because I was a "bad audience" when I tackled it?  how many brilliant books are simply the right message at the right time?)

2011-53 - The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz

53 - The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz, 273 pages, Globe Pequot,1956
WHY I PICKED IT:  Picked it up in Powell's Books in Portland
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days
RATING: REQUIRED READING

The gripping tale of Rawicz' experience in the Siberian Gulags... from being arrested (for being middle class and Polish before WWII) through his torture, transport to the prisons, time there... and most gripping of all, the harrowing escape.  There are portions of the story that are a little unbelievable, but mostly we fall in love with the people with whom he encounters and escapes.

Looking back on it - Given when it was initially published, I would not be surprised if the story was funded by a US Government intent on sharing stories of the evils of "Communist Russia."  This doesn't take away from the gripping story that sucks you in and doesn't let go until they clear the Gobi Desert and Himalayan Mountains into India.

SPOILER ALERT (don't scroll down if you may read this book).
























That he never saw his fellow escapees again, after release from the hospital in Calcutta is a bit heartbreaking.  But I guess that's just life.

2011-52 - The Perfect King, by Ian Mortimer

52 - The Perfect King, by Ian Mortimer, 402 pages, Random House, 2006
WHY I PICKED IT:  Recommended by my friend Monika C.
ELAPSED TIME: 3-weeks
RATING: Good

This biography of Edward III of England is an intense read... but easily 200 pages too long.  The first 150 pages, describing his family, his childhood, and his upbringing were painful... I was worried it would be another Alexander of Macedon (looong boring look at what should be an interesting character); but like Peter Green's work, Mortimer writes the wars extremely well.

Edward's strategic view of war and his expansion into France was gripping.  Edward was courageous, leading his men into battle rather than directing them into it... his tactical view was phenomenal, but it was his strength and confidence is what inspired his men and enabled them to successfully take on armies many times their size.

That he outlived almost all of his friends and most of his family is really sad and an end un-befitting ... and reaffirmed my view that a long life is not to be desired.  Better to burn out than to fade away... right?

2011-51 - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie

51 - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie, 184 pages, Random House, 2001

WHY I PICKED IT:  Picked it up in Powell's Books in Portland
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Very Good

This story was both a learning experience and a joy to read.  I didn't know of Mao Zedong's "re-education" efforts of sending the children of the bourgeois to remote villages to learn the value of real work... the lost intellectual opportunity for a generation of children through the rejection of literature and science is sad.

Despite this backdrop, the protagonist and his best friend Luo, survive and find joy in secreted books (including Balzak's Ursule Mirouet), and a friendship with the daughter of the region's tailor.

I enjoyed this story and would wholeheartedly recommend it.

2011-50 - The Descendents, by Kaui Hart Hemmings

50 - The Descendents, by Kaui Hart Hemmings, 283 pages, Random House, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT:  Picked it up in Powell's Books in Portland
ELAPSED TIME: 2days
RATING: Very Good

This is a melancholic story of a man who is trying to connect with his daughters, while saying goodbye to his wife (who is being taken off the ventilators, as directed by her living will).

The drama of the story is poignant and quite real.  The experience of their interaction is phenomenally well constructed:
- That someone would "forget" that their wife and mother is slowly dying in a hospital bed, and sharing a laugh for a moment is a completely believable (especially when you consider the book starts more than 2 weeks into the Joanie's coma).
- That the death of his wife is the awakening of Matthew... that he now understands that he is responsible for his family, and for their future.

I strongly recommend this book.

2011-49 - One Day, by David Nichols

49 - One Day, by David Nichols, 435 pages, Random House Vintage Books, 2009

WHY I PICKED IT: Ling Sian recommended it

ELAPSED TIME: 6 days

RATING: Required Reading

This is the second time I've read this book, and I'm rating it higher than the initial read... The story is of Dexter and Emma's friendship... on July 15th of each year for 20-years from graduating from University, through to building careers, and figuring their way in the world.

Dex and Em are people to me now, and I will miss having them in my life.

2011-48 - The Life You Can Save, by Peter Singer

48 - The Life You Can Save, by Peter Singer, 176 pages, Random House, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: Read an article of his on Al Jazeera, and wanted to read more.
ELAPSED TIME: 2 weeks
RATING: Good

Singer takes us through the moral reasons for giving to humanitarian relief - to save a life.  He systematically breaks down the reasons why people don't give, and implores people to give more.

Interesting notes:
a) People give more when they think others have given more... so unlike what is taught in the Abrahamic faiths and modern culture where we are encouraged not to not talk about charity, he says the opposite.

b) He says that we shouldn't give because we're worried about wastage - there are organizations that track how much money is spent and how effectively... and they can be used as a guidepost.

c) He dismisses the "fair share" argument pretty compellingly - with a hypothetical situation of 10 kids drowning in a pond, and 10 adults able to help... but if only 5 step up to help, should they only save 1 life each ("it's only fair") or should they save two each because it's the right thing to do?  If that's the case, shouldn't we give as much as we reasonably can afford?

d) He proposes an formula that is remarkably like progressive taxation, to determine how much he thinks each person should give - and what that would yield if only the top 10% of income earners in the USA followed it (more than $140 billion).

Overall, it was a bit preachy, and he recommends some NGOs that I don't personally love... but his fundamental premise is worthwhile, and he raises some good points (even for people who currently give money to other causes).

2011-XX - Extreme Rambling, by Mark Thomas

XX - Extreme Rambling, by Mark Thomas, 336 pages, Ebury Press, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my friend Chris H.
ELAPSED TIME: 7 days to read 49 pages
RATING: Meh

So I have been in a reading funk for a while... Nothing started much less finished in a month-and-a-half.  With a series of flights ahead of me, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get back into it, and this book has been on my shelf for over a month waiting for me.

Sadly, despite my interest in travel writing, and my interest in world issues.  This book, by an English comedian who walked the length of the barrier that Israel has erected on stolen Palestinian land just did not succeed in pulling me in.

It's not a knock against Thomas, who I'm sure shared some interesting insights... I just think I may not have been the target audience of the book (perhaps under-informed people who need the humour of his style would be better suited), or it may just be where my head is at this point.

