For those of you who have lives filled with romance and adventure and unlike this narrator, don't have piles of time laying around in which to read 13 books a month, I have conveniently highlighted in red the title of the one book that you must absolutely read this month. The others are essential, too.
The Last Child by John Hart is a quality suspense story about a teenager who is determined to solve his sister's mysterious disappearance on his own. This story is multi-layered, with well-developed subplots, dynamic, complex characters, and a plot that steers away from police-procedural formula.
The Last Child by John Hart is a quality suspense story about a teenager who is determined to solve his sister's mysterious disappearance on his own. This story is multi-layered, with well-developed subplots, dynamic, complex characters, and a plot that steers away from police-procedural formula.
The Neighbors are Watching by Debra Ginsberg is another fantastic suspense story, this time set in Del Mar, California, a bedroom community of San Diego, during a giant wildfire. A pregnant teen has run away to live with the father she's never met, and her sudden appearance (and subsequent disappearance) wreak havoc on a small, tidy neighborhood which, it turns out, is full of seemingly upstanding citizens who are harboring a few nasty secrets of their own.
Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn tells the story of Holly Frick, recently thrust into an unwanted singlehood after her husband leaves her, and the recipient of confessions and complaints by practically everyone, including her best friend, who divulges the secrets of her own infidelity. Holly's not looking for love, just happiness, and her quest leads her to some unique and hilarious conclusions. I loved that this story of a smart, funny single didn't rely on her finding the perfect guy and/or becoming a mother in order to be happy--a testament to those of us quirkyalones who are building different lives. Dunn's writing, especially the dialogue, is the kind I want to read aloud to people just because it's so spot-on, so funny, and so very, very true. 
The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich is the basis for The Social Network, and is apparently, only ONE side of the contentious relationship between Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard classmates who co-conceived of (depending on who you ask) Facebook. It's a quick read, and worth a few hours just so you get the background for the movie. I'm on the look-out for a more well-rounded version of events.
A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan has appeared on practically every best-of-2010 list I've encountered, and with good reason. Although not told in a traditional format (one chapter is narrated in PowerPoint slides), the multiple viewpoints and non-linear travel through the characters' lives only deepen and enrich this story, which revolves around an assortment of people associated with and affected by a charismatic music producer--including his high school bandmates, his lovers, and many others. I can't describe it adequately. I also couldn't stop reading it.
Second Wind by Cami Ostman is the non-fiction account of Ostman's journey around the world, completing a marathon on every continent, which is awesome in about a billion ways PLUS she lives in Bellingham and I know her. Her book is funny, thoughtful, and inspiring, and it will make you believe in your own ability to recreate your life and savor your talents, gifts, and challenges.Racing for Recovery is the one book I read this month that didn't really excite me. I'm training for triathlons, so I'm looking for narratives and memoirs about other triathletes--there aren't many out there--and this is one I found. A drug addict cleans up his life and becomes an ironman. The story's inspiring, the writing isn't.
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman is amazingly smart without being pretentious or difficult to read. Interrelated stories of characters affected by their employment or readership of an English-language, old-school newspaper in Rome tell the story of the paper's rise and fall, which sounds really dry, but it's not. Each story is a tiny, detailed, absorbing world rich with weird characters and unexpected plot twists.
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman is amazingly smart without being pretentious or difficult to read. Interrelated stories of characters affected by their employment or readership of an English-language, old-school newspaper in Rome tell the story of the paper's rise and fall, which sounds really dry, but it's not. Each story is a tiny, detailed, absorbing world rich with weird characters and unexpected plot twists.Annabel by Kathleen Winter tells the story of a baby born with both male and fema
le genitalia to a family in rural Nova Scotia. His parents decide to raise him as a boy named Wayne and keep the truth about his anatomy secret--even from him. But secrets--their keeping and their discovery--are what make stories worth reading, and this one is no exception. But it isn't the secrecy that makes the novel so phenomenal, it's the characters and the unexpected way they respond to Wayne and the challenges that accompany his growing up. NOT a "problem novel," this is a rich portrait of isolated people attempting to deal with an unimaginable anomaly in an otherwise remote and ordinary place. Gorgeous writing, likeable characters, an unusual premise--a must-read.
