BOOKS 2013: June and July
57. The Songs of Achilles - Madeline Miller
"Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear."
58. The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
"Published in 1898 and never out of print since that time, 'The War of the Worlds' is one of the most influential science fiction novels ever written, and the seminal work for all the many 'alien invasion' tales that have followed. The amazing products of Wells' prodigious imagination - death rays, mobile weapons-platforms, flying machines (all unheard of in his day) - have proved wonderfully, and hideously, prophetic. Given today's advances in space exploration and the discovery of earth-like planets orbiting other stars, the author's vision of evil, conquering aliens continues to strike a chord of terror in modern minds."
59. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum
"Dorothy thinks she is lost forever when a terrifying tornado crashes through Kansas and whisks her and her dog, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. To get home Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City and find the wonderfully mysterious Wizard of Oz. Together with her companions the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion whom she meets on the way, Dorothy embarks on a strange and enchanting adventure."
60. Protect Me From What I Want - Delilah des Anges
"When a 40-year-old cold case opens unexpectedly on a sleepy island, John Hennessey (perpetually-on-the-brink-of-being-fired) finds his past comes back to haunt him, too. This unconventional tale is told in the first person to an unseen reporter, and through the eyes of a not-wholly honest observer."
61. Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
"Two young women become unlikely best friends during WWII, until one is captured by the Gestapo. Only in wartime could a stalwart lass from Manchester rub shoulders with a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a special operations executive. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted to each other. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in “Verity’s” own words, as she writes her account for her captors. Truth or lies? Honour or betrayal? Everything they’ve ever believed in is put to the test…"
62. The Island of Doctor Moreau - H.G. Wells
"H. G. Wells' classic about the nightmarish excesses of biological experimentation."
63. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
"'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'
A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the thirties. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story, an anti-racist novel, a historical drama of the Great Depression and a sublime example of the Southern writing tradition."
64. Zombie Survival Guide - Max Brooks
"Don't be reckless with you most precious asset - life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it. The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead. It is a book that could save your life."
65. The Mask of Apollo - Mark Renault
"In a vivid depiction of Ancient Greece and its legendary heroes, The Mask of Apollo tells the story of Nikeratos, the gifted tragic actor at the centre of political and cultural activity in Athens, 400 B. C. Wherever he goes, Nikeratos carries a golden mask of Apollo, a relic and reminder of an age when the theatre was at the height of its greatness and talent. Only a mascot at first, the mask gradually turns into Nikeratos' conscience as he encounters famous thinkers, actors, and philosophers, including the famous Plato himself."
66. Bedlam: London and its Mad - Catharine Arnold
"'Bedlam!' The very name conjures up graphic images of naked patients chained among filthy straw, or parading untended wards deluded that they are Napoleon or Jesus Christ. We owe this image of madness to William Hogarth, who, in plate eight of his 1735 Rake's Progress series, depicts the anti-hero in Bedlam, the latest addition to a freak show providing entertainment for Londoners between trips to the Tower Zoo, puppet shows and public executions. That this is still the most powerful image of Bedlam, over two centuries later, says much about our attitude to mental illness, although the Bedlam of the popular imagination is long gone. The