2011-47 - Finnie Walsh, by Steven Galloway

47 - Finnie Walsh, by Steven Galloway, 165 pages, Raincoast Books, 2000
WHY I PICKED IT: Rereading one of my favourites
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Required Reading

As a re-read, it's not a contender for the Hassan Book of 2011... but it's still one of my favourite books.  Telling the story of a young boy growing up in a mill town in rural Canada.  Telling the tale of his family (including his Dad who lost an arm at the mill, his clairvoyant younger sister), his best friend (Finnie Walsh), and their experience learning to play hockey.

Hockey and friendship; what else is really important?

2011-46 - Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan

46 - Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan, 178 pages, Random House Vintage Books, 1999
WHY I PICKED IT: Borrowed from my friend Katrin
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Meh.

Wow.  The first half of this book is required reading.  Telling the tale of two old friends, at the funeral of a mutual ex-lover of theirs... their stories woven with such beauty to make me think of my own old friends.

But the story takes a bizarre and hateful turn; and the second half of the book reads like a bad tragic drama.  With a slow-developing plot that shows these men to be self involved and self aggrandizing.

I would not recommend this book.

2011-45 - The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve

45 - The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve, 293 pages, Little, Brown, and Company, 1998
WHY I PICKED IT: Borrowed from my friend Katrin
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Very Good

I've been in a reading funk the past month an a half... and this book sucked me right in.  I went through the emotional arc with Kathryn Lyons - Losing the pilot husband, realizing that she doesn't know him, and dealing with that... I went through the emotions when everything in my head made me want to flip to the end to see how it turns out.

As it turns out, I'm glad I didn't... this book is a well told story, and the last chapter would simply have confused me had I not read it through in order.

I would recommend this book to voracious readers... but there are many better books out there too.

2011-44 - Men at Work, by Mike Gayle

44 - Men at Work, by Mike Gayle, 87 pages, Hodder and Stoughton, 2010
WHY I PICKED IT: I typically read everything by Mike Gayle
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Good

 This was a very quick read... but classic Mike Gayle:  Easy-going British slacker figures out what's really important: His significant other.  If you're looking for guy-lit that is not as good as early Nick Hornby, and almost as good as Jonathan Tropper... Mike Gayle will consistently deliver. 

2011-43 - Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, by Haruki Murakami

43 - Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, by Haruki Murakami, 362 pages, Random House Vintage Books, 2006
WHY I PICKED IT: I typically read everything by Murakami
ELAPSED TIME: 3 weeks
RATING: Good

Murakami writes two types of stories: Considered and developed characters that fall in love, and bizarre tales that I barely understand.  This book had both.  24 short stories... a few were really great; others I barely understood; and at least one that seemed to fall into the first category but slid into the second category.

I recommend only if you love Murakami... and short stories.

2011-42 - The Imperfectionists, by Tom Rachman

42 - The Imperfectionists, by Tom Rachman, 269 pages, Anchor Canada, 2010
WHY I PICKED IT: Saw it in the airport book store
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Very Good

This could have been a very dry story, of an English newspaper out of Italy from it's inception through to it's end.  However, Rachman takes an interesting approach to make it very good: Each chapter is written from a different character's perspective, so it reads like a series of well written short stories with the newspaper being a side note, and central to the tale at the same time.

Not sure if I'll seek out more by Rachman, but I certainly did enjoy this book and would recommend it.

2011-41 - The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook, by Matt Dunn

41 - The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook, by Matt Dunn, 407 pages, Simon and Schuster, 2006
WHY I PICKED IT: Re-read one of my favourite books
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Very Good

As part of my library purge, I need to decide which of the "guy-lit" section will be retained.  High Fidelity and About a Boy, both by Nick Hornby for sure.  Probably a few by Mike Gayle and Jonathan Tropper... and this one too.  I hate the title, but the story itself is well written, funny, poignant, with a very likeable protagonist.

This is the story of Ed, whose girlfriend leaves and says, "it's not me, it's you"... and he decides to do something about it.  The three months where he cleans up his look, his image, his self image, and ultimately his life.

Total brain candy, but excellent if that's what you're looking for :)

2011-40 - Microserfs, by Douglas Coupland

40 - Microserfs, by Douglas Coupland, 371 pages, Harper Perennial, 1995
WHY I PICKED IT: Re-read one of my favourite books
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Required Reading

As part of my library purge, I will be re-reading a lot of my favourite books this year.  This is the book that got me into Douglas Coupland, and this remains one of my favourite books.

This is a coming of age story of a group of late bloomers... as told through the journal of Dan, a 20-something ex-Microsoft, current-start-up employee, in the middle of the 90's internet bubble.  As Dan and his friends shed the no-life work focused geek culture of Microsoft and adapt to the culture of Silicon Valley, they consider the influence of technology on society and how they relate to one another.

This story is humourous, quirky, and has enough in there to make you think.  If you've never read Coupland, I highly recommend this story.

2011-39 - Will Grayson, will grayson, by John Green and David Levithan

39 - Will Grayson, will grayson, by John Green and David Levithan
WHY I PICKED IT: Written by John Green
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Meh

This is the story of two guys with the same name.  Both are in high school, and are roughly the same age, and both live in the Greater Chicago Area... but otherwise they're quite different.  Green's character has good friends and comes from a family of achievers.  Levithan's character is somewhat self loathing, tolerates people, and has only a Mom (who is pretty great, but irritates her teenaged son.

This is the weakest of John Green's books... and it's not at all his fault.  Rather, the chapter-by-chapter interruptions to read Levithan's will grayson was distracting and not really all that enjoyable.

Although an interesting intellectual exercise, to experience two writers taking the perspective of different characters in an interwoven story; ultimately, this book failed because an intellectual exercise should not a novel make.

2011-38 - There are no Children Here, by Alex Kotlowitz

38 - There are no Children Here, by Alex Kotlowitz, 309 pages, Doubleday, 1991
WHY I PICKED IT: Kotlowitz was one of the producers of an awesome documentary called The Interrupters that I saw at HotDocs earlier this year.
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Good

This book is engaging and disturbing... if you want to know what it is to experience growing up in an American ghetto, this book is it.  Kotlowitz follows Lafeyette and Pharoah for three years - hanging out with them and interviewing them and their friends.  From the gang-based gunfire and friends who die young, to their mom who is barely hanging on to her sanity, through to the schools ill equiped to handle educating the kids, forget about supporting their psycho-social needs... these kids are living in a war zone.

