I'm a sucker when it comes to books -- sometimes, I tell myself, if you hold on long enough, it'll get better! It can be a badge of honor for literary folks to remind you of the books they suffered through. But those days are over for me -- if my head is in a (non-work) book, I want to love it so much that I will recommend it to you here.
I've also started the new year with an extra-large pile of books to read. I'm always amazed when I meet people who can finish a book and not have four or five lined up in the queue. I know I've gone a bit overboard at this point (I probably have forty or fifty volumes anxiously awaiting their chance in my hands), but books really do make the best gifts, and with my birthday and Christmas just in the rearview mirror, it's no wonder that I have so many books to read.
If you're looking for something interesting to tickle your fancy, here are my favorite five books from January.
Someone Could Get Hurt (Drew Magary): I had forgotten about this book entirely until Sergio gave it to me for Christmas. Magary's book is a series of essays about fatherhood, some of which were so funny that I laughed until I cried. If you are a parent, especially a new one, these might feel even closer to home (does that make them funnier? you tell me). As more and more of our friends and family members have kids, I've realized that you have to have a sense of humor about it (and probably a strong stomach). This was a fun read and a good book to kick off 2015.
This is How You Lose Her (Junot Diaz): How did Junot Diaz slip my notice? This book follows the story of Yunoir, a young Dominican man who details women both loved and lost. I received this and Diaz's Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, for my birthday, and dug into this one because it was shorter (Tip: If you're going to read both of them, start with Oscar Wao, even though it's longer. I just finished it and it felt out-of-order...).
I enjoy books that challenge me, and this one did that. It's filled with Dominican slang (most of it so localized that Sergio didn't understand it) and gives you a taste of Dominican culture and history. Like many great books, it might spotlight your ignorance or make you uncomfortable or make you want to pick up something else to learn more. Yunoir is open and honest, raw and graphic, and I felt both saddened and hopeful by his view of and relationships with women.
I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith): I used to have a big obsession with classic fiction. My new obsession? "Modern classics," or the classics from the 20th century. First up this year was I Capture the Castle, a story from the perspective of seventeen-year-old Cassandra. In an attempt to become a better writer, she details six months of daily events that becomes a touching and powerful coming-of-age story. Through her eyes, we can fall in love with the family's ramshackle castle, her eccentric father (a one-hit author) and his new wife, stepmother Topaz, as well as Cassandra's siblings, pets, and the wealthy next-door neighbors, the Cottons. Forget today's young-adult fiction -- this is a better (escapist) bet for you and your favorite teen.
The Rosie Effect (Graeme Simsion): Did I mention that I love discovering new authors? Simsion, an Aussie, made a mid-life career change and struck gold with his first novel, The Rosie Project (praised in my end-of-year book blog). I'm generally disciplined about waiting until a book comes out in paperback (also -- I want my books to match, so if I have a book in paperback, why would I get the sequel in hardcover? my OCD-ness knows no limits), but I had an extra hour before my flight home from Hawai'i and thought, "I need to go look at books." And what was on the shelf but this novel?
I realize that some of you might be interested in the first book so I don't want to spoil it by revealing the new adventures of Don, the professor who set out to find a wife through a complicated questionnaire process. At a meta level, I will say this -- how enjoyable is it to watch an author grow through the creative process by finding his voice and deepening our knowledge of his main character?
Yes, I really just wrote that. Just read the first book already and then we can chat about the second.
Astonish Me (Maggie Shipstead): I devoured Shipstead's debut novel, Seating Arrangements, and obsessively checked to see when Astonish Me was due out in paperback. I was skeptical at first because this book focuses on a subject that I don't find particularly interesting (ballet), just like her last book (which was set in New England -- not my favorite region or people), but her characters are so complex and her writing so crisp and sharp that I couldn't put the book down.
At the center of this book is Joan, a young dancer who has a brush with greatness when she helps a Russian dancer defect and escape the USSR. Long story short, she leaves the ballet world behind to raise her young son and, as he grows up, her past catches up with her. I really want to read this book again as I write this review...
So -- that's it! I've read a few interesting books this month already -- just a matter of weeks before I have more recs to share.
Happy reading, friends.
xo,
Sarah
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