Overall, this has been a great year for reading, right? I read so many good books in 2012, I had trouble paring them down for this list. (Sorry, Gone Girl. But you made so many other lists!)
I love that I have the luxury of reading again. When I worked for newspapers, it was a challenge to even read one book a month. I think I just got so full on words while I was at work — I was surrounded by websites, magazines, newspapers, Twitter feeds, etc. — the last thing I wanted to do was pick up a book when I got home.
Now that I am in grad school, though, I am required to read, and I relish every second of it. When I tuck myself on the couch for a few hours to consume a book, it feels like the biggest scam in the world. Turn off the phone! Tell the husband to be quiet! I’m doing my schoolwork! I only wish I would have gone back to school years ago.
Anyway, these were my favorite books this year. Keep in mind that not all of these books were published in 2012 — they were just books I happened to enjoy this year.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand — I resisted reading this for a long time, probably because my dad recommended it. But sometimes dear ol’ dad knows what he’s talking about.
This is the true story of a Southern California long distance runner who became an Olympian, then joined the military during World War II. That’s when this book starts to sound like fiction. Every time you think this guy’s story can’t get worse, it does. He and two of his crewmates survive a plane crash into the Pacific … and then they live on a life raft for 47 days … and then passing planes shoot and deflate the raft … and then they are captured by the Japanese. And it only gets worse from there. (I’m not spoiling anything, by the way. All of that happens in the introduction.)
Do they make people this tough anymore?
Treasure Island!!! by Sara Levine — No, not the swashbuckling classic. This is the story of a misguided 25-year-old woman who becomes obsessed with “Treasure Island” and uses it as a self-help book. It’s completely ridiculous, and the protagonist is completely unlikeable, but it’s completely funny.
And look — Sara Levine was a guest at my MFA program residency recently, and she signed my copy. (You’ll just have to read the book if you want to know what she means by “Steer the boat, girlfriend!”)
Columbine by Dave Cullen — I am downright awed by Cullen’s research. Yeah, I was a journalist for 13 years, but I’m not worthy enough to hold Cullen’s notebook. His work is amazing, and this is an important book. After the shooting in Newtown, it feels even more deeply profound.
Damascus by Joshua Mohr — A story about a San Francisco bar and its regulars — the misfits, the losers and the people who just want to be loved.
The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau — A novel about a young Muslim boy who is saved by U.S. troops after his village is destroyed during an American military attack. The story is told in little patchwork pieces, sewn together into a meditation on the nature of trauma, memory and guilt. It’s a really beautiful and thoughtful book that poses many unanswerable questions. I read this many months ago, and I still think about it all the time.
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt — Two words: Cowboy hitmen.
Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman — Travel memoir is probably my favorite genre, and this is a good one. The author and a friend backpacked through China in 1986, just after the country opened for tourists. It’s an interesting look at a nation in transition. But it’s also a bizarre and funny story about choosing the wrong travel companion.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed — This is a story of a woman, a trail and learning to put one foot in front of the other after grief, regret and mistakes. It took me a long time to read this book, not because it was difficult or too long, but because so many of the passages were too beautiful to consume at once.
Also, I am a firm believer that hiking long distances can make your life better. See?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor — This is a young adult fantasy novel about an angel and a demon who fall in love. It sounds Twilight-y, but it’s really not. Taylor’s writing is stunning, and she invented a truly unique world with a brave, young female protagonist.
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter — I loved everything about this book. Walter created complex and flawed characters, and their stories intersect in the most bizarre, wonderful ways.
His descriptions of Cinque Terre were so vivid that when I was in Italy, I made a detour just to see the place for myself. It was worth it.
Shameless plug: If you’re in the Coachella Valley area, Jess Walter will be doing a reading/talk at my work! He’ll be at UCR Palm Desert at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20 — and I can’t even begin to explain how excited I am about that. If you hear someone in the back of the room, shrieking as if she’s at a New Kids on the Block concert? That’ll be me. The event is free, but space is limited. RSVP here.
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