Having read this, I think American ghettos are scarily comparable to Internally Displaced Persons camps:
a) Limited access to clean water.
b) Fewer men around... and those that are, are typically dangerous.
c) Dependent on the goodness of a government that oftentimes doesn't trust or respect you.
d) A dangerous place to live, but with few alternatives.

Given that this was written so long ago, I'd be curious to know where these two boys are today.

As a reader, I must admit that this book left something to be desired.   Kotlowitz does a tremendous job in articulating the multitude of ways that these boys are failed by the system - from schools that are ill equipped so educate them, to the welfare people who fail to feed and clothe them, through to the justice system who fail to protect Lafeyette when he's obviously innocent of a crime... Where he fails is in suggesting a path forward, or identifying ways that we may each get involved... although, I guess that's not a bad thing.  Understanding the problem is necessary before we can truly solve it... something to consider.

2011-37 - Little Princes, by Conor Grennan

37 - Little Princes, by Conor Grennan, 282 pages, William Morrow, 2010
WHY I PICKED IT: My friend Eileen recommended it
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days
RATING: REQUIRED READING

Telling the tale of how Grennan went from volunteering in an orphanage during a civil war so that he could say "I volunteered in an orphanage in a civil war" to loving the kids, and starting his own NGO to help return these children to their families.

The relationships that he builds with his friends and colleagues to are also passionate about this kind of work, the relationship he builds with Liz, and most importantly the relationships he builds with so many of these kids are all so well written and expressed.

Grennan is open about the lessons he learns:
- The need for patience - That "Nepal time" isn't about incompetence and laziness, but when putting families together that have been apart for more than 4 years, you can't just drop the kids off and wave goodbye, but allow the relationships between parent and child to be reformed.
- The humility - These parents sent their children with the wealthy man from Kathmandu not because they wanted their kids to be turned into slaves, but because they genuinely thought that was the best option for their child because the alternative is being kidnapped and turned into a child soldier... and being the preaching Westerner is the absolute wrong thing to do.

This is way, way, WAY better than Mortensen's Three Cups of Tea. The best book I've read this year (so far); I highly recommend it

2011-36 - Death and the Penguin, by Andrey Kurkov

36 - Death and the Penguin, by Andrey Kurkov, 228 pages, Random House, 1996
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by Nick Hornby in one of his essays on books
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Good

Hmmm.  This was an interesting story.  Viktor is a struggling writer who, along with his penguin (who he adopted when the zoo couldn't afford to keep him) live in Ukraine.  He gets a job writing obituaries for the newspaper, and slowly gets sucked into a seedy underworld where his obits are prepared in advance of powerful people's manufactured demise.

Through this, he remains somewhat detached from the situation, and yet is a likeable character.

What stopped this book from being very good is the ending... I simply don't understand it.  So please, someone, read it and explain it to me?

2011-35 - Getting the Girl, by Markus Zusak

35 - Getting the Girl, by Markus Zusak, 250 pages, Scholastic Inc, 2001
WHY I PICKED IT: Markus Zusakt wrote it.
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days
RATING: Good

Zusak's follow-up to Fighting Ruben Wolfe sees our hero (Cam Wolfe) finding inner strength to define himself separate from the shadows of his achieving brothers.  It's a well written, quick read, targeted to a teenage angst-ridden audience... However, if you're only going to read one book by Zusak, I'd still recommend The Book Thief... and if you have read that and loved it, don't expect more of the same in this (earlier) work.

2011-34 - State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett

34 - State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett, 353 pages, Harper Collins, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT: Ann Patchett wrote it.
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Very Good

As with all of her other work, I found this book to have characters that are engaging and warm.  I found this story to be gripping and written with enough detail to draw me into that world, but not so much so that it became a book of descriptions.


Dr. Marina Singh is a research scientist sent into the forests of Brazil to find her former teacher (Dr. Annick Swenson) who is working on a wonder-drug.  The hunt is not easy, especially considering that the last person sent to find her ended up dead.  Swenson is focused, brilliant, and totally lacking in empathy.


The the story ends by bringing together the loose ends, but stops short of wrapping it all together is ... well, quite brilliant.

2011-XX - Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson

XX - Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, 247 pages, Harper Perennial, 2004
WHY I PICKED IT: Nick Hornby wrote good things about it in one of his essays
ELAPSED TIME: 7 days
RATING: Not Good

This is the story of an old preacher in middle America writing the story of his life for his young child.  He writes about his father (who was a preacher), and about his grandfathers (both of whom were preachers).  He writes about the struggles of the Depression, and of his own life.

The (massive) problem is that it's written like an old man telling a story... it meanders, it jumps forward and backwards, and it doesn't really have a point (other than, "this was my life").  If I were his child I'd be interested, insofar as I am interested to know my background, but for the rest of us...?

A week in, and I've barely hit the half way point.

Pass!

2011-33 - How to Be Lost, by Amanda Eyreward

33 - How to Be Lost, by Amanda Eyreward, 290 pages, Ballantine Books, 2005
WHY I PICKED IT: Nick Hornby recommended it in one of his essays on books.
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Very Good

This is a really well written story... Of the impact on a family when the youngest child, Ellie (aged 5) goes missing.  This (already dysfunctional) family almost completely unfray.  Eyreward tells multiple stories... the main one is 15 years later, from the perspective of the oldest sister (Caroline), but she interweaves several other stories... and pulls it all together into a nice bow at the end :).

Great literature?  No.  An entertaining read that'll leave you generally satisfied?  Absolutely!

2011-32 - A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, Julian Barnes

32 - A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, Julian Barnes, 310 pages, Cambridge University Press, 1989
WHY I PICKED IT: Someone referred it to me, but I don't quite remember who
ELAPSED TIME: 7 days
RATING: Good

This book is ... odd.  Ten and a half stories that are seemingly independent of one another, but with threads that interweave.  This is less a book of history and more a book tying religion, history, and art into a book of fiction.

In one chapter Barnes tells the story of Noah's Ark ... from the perspective of a woodworm.  In another, he starts with the story of the Medusa, a ship that hit a reef in 1817 (-ish), and the story of the art that it stimulated (in 1819).

Some of the chapters were engaging ... but the lack of a unifying theme made this a difficult book to enjoy.

2011-31 - House-keeping vs. The Dirt, by Nick Hornby

31 - House-keeping vs. The Dirt, by Nick Hornby
WHY I PICKED IT: Second book of reviews by Nick Hornby
ELAPSED TIME: >1 month
RATING: Good.

