2011: The Year in Books
Today, on a lazy Sunday, I finished reading I'll See You in My Dreams by William Deverell. Deverell is a retired Vancouver criminal lawyer who writes mystery novels mostly about Vancouver criminal lawyers. They're well received generally, but anyone who has ever practiced criminal law and who knows Vancouver will especially enjoy his novels.
This book is about an old lawyer experiencing regret over his first murder trial as a young lawyer, back in the days when Canada still had the death penalty. The lawyer convinces his client to make a deal to plead guilty to manslaughter to avoid being convicted and executed for murder. The client reluctantly does so on his lawyer's advice, despite proclaiming his innocence. Decades later when new evidence surfaces, the lawyer launches an appeal, while unraveling the mystery of what actually happened.
Deverell writes very well, but in the past my complaint has been that he spins a great tale, but writes weak endings. This book is somewhat opposite. It begins slowly and is very laborious to read at first, but the pace picks up and its ending is well-written.
I don't seem to read much fiction any more, unless I'm on vacation or unless one of my favourite fiction authors (like Deverell) puts out a new book. Reading this made me wonder about what I managed to read this year, so I thought I'd make a list. Here's what I recall reading in 2011 (so far):
Fiction:
1. Known to Evil by Walter Mosley (Genre: Mystery)
2. Player One: What is to Become of Us by Douglas Coupland
3. Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley
4. Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard
5. I'll See You in My Dreams by William Deverell
Non-Fiction (heavily influenced by my role as moderator of potus_geeks):
1. The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election by Zachary Karabell
2. Mr. Buchanan's Administration on the Eve of the Rebellion, by James Buchanan
3. The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness by Harlow Giles Unger
4. Ike's Final Battle: The Road to Little Rock and the Challenge of Equality by Kasey Pipes
5. By One Vote: The Disputed Election of 1876 by Michael Holt
6. John Tyler: The Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol
7. The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge
8. JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters by James W. Douglass
9. Tried By War: Abraham Lincoln As Commander-in-Chief by James McPherson
10. Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by H. W. Brands
11. The President and the Assassin by Scott Miller
12. Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen
13. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
14. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes by Deepak Chopra and Gotham Chopra
15. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
16. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
17. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
18. Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy by Bill Clinton
Best Fiction: Maximum Bob
Best Non-Fiction: Destiny of the Republic
I'm about to start The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Has anyone here read it, and if so, would you recommend it?
What about you, what have you read so far this year? What was best in fiction and in non-fiction?
This book is about an old lawyer experiencing regret over his first murder trial as a young lawyer, back in the days when Canada still had the death penalty. The lawyer convinces his client to make a deal to plead guilty to manslaughter to avoid being convicted and executed for murder. The client reluctantly does so on his lawyer's advice, despite proclaiming his innocence. Decades later when new evidence surfaces, the lawyer launches an appeal, while unraveling the mystery of what actually happened.
Deverell writes very well, but in the past my complaint has been that he spins a great tale, but writes weak endings. This book is somewhat opposite. It begins slowly and is very laborious to read at first, but the pace picks up and its ending is well-written.
I don't seem to read much fiction any more, unless I'm on vacation or unless one of my favourite fiction authors (like Deverell) puts out a new book. Reading this made me wonder about what I managed to read this year, so I thought I'd make a list. Here's what I recall reading in 2011 (so far):
Fiction:
1. Known to Evil by Walter Mosley (Genre: Mystery)
2. Player One: What is to Become of Us by Douglas Coupland
3. Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley
4. Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard
5. I'll See You in My Dreams by William Deverell
Non-Fiction (heavily influenced by my role as moderator of potus_geeks):
1. The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election by Zachary Karabell
2. Mr. Buchanan's Administration on the Eve of the Rebellion, by James Buchanan
3. The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness by Harlow Giles Unger
4. Ike's Final Battle: The Road to Little Rock and the Challenge of Equality by Kasey Pipes
5. By One Vote: The Disputed Election of 1876 by Michael Holt
6. John Tyler: The Accidental President by Edward P. Crapol
7. The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge
8. JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters by James W. Douglass
9. Tried By War: Abraham Lincoln As Commander-in-Chief by James McPherson
10. Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by H. W. Brands
11. The President and the Assassin by Scott Miller
12. Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen
13. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
14. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes by Deepak Chopra and Gotham Chopra
15. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
16. Moneyball by Michael Lewis
17. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
18. Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy by Bill Clinton
Best Fiction: Maximum Bob
Best Non-Fiction: Destiny of the Republic
I'm about to start The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Has anyone here read it, and if so, would you recommend it?
What about you, what have you read so far this year? What was best in fiction and in non-fiction?