JANUARY-JULY (ish) 2010
Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. (Fiction)
An eerie, creepy novel in which the horror behind the set-up unfolds so subtly you feel almost as though you’ve been tricked into reading a story you never would have chosen. Children being raised in a boarding school-cum-orphanage develop intense relationships as they mature and discover the true reasons why they are living where and how they are.
Schusterma
n, Neal. Unwind. (Young Adult Fiction)
In a futuristic America, abortion is no longer legal, but parents can choose to have their children “unwound” when they turn 13—basically, have them sent to harvesting centers, where they’ll gradually be parted out.Three teens--one who's been created specifically as a donation, one who's disappointed his parents, and a third who has failed to develop her talents in a foster home--escape from their fate and try to survive on the run from the authorities.
Grodstein, Lauren. A Friend of the Family. (Fiction)
Excruciating, but well-written and un-put-downable. A father tries to stop his 20-year-old son from dating an older woman with a very dark secret in her past.
Best Sex Writing 2010.(Mostly Fiction)
Meh.
Benway, Robin. Audrey, Wait! (Young Adult Fiction)
Very funny YA about a girl who is made famous when her ex-boyfriend writes a song about her that becomes a hit. Perfect for Meg Cabot fans.
Ferris, Joshua. The Unnamed. (Fiction)
A man suffers from an unnamed, unexplained disorder that compels him to walk aimlessly for hours, even days, at a time. OK, so a book about a guy walking endlessly sounds boring, but in Ferris's story, it is a fascinating memoir for our times--who are we? We are we going? And most importantly, why? Unique and smart. One of my favorite novels of the year.
Mitchell, Mary. Americans in Space. (Fiction)
Kind of lame story about a screwed up high school counselor. I liked the writing, but not the characters or the story.
Pierson, DC. The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To. (Fiction)
One teen befriends another, and the two embark on a wacky adventure to write a comic book or something. Funny for awhile, then I realized I don’t really like wacky that much.
Hubbard, Jennifer. The Secret Year. (Young Adult Fiction)
A teenage boy mourns the death of the girl with whom he had a secret relationship.
Johnson, Marilyn. This Book is Overdue! (Non-Fiction)
A peek into the lives of librarians. Some good stuff, but way too much about librarians in cyberspace and virtual lives. I could write better, but I probably won’t.
Cross, David. I Drink for a Reason. (Non-Fiction Humorous Essays)
The funniest book I read all year. David Cross is a genius. There are essays in here I will quote for years, even if I don’t drink anymore. (And actually, the essays are about pop and political culture, not about drinking, anyway). David Cross=David Sedaris+Bill Maher.
Knowles, Jo. Jumping Off Swings. (YA Fiction)
Another teen pregnancy story. Who cares. But then again, at least it's not about vampires.
Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. (YA Fiction)
Cool story about a girl receiving mysterious messages. A good recommendation for readers who liked I Am the Messenger.
Welch. The Kids are All Right. (Non-Fiction/Memoir)
(Not the basis for the movie of the same title).
Four teens are orphaned and divided up among family friends and relatives, where each struggles to find happiness and identity before they are reunited. Very good—good recommendation for anyone who liked A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers.
Udall, Brad
y. The Lonely Polygamist. (Fiction)
I loved this novel about a polygamist with four wives and 28 children who finds himself in moral turmoil when he is attracted to another woman and caught in the midst of the complications in his own enormous family. Read this if you like reading, and also if you like Big Love.
Halpern, Justin. Shit My Dad Says. (Humor)
A collection of the hilarious and usually profane remarks made by Halpern’s dad.
Levithan, David. Will Grayson, Will Grayson. (YA Fiction)
A gay teen named Will Grayson meets another boy with the same name, and their lives become intertwined. Good reading—Levithan is one of my favorite YA authors, and he does a really good job with LGBTQ lit.
The Lighter Side of Life and Death. (YA Fiction)
A guy gets involved (read: has sex with) a much older girl. Some other stuff happens, but I’ve forgotten, so I’ll file this one under “teen drama/romance” and leave it at that.
Mulgrew, Jason. Everything is Wrong With Me.
Humorous essays. I keep wanting every humorist I read to be David Sedaris, and they’re not, but they’re still funny, just not as funny, which sounds like a condemnation, which it’s not.
Almond,
Steve. Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life. (Non-Fiction)
Steve Almond can write anything and I’ll read it. His fiction is amazing, his non-fiction is amazing, and this book was funny and insightful, just like everything he writes. But then again, I think anyone who defends their love of Styx is pretty incredible. Not just for music lovers or survivors of the 80s, this is a manifesto for lovers of music who may have felt previously that their tastes were shameful. No more. Whatever your audiological kinks, you’ll appreciate Almond’s acute observations about music.
Green, George Dawes. Ravens. (Fiction)Gripping suspense story about a couple of In Cold Blood-like hoodlums who discover a family has won the state lottery before it hits the media and then hold the family hostage to extort their winnings. How the money affects the individual family members, and how the bumbling bad guys terrorize the family is scary, but it doesn't make me want to win the lottery any less.
McNally, John. After the Workshop. (Fiction)A publicist who has the thankless job of escorting visiting authors to their venues is in big trouble when one of them goes missing. McNally is funny and suspenseful, and so far, I’ve enjoyed everything he’s written. This one will have special appeal for writers and anyone involved in the publishing world or the world of writers’ workshops.
Young-Stone, Michele. Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors. (Fiction)A young woman struck twice by lightning meets another lightning strike survivor and the two begin a relationship to figure out the mysterious connection between them. I liked this book; I wish I could remember the details.
The Late, Lamented Molly Marx. (Fiction)After she is mysteriously killed, Molly Marx continues to be cognizant of the living world, and watches as investigators and friends try to solve the mystery of her death. A light, funny, chick-lit mystery that took me too long to read.
Nielsen, Susin. Word Nerd. (Fiction)
Scrabble-lovers, rejoice! This is a fun YA read about Ambrose, a self-described nerd, who moves regularly with his mother. At their latest home, he begins pestering Cosmo, the adult son of the Greek neighbors. Cosmo’s been in trouble with the law, and Ambrose hangs out with him against his mother’s orders, eventually attending a local Scrabble club and becoming a favorite among the other players. His participation and his secrecy have consequences, however, that no one could have predicted. I LOVED this book—it reminded me of some of the other awesome YA/tween books like The Giver, Holes, anything by E.L. Konigsburg (The View from Saturday, etc.).