Okay, so I found having read some of the books referred by Nick Hornby that I like his reviews more than I like what he reads... but was still compelled to make a list of 12 books that he reviewed in this book that I want to consider reading.

This book of essays was not as enjoyable as his first, but perhaps it's because the novelty has worn off.

2011-XX - Who Do You Think You Are? by Alice Munro

XX - Who Do You Think You Are?  by Alice Munro, 219 pages, Penguin Canada, 1978
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my friend Shelby
ELAPSED TIME: >2 weeks
RATING: Not Good

So I got 139 pages into this book... only because of the respect that I have for Shelby.  But I just couldn't bring myself to finish the last 80.  The first 1/3 of this book was drawn out and boring, the next third got slightly more interesting, and when the last third looked like it was going to revert, I had to quit.

There are a few good sentences, showing the skill of Alice Munro... But overall, the book reads like the depressing life of the protagonist.

2011-30 - The Next Thing on My List, by Jill Smolinski

30 - The Next Thing on My List, by Jill Smolinski, 283 pages, Three Rivers Press, 2007
WHY I PICKED IT: It looked lighthearted.
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day.
RATING: Good.

So I read a book in the "chick-lit" category... so sue me, I needed something lighthearted, and this fit the bill.  I might even read more by Smolinski, if she's written more.

This is the story of a woman (June) who had been coasting through life, who finds herself finishing the bucket-list of a dead 24-year old... The 24-year old had been in June's car when there were in an accident... and June kept the list.  The story is sweet and generally lighthearted.

Funny thing, if I made a list, I think it would be a list of destinations more than anything else :)

2011-29 - Charlie Johnson in the Flames, by Michael Ignatieff

29 - Charlie Johnson in the Flames, by Michael Ignatieff, 179 pages, Grove Press, 2003
WHY I PICKED IT: I wanted to try something by Ignatieff
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day.
RATING: Very Good.

Medecins Sans Frontieres has a secondary purpose beyond humanitarian medical relief, to bear witness.  This story, of a reporter who has spent a career in conflict zones, tells of the awful impact of that objective.  Bearing witness requires an engagement of that outsider, to see what is happening and take that story to the world... despite the fact that most of the world won't truly feel it.
In this story, Charlie Johnson is an American reporter who watches a Serbian Colonel set a woman on fire, who jumps on her to put out the flames, and gets her to a hospital.  It's the story of how this seasoned reporter's "innocent" view of the world is shattered when he witnesses something so cold and brutal, he simply could not cope, and so seeks out vengeance.

Although this book was very well written and engaging, but I don't think I could ever actually recommend it to anybody.

2011-28 - Up Up Up, by Julie Booker

28 - Up Up Up, by Julie Booker, 219 pages, Anansi Press, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT: It looked interesting on the Anansi webiste
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days.
RATING: BURN IT

Wow, this book sucked.  20 short stories... and not a single one of them had characters that were satisfying or even endings that make you happy.  And yet, I kept going.  I guess that's the problem with short stories, you figure the next one could be better... over and over and over.

Do not buy this book.  Do not spend time reading this book.

2011-27 - Salt Fish Girl, by Larissa Lai

27 - Salt Fish Girl, by Larissa Lai, 269 pages, Thomas Allen Publishers, 2002
WHY I PICKED IT: I met the author at a party a couple weeks ago
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days.
RATING: Good.

I don't think I fully understand this story, but nonetheless quite enjoyed it.

This is the story of a being who created mankind, and then chose to join it.  Lai takes us through two incarnations of this female being: Nu Wa, in 1800s China, and Miranda in the mid 21st Century Pacific Northwest.  Both tales are engaging.  Nu Wa fights to avoid an arranged marriage, and struggles to survive in the city.  Miranda lives in an age where government has collapsed and the corporate world has stepped in to create their own walled cities with their own rules.

Had this story simply been that, a play between  historical fiction and science fiction, it would have been very good possibly even required reading (as Lai's voice as an author is engaging and keeps the story moving at a great pace).  Unfortunately, throughout is this hard-to-follow ... fantasy (?) with subtext that I simply did not follow.

I will seek out more writing by Larissa Lai.

2011-26 - Help us to Divorce, by Amos Oz

26 - Help us to Divorce, by Amos Oz, 81 pages, Random House, 2004
WHY I PICKED IT: Nick Hornby recommended it in one of his essays on books.
ELAPSED TIME: 4 days.
RATING: Good.

This book of two essays was quite interesting.  The first, Between Right and Right, was very good.  He acknowledges that the path to peace is not sitting down to coffee together and becoming friends; that negotiated peace is more than just holding hands and singing Kumbaya.  He believes that the divorce will be hard and will require loss from both sides, but ultimately worth it.

In this essay, Oz made a clear argument for a path to a two state solution between Israel and Palestine.  It acknowledged wrongs on both sides, and that no solution will be complete until the refugees still living in camps are addressed.  I am not an advocate for borders, so a two state solution is not one I agree with... but if that is the quickest path to peace, I understand his perspective.

There are two flaws in this essay:

a) Oz draws a parallel in the lack of willingness to negotiate by the Palestinians in 1947 to the lack of willingness to negotiate by the Israelis in 1967... In 1947, the Palestinians were having another state thrust upon them; a colonial invasion.  In 1967 the Israelis were unwilling to negotiate because of the war they just won... These are very different starting positions so the parallel is somewhat flawed.  He is only correct insofar as they are both missed opportunities for peace.

b) He does not mention the ongoing Israeli expansion into the West Bank, and how that must be pulled back before any lasting peace can be negotiated.

His second essay, How to Cure a Fanatic, was less engaging.  His treatise on what is a fanatic was vague,  directionless, and not worthy of more commentary (and so I shall stop here...

2011-25 - A Paradise Built in Hell, by Rebecca Solnit

25 - A Paradise Built in Hell, by Rebecca Solnit, 313 Pages, 2009.
WHY I PICKED IT: Johan Hari recommended it in an article he wrote for The Independent
ELAPSED TIME: 7 days.
RATING: Meh.

The basic premise of this book is fairly simple: In disasters people are more likely to help their neighbor, than take advantage of them.  She goes on to postulate that the rich and the establishment are likely to fail to see that, and treat citizens like potential risks.