le genitalia to a family in rural Nova Scotia. His parents decide to raise him as a boy named Wayne and keep the truth about his anatomy secret--even from him. But secrets--their keeping and their discovery--are what make stories worth reading, and this one is no exception. But it isn't the secrecy that makes the novel so phenomenal, it's the characters and the unexpected way they respond to Wayne and the challenges that accompany his growing up. NOT a "problem novel," this is a rich portrait of isolated people attempting to deal with an unimaginable anomaly in an otherwise remote and ordinary place. Gorgeous writing, likeable characters, an unusual premise--a must-read.Matched by Allie 
Condie is the only young adult book I read this month, but it was awesome. The story will remind some people of The Giver by Lois Lowry, as it takes places in the future, in a society where government manipulation allows everyone to be equal, and regulations manage everything to when and what is eaten to your job, life partner, and clothing. Cassia, at 16, is about to be "matched," or assigned her life partner. A special ceremony will reveal the mate selected for her by the government agency that studies and selects the best fit. When she attends her Match ceremony, Cassia is thrilled discover that her best friend, Xander, has been chosen as her mate. But when she reviews the data card later, she sees, for a brief instant, another image--of another boy. Curious, she begins investigating, and discovers that a technical glitch has allowed her to see something no one else has ever been allowed to see--an alternative. Cassia's exploration in options is dangerous for her and for her society, but once the possibility becomes available, it's impossible to resist. Part love story, part warning, Matched is a terrific read--and not just for teens.
One Day by David Nicholls
revisits Emma and Dexter yearly on the day they originally met in college and had a one-night stand. Following their lives and intersections for twenty years, we watch as their friendship grows and changes as each pursues career goals and love interests. The affection they share is what makes the story so likeable, and I found myself pleading with them to get together once and for all through the whole book. More than just a rom-com, this story delves a little deeper into the characters' lives, motivations, mistakes, and disappointments. A younger Hugh Grant might have been cast as Dexter, but in this one (due out July 8, 2011) it's going to be Jim Sturgess alongside Anne Hathaway. I expect it to rock.
Condie is the only young adult book I read this month, but it was awesome. The story will remind some people of The Giver by Lois Lowry, as it takes places in the future, in a society where government manipulation allows everyone to be equal, and regulations manage everything to when and what is eaten to your job, life partner, and clothing. Cassia, at 16, is about to be "matched," or assigned her life partner. A special ceremony will reveal the mate selected for her by the government agency that studies and selects the best fit. When she attends her Match ceremony, Cassia is thrilled discover that her best friend, Xander, has been chosen as her mate. But when she reviews the data card later, she sees, for a brief instant, another image--of another boy. Curious, she begins investigating, and discovers that a technical glitch has allowed her to see something no one else has ever been allowed to see--an alternative. Cassia's exploration in options is dangerous for her and for her society, but once the possibility becomes available, it's impossible to resist. Part love story, part warning, Matched is a terrific read--and not just for teens.One Day by David Nicholls
revisits Emma and Dexter yearly on the day they originally met in college and had a one-night stand. Following their lives and intersections for twenty years, we watch as their friendship grows and changes as each pursues career goals and love interests. The affection they share is what makes the story so likeable, and I found myself pleading with them to get together once and for all through the whole book. More than just a rom-com, this story delves a little deeper into the characters' lives, motivations, mistakes, and disappointments. A younger Hugh Grant might have been cast as Dexter, but in this one (due out July 8, 2011) it's going to be Jim Sturgess alongside Anne Hathaway. I expect it to rock.
Half a Life by Darin Strauss. As a teenager, Darin Strauss struck a classmate riding her bike while out driving, killing her. Although the death was ruled an accident, that doesn't stop it from haunting him throughout his adult life, his own success as a writer continually reminding him of the life cut short by the accident. I expected this book to make me weep, but it never strays into weepy, maudlin territory, nor does Strauss plead with us to feel his sorrow and guilt about the accident. A bad thing happened, it changed a young man's life and the lives of the family members of the young woman killed, and this story shows what that was like. Strauss's story is simply and skillfully told, a meditation on mortality and chance. 
The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard. Well this is it--the one book I read this month that I would recommend you read if you have time for no others. And yes, it's a missing persons story (I have a weakness for those). Nora Lindell goes missing in high school, and the story follows the teenage boys who knew and admired her as they carry on with their lives, all of them imagining what might have happened to their classmate. The framework--missing girls, those she left behind--isn't what makes it remarkable. The narration however, is unique without drawing attention to itself; one of the boys--unidentified--speaks in an omniscient, plural first person that offers a collection view of Nora, her family, the neighborhood, and the time period. Perhaps most significant are the carefully crafted possible scenarios presented as explanations for what happened to Nora. I can't really say anymore...you'll just have to read it. And now it is February. Stay tuned.
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