Solnit shares well researched examples from the 1906 earthquake in San Fransisco, the 1917 explosion in Halifax, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans... in all of these cases, a majority of the citizenry stepped up and shared what they had to all that needed it... and in several of these cases, the rich where unused to the egalitarian utopia and used the government to exercise control where none was necessary.

- From San Fransisco, the story of the family that started a soup kitchen because their stove worked (and the butcher that gave them free food to keep it open).
- From Halifax, the radio operators who stayed at their station, to save the lives of the passengers of trains coming into town.  Also the sailor who lay on top of a mother and baby to take the blast himself, and save their lives.
- From Katrina, the fact that when the white people broke into shops they were "securing provisions," but the black people doing the same thing were "looting."  In a disaster, there usually isn't someone available to give your money to, and you may not have any... but it's a disaster, and the goods are needed.  In fact, in many cases, the police were breaking in and requisitioning the goods themselves (as was required!).


Unfortunately, between most of these great anecdotes are many more (somewhat superfluous ones), and this makes the book drag on and on (and on and on).  Had this book been 125 pages shorter, I would have rated it Very Good.  As it stands, it's worth a skim read, but not much more.

2011-24 - Joothan, An Untouchable's Life, by Omprakash Valmiki

24 - Joothan, An Untouchable's Life, by Omprakash Valmiki, 154 Pages, Columbia University Press, 2003
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my Mom's friend Fauzia
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days.
RATING: Very Good.

This autobiography by Omprakash Valmiki is an eye opener.  When people talk about "The Untouchables," we outsiders simply cannot comprehend what that actually means.  To struggle to be allowed into school, to be denigrated by the establishment at every turn, to be refused water when you're thirsty (or to be made to catch it in your hands rather than drink out of a cup.

Valmiki has striven to lead his life in an open manner... to be open about his caste status, despite that it will make him an outsider and ostracized, even when he was in a position to cover it up.  That he was able to fight to get educated, and to succeed in that education... he's a much stronger man than I.

Where this book fails, is in the style... the writing is captivating only in it's contents, not at all in the language... it that the fault of Valmiki or the translator (Arun Prabha Mukherjee), I will never know.

2011-23 - Animal Farm, by George Orwell

23 - Animal Farm, by George Orwell, 95 Pages, Penguin Books, 1945
WHY I PICKED IT: It was a book club book in 2003, but I hadn't read it... and intended to.  Then my friend Jafo mentioned it, and reminded me that I wanted to read it.
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days.
RATING: Good.

An allegory of  Communist Russia, the animals overthrow the humans and seek to build their own utopia... but that is slowly eroded by the Pigs (who are smarter than the other animals) until you can't tell the difference between the Communists and the Capitalists.  The failure of the USSR was because it put too much power in the hands of too few people.  That Orwell could see that in 1945 is fantastic.  That being said, I couldn't get into the story of the animals on the farm... The whole time I was reading it, I knew I was reading a political message when what I would have wanted is a story (Ayn Rand's capitalist manifestos do a much better job of conveying a political perspective through a story - even if I wholeheartedly disagree with the perspective she espoused).

2011-22 - What Now, by Ann Patchett

22 - What Now, by Ann Patchett, 97 pages, Harper Collins, 2008
WHY I PICKED IT: The last of Ann Patchett's books.  I've read everything else
ELAPSED TIME: <1 Day
RATING: Good

 This book was based on her convocation address at her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence.  Ann's trademark style is noticeable throughout, and she does a good job of sharing the path that took her to where she is.  I was underwhelmed by her extolling the virtues on being a follower;  although it's true that most people will not be the team captain, class president, general, or CEO, I think people need to be taught to lead within their own space and to challenge the status quo.

Conversely, I really liked some of her messages:
a) The lesson that we learn as a child, to not talk to strangers, is one that puts barriers in place between adults... and we need to try to overcome those.
b) Wisdom comes in chips rather than in blocks, so gather up the chips and build up the blocks throughout your life.
c) Stillness, silence, and studied concentration are valuable and eroded by iPods, cell phones and the internet.
d) Make some plans, and change them.
e) Identify your heart's purest desire and don't change that for anything.

Ultimately, this book is just a feel good, light-on-the-brain diversion from reading that entertains me, challenges me, and exposes me to new thoughts.

2011-XX - Chronicles Volume One, by Bob Dylan

XX - Chronicles Volume One, by Bob Dylan, 293 pages, Simon and Schuster, 2003
WHY I PICKED IT: I like Bob Dylan and Nick Hornby recommended it
ELAPSED TIME: 8 days.
RATING: Meh.

8 days in, and I only got through 145 pages.  What I realized is that although I like Dylan, this autobiography is an odd collection of anecdotes that doesn't really delve into the roots of his music.  When he listed people who went to the parties he attended in NYC, and I didn't recognize any of the names... that should have been a sign to quit.  Instead, I struggled through another 100 pages before quitting on this book.

2011-21 - It's Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini

21 - It's Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini, 444 pages, Hyperion,2006
WHY I PICKED IT: I watched the movie, and was interested in the premise, so thought I'd try the book.
ELAPSED TIME: <1 Day
RATING: Meh

This is the story of Craig - who works hard to get into a prestigious school in NYC, and then has a nervous breakdown when he realizes that he's not happy there.  This is a kid who got overly stressed with 93s; as if those were failing grades.  He ultimately checks himself into a mental hospital on a 5-day hold for a suicide watch... and the story goes from there.

It's nice when the movie follows the book - and the one based on this book certainly did.  That being said, the movie has Zach Galifianakis with warmth and depth and comedic timing.  Vizzini wrote depth into his characters, not just the leads but most of the other residents of the hospital and his friends, but for some reason it didn't come together.  The warmth that came through the characters in the movie, was missing here.  That being said, the plot was slightly more realistic here than in the movie.

All in all, ... meh.  I would not recommend this book and will likely not remember it.

2011-20 - True Notebooks, by Mark Salzman

20 - True Notebooks, by Mark Salzman, 326 pages, Random House Vintage Books, 2003
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by Nick Hornby
ELAPSED TIME: <1 Day
RATING: REQUIRED READING

In what is the first truly fantastic book I've read this year, Salzman writes how he came to teach a class at L.A.'s Central Juvenile Hall, and about his experiences in that class.  The writing of the students (which he readily shares) is real and engaging.  The true mastery is how he describes these violent offenders (most of whom are murderers) and shows us how society failed them, and continues to fail them; that some of these kids have a lot of anger within, and blame the system... and how their peers call them out on it, and remind them that they did something horrific.  I think Salzman is able to keep going back, even as he sees the system failing and his students are being tried as adults is because he keeps his objective simple: to encourage their writing as a teacher, and to be their friend.  In both of these, he is successful.

2011-19 - How To Breathe Underwater, by Julie Orringer

19 - How To Breathe Underwater, by Julie Orringer, 222 pages, Random House Vintage Books, 2003
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by Nick Hornby
ELAPSED TIME: 1 Day
RATING: Good

This collection of 9 short stories was difficult to read.  Stories of kids being bullied, and how (typically fail to) they handle it.  Hornby, in his book The Polysyllabic Spree, writes how sometimes great books aren't appreciated because he isn't always a great reader... and I wonder if that happened here.  This book is well written, with characters who are flawed but who you want to root for - in success and in failure.

Orringer forgets one thing in her short stories - that when reading fiction, most people want to be offered some semblance of hope.  In most of the stories, this is lacking.  The biggest exception is The Isabel Fish, Maddy learns how to scuba dive to mend her family after a terrible accident.  That this story, or What We Save aren't the final story of the book is indicative of this point... leaving us with somber thoughts rather than feeling satisfied with what these stories offered.

2011-18 - George & Sam, by Charlotte Moore

18 - George & Sam, by Charlotte Moore, 289 pages, St. Martin's Griffin, 2004
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by Nick Hornby
ELAPSED TIME: 5 Days
RATING: Very Good

Nick Hornby writes, in his introduction to this book,"the non-fiction best-seller lists frequently prove that we all want to know more about everything, even if we didn't know that we wanted to know - we're just waiting for the right person to come along and tell us about it.  Moore's book about her sons, two of whom are autistic, fits that category.

In this book she addresses their history, the different therapies that she's tried, and exposes us to her life... all while teaching us about this frequently mis-diagnosed condition.  I really appreciated thaat she ended her book by telling us how we should interact with anybody that we know in such a situation, and by sharing the good that she experiences as a parent.  She has certainly achieved a level of zen that keeps her sane.  She never tells what happened to her husband, but does mention in passing that he didn't have as straightforward a path to acceptance and we do know that they are no longer together...

I would recommend this if you want to learn a bit more about the condition.

2011-17 - Fighting Ruben Wolfe, by Markus Zusak

17 - Fighting Ruben Wolfe, by Markus Zusak, 179 pages, Omnibus Books, 2000
WHY I PICKED IT: I really enjoy the writing of Markus Zuask
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Good

This is a very quick read (it's targeted to young teens), but it's really engaging.  Zusak's voice as a writer sucks you into the mind of Cam Wolfe, the youngest in a struggling family in Sydney, who joins an underground boxing league with his brother.  There are a lot of thoughts in this book, but ultimately it's about getting up when you're knocked down (taking the physical lesson and extending it into the metaphoric), and the bonds of brotherhood.

2011-16 - The Girl Who Fell From The Sky, by Heidi W. Durrow

16 - The Girl Who Fell From The Sky, by Heidi W. Durrow, 264 pages, Algonquin Books, 2010
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by Gregg Easterbrook (ESPN Sportswriter)
ELAPSED TIME: 5 days
RATING: Very Good

This is a sad story... of a daughter of an American Serviceman and Danish mother, who is living with her paternal grandmother after a tragedy takes her siblings and mother, and her father disappears.  It's about her learning about what it is to be considered black rather than the combination of her parents, and about moving on from a tragedy because it's the only thing that you can do.

Although it is a very good story, with important ideas being raised, I'm not sure I appreciate Durrow's voice as an author.

2011-15 - Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

15 - Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, 339 Pages, Harper Collins, 2010
WHY I PICKED IT: Shalini picked it for Book Club
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Meh

This is the story of an interracial couple in San Fransisco, who adopt a child from the husband's hometown of Mumbai... and the parallel story of the couple that gave up that child.  The story is well told, but somehow the characters are missing something - a warmth that would make them more than just characters of a story, and would propel this story into required reading status.

That being said, the story covers a lot of things worth thinking about: the stresses of infertility, choices between career and family, cultural tolerance and acceptance.  And on the Indian side, of the challenges of village life, of being a woman in a male-oriented society, and of the pull away from village life and the adjustment to Mumbai living.  Ultimately, it's a story about family.

EDIT - 2011-03-20 - Having thought about this book quite a lot further, I have downgraded this book from Very Good to Meh.  The writer's style is a simplistic (most of the characters lack depth), and several of the key characters are quite lacking (in a way that you don't want the protagonists in a novel to be).

2011-14 - Born With A Tooth, by Joseph Boyden

14 - Born With A Tooth, by Joseph Boyden, 243 Pages, Cormorant Books, 2001
WHY I PICKED IT: It was written by Joseph Boyden
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Good

This book of short stories was quite depressing.  13 stories of the native experience - of alcoholism, of the res schools, of how the Catholic Priests view them as lesser people, of the inevitable suffering that comes from the situation that they exist within.

A work of fiction takes you beyond what rational knowledge can possibly do.  Whereas I agree that much of what has happened to the First Nations since the Europeans have been in North America has been wrong, I have always argued that it was in the past - and we must move forward.  What was lacking was compassion for the people, because of the path that brought them to where they are.  13 short stories gives me 13 different perspectives, 13 different people who I would not otherwise have known.

These stories were generally quite hard to read, authentic and without the silver lining that most works of fiction offer the reader as a crutch to deal with sad realities.  Given that, I am glad that it was short stories rather than full novels.

I would recommend this book, only if you believe you need to be reminded of the compassion in your heart.

2011-13 - The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby

13 - The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby, 140 Pages, Believer Books, 2004
WHY I PICKED IT: It was written by Nick Hornby
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Very Good

Well this was quite enjoyable!  In 2003, Nick Hornby started a monthly column for Believer (Magazine)... this book is a compilation of his first 14 columns.  Each column starts with a listing of the books that he has purchased and read each month, which is fun in and of itself.  His reviews of books are generally quite insightful, and always quite funny.

Here are a few things that I noted and enjoyed:
- He doesn't like reading books similar to his own style of writing - likens it to going to a restaurant and ordering something he can make himself.
- Judges his friends if their recommendations aren't good (I relate to this - be warned!)... he typically considers too strong a recommendation as something negative, which I found interesting... I'm always looking for stuff to read, so look for recommendations from all quarters.
- He described putting a book in the Arts and Lit non-fiction section of his library, and went on to add: "(I personally find that for domestic purposes, the Trivial Pursuit system works better than the Dewey)".
- He mentioned that he hardly remembers most of the stories that he's read, even ones that he describes as being fantastic.  He specifically mentions Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens... I mention this because I stopped at that point to see what I could remember of Great Expectations and realized that the horrible 1998 movie with Ethan Hawke playing the part of Pip has replaced the plot in my brain :(.

Finally, I must mention a worry that I have: What if I find that I've enjoyed his reviews more than I enjoy the books I've ordered based on that recommendation?  Do I keep reading his reviews because they're enjoyable, but resist the temptation to buy books based on Hornby's recommendation?  Something to ponder.

2011-12 - Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving

12 - Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving, 554 Pages, Random House Vintage Canada, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: I've read everything by John Irving
ELAPSED TIME: 5 days
RATING: Good

John Irving is an interesting novelist... Here is an author who is so repetitive in introducing some autobiographical details, that Wikipedia has a table of his books and those details... and this book has all but one of them: New England (Check), Prostitutes (Check), Wrestling (Check), Vienna (No), Bears (Check), Deadly Accident (Check), Absent Parent (Check), Film Making (Check), Writers (Check), and Sexual Variation (Check).

As a story, this one was good.  A boy accidentally kills the girlfriend of a local constable (thinking that she's a bear) and goes on the run with his father... The story lasts the next 50 years.

I only recommend this if you are a John Irving fan... otherwise, there is a lot of better stuff out there to read :)

2011-11 - I am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak

11 - I am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak, 357 Pages, Alfred A. Knopf, 2002
WHY I PICKED IT: I really enjoyed Zusak's Book Thief...
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Very Good!

Just as I started lamenting about the shortage of truly enjoyable books, I found this... fantastic story of a mediocre, average kid (Ed Kennedy)... clearly not living up to his potential... so much so that his own mother hates him, for being too much like his father - all potential and dreams, but too little action.

But this isn't the story of someone staying in that place.  It's the story of how Ed is thrust into being a messenger (of hope), guided by someone unseen.  To help the people he's being directed to... to show them what they have been missing.

There are a few great lines in the book, this one I wrote down to remember: "If I'm ever going to be okay, I'll have to earn it."  Simple, and yet offers untold depth.

If you enjoyed The Book Thief, or appreciate excellent youth fiction, I highly recommend this story.

2011-10 - The Patron Saint of Liars, by Ann Patchett

10 - The Patron Saint of Liars, by Ann Patchett, 336 Pages, Harper Perennial, 1992
WHY I PICKED IT: It was written by Ann Patchett
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days
RATING: Meh

Hmm.  This book is possibly my least favourite of Ann Patchett's books... not because I'm overdosing on her style (although I am), but because the warmth in these characters is lacking.  This is a story told from three people's perspective:
- Rose, a woman who leaves her husband when she's pregnant to have her baby at a home for unwed mothers (the first 1/3 of the book).
- Son, an older man who is the home's handyman, who marries her (although she's still married), and raises her daughter like his own (the second 1/3 of the book).
- Cecilia - the daughter (the final 1/3 of the book).

These characters are all troubled souls, but Rose is damaged in a way that defies explanation - and as such, the book ends, and I feel vaguely dis-satisfied.

I wouldn't recommend this book, unless you're a serious Ann Patchett fan...

2011-09 - Let it Snow, by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle

09 - Let it Snow, by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle, 352 pages, Penguin Group, 2008
WHY I PICKED IT: It was written by John Green
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Good

3 mid-length stories aimed at the teenager market, with tangentially related characters and plots, dealing with the same snowstorm at Christmas.  The first story was okay, the second was very good, and the third was good... so all in all, a Good rating for this book.  I think I'll continue to read John Green books, but wasn't enamored enough with the other two authors to want to read more by them (perhaps because they're writing for teens).

In the contemporary-books-for-teens market, this is not anywhere close to being as good as the Book Thief...

2011-08 - Not A Star, by Nick Hornby

08 - Not A Star, by Nick Hornby, 69 pages, Gemma Media, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: I read everything by Nick Hornby
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day
RATING: Good

This is a peculiar short story... about a Mom who finds out her son is an actor in porn movies... Not a star, mind you, just an actor.  The thoughts that she goes through are quite interesting; but then, I think that's the point.  How do you know how you'd react to something until it happens?  Lynn is remarkably honest with herself, and despite the shock, quite zen about the knowledge.  It's a good short story.

2011-07 - all families are psychotic, by Douglas Coupland

07 - all families are psychotic, by Douglas Coupland, 279 pages, Vintage Canada, 2001
WHY I PICKED IT: Re-read of a book by an author I really appreciate 
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Good

This is my first re-read in a while... and although I really enjoy Coupland, I seem to think that he isn't as deep as he thinks he is... The story is about a family.  Mom and Dad are divorced.  Two adult sons are screwups and have significant others who are expecting babies, and their daughter is the overachieving astronaut...

The story is entertaining, but written with a sense of overarching ideology that I just cannot figure out.  Whereas John Irving has many themes that recur in many of his novels, Coupland's books frequently involve some discussion about a belief in God, about our interaction with The Internet (as if it's this great big thing), and about one's place in the world... and this book has all three of these.

If you take the story as an escape, as a bit of entertainment, it's fine... if you want more depth, this book just doesn't have it.

2011-06 - The Secret River, by Kate Grenville

06 - The Secret River, by Kate Grenville, 333 Pages, Harper Perennial, 2005
WHY I PICKED IT: I don't know.  This book has been sitting in my "to read" pile for two years, unread. 
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days
RATING: Good

This story was quite interesting in that it provided a context for two types of criminal that existed in London in the early 1800s.  Those who store by necessity, and those who stole out of convenience... and how they came to be sent to Australia.  The story of the early settlements in Sydney, and the path of those convicts to freedom and ultimately a full pardon was relatively easy, and necessary for the colonizations of that far-away continent.

The necessary strength of those who went inland to claim their fortune, the communication and misunderstandings with the natives, and choices that they made regarding their interaction with them were believable, but the characters lacked depth... and once Ms. Grenville had taken us through that journey, she spent the final 20 pages wrapping up the next 30 years in a way that was ... well unnecessary.  Was it simply to give us closure on those characters future?  I don't know, but it was hard to relate, and felt like I was reading the notes she made when planning the plot.

This book is barely good.  If it was historical fiction about a place I knew, I will admit that it would have been a solid "meh," but I hadn't read about early settlers to Australia before, and so I rate this a tentative "good."  I acknowledge that I will not remember these characters.

2011-05 - Love Monkey, by Kyle Smith

05 - Love Monkey, by Kyle Smith, 336 pages, Harper Perennial, 2004
WHY I PICKED IT: Because I like the genre. 
ELAPSED TIME: <1 day.
RATING: Meh

This is the story of Tom Farrell, in the genre of Nick Hornby... Except in that genre there is the top tier: Nick Hornby, Mike Gayle and Jonathan Tropper... and there is everybody else.  And in the realm of everybody else Kyle Smith is in the bottom quartile.  Kind of disappointing to be honest, here is a book that had several (actual) laugh out loud moments, many great lines... but several sections that just needed better editing.  There is one point where the character writes a review of the movie Training Day... and we have to read the entire thing!  :(.


Sign of a book that is "meh" and not "good"... I finished the book, went to bed, woke up 6 hours later and couldn't remember the ending... Meh.

2011-04 - The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett

04 - The Magician's Assistant, by Ann Patchett, 357 pages, Harcourt, 1997
WHY I PICKED IT: Because I'm reading everything by Ann Patchett
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days.
RATING:Very Good

I have read four works of fiction by this beautiful author.  In each instance, the characters have depth and and the story draws you into them in a way that is warm and safe.  This one is a sad love story; with two very distinct stories: That of Sabine and Parsifal (the Magician) who she loved since she was 19, and his (gay) partner Phan (who, truth be told, has died before the story even started).  The second story is that of Sabine and her integration into Parsifal's family as his widow.

I think this might be my second favourite story by Ann Patchett... and possibly only because I read Bel Canto first.

2011-XX - The Circle of Reason, by Amitav Ghosh

2011-XX - The Circle of Reason, by Amitav Ghosh

XX - The Circle of Reason, by Amitav Ghosh, 423 pages, Hamish Hamilton, 1986
WHY I PICKED IT: Because I loved Ghosh's the Glass Palace and was recommended both by my Aunty Fa.
ELAPSED TIME: 5 days.
RATING:Wow, this book sucked.

So I only got 13 pages into this book... but it took me 4 days to get past page 8 and after another 5 pages I just couldn't stick with it.  The back didn't sell me on the book, and the first 13 pages confirmed what the back of the book said:  That this story was (supposed to be) a tragi-comic web of fantasy and fable... sorry, not spending my time on this.  At least not now.

2011-03 - Starter for Ten, by David Nichols

03 - Starter for Ten, by David Nichols, 338 pages, Villard Books, 2003
WHY I PICKED IT: Because I really enjoyed One Day by David Nichols and wanted to try something else by him
ELAPSED TIME: 2 days.
RATING: Meh.

This story was quite underwhelming.  Nichols writes flawed characters so very well.  Characters who are uncomfortable in their own skin, and who are figuring themselves out.  But whereas Emma and Dexter are fundamentally likable - characters who I missed once they were gone from my lives (as promised by my friend Ling Sian) - Brian (the supposedly lovable loser) and Alice (the girl of his dreams) are ... well slightly too flawed.  Brian just doesn't do enough to redeem himself to the reader, to build empathy for his predicaments (real and imagined).

2011-02 - Run, by Ann Patchett

02 - Run, by Ann Patchett, 295 pages, Harper Perennial, 2007
WHY I PICKED IT: I'm working my way through everything Ann Patchett has written
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days.
RATING: Very Good.

I love how Ann Patchett creates these warm characters.  Even the ones who define themselves as something else have an inner warmth - a tie to their family that is quite real.  Another thing she does really well is tell you the future.  As an event is happening, Ann tells the reader how those experiencing the event will remember it; and how it's different from the reality. Unfortunately, for all the work she put into making the book genuine in it's representation about Boston, makes generic references to Africa that are obviously false to anybody who has lived or worked there (as her character Sullivan supposedly has).

In this review, I have barely scratched the story... that of two African American boys, adopted into an Irish Catholic family... and a key 24-hour period of their lives.  I really enjoyed this story.

2011-01 - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, by Steig Larsson, 743 pages, Maclehose Press, 2009

01 - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, by Steig Larsson, 743 pages, Maclehose Press, 2009
WHY I PICKED IT: The third in Larsson's trilogy.
ELAPSED TIME: 3 days.
RATING: Very Good.

A clear continuation of The Girl Who Played with Fire, this story wraps up that plot in gripping fashion.  Similar to Ayn Rand, Larsson is able to write stories that advocate for his politics through his compelling characters.  Gender equality, immigration, constitutional controls over government and police... all issues that Larsson fought for in Sweden are raised in his works of fiction.  These three books were fantastic, and we are surely at a loss to not have had more from him.

If you want to get lost in a story, I highly recommend this trilogy.

Hassan's Book of 2010

As 2010 comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on the seventy two books that I have read... through twenty two thousand, seven hundred and sixteen (22,716) pages.  The longest book was Shantaram (936 pages) and the shortest was Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (64 pages).  My most productive month was April (9 books), and my least was May (1 book).

I have encountered three books unworthy of inclusion in my list (that I just could not finish),

Two books that were quite simply “Not Good,”

Nine books that were just “Meh,”

Twenty eight books that I considered as “Good,”

Twenty seven books that were “Very Good,” and

Six books that I would recommend as REQUIRED READING:

·         Born to Run

·         Honeymoon in Purdah

·         Zeitoun

·         Iran Awakening

·         Three Day Road

·         Bel Canto

Born to Run, Iran Awakening, and Zeitoun although great reads are clearly not Hassan’s Book of 2010.  For much of the year, I have reflected upon Honeymoon in Purdah; but now, as I approach the end of the year, I find myself wanting to select a book of fiction.

And so, the Hassan Book of 2010 is Three Day Road.  The combination of exposing us to a history that is often forgotten, coupled with strong characters is what earned the selection.  Please let me know what you think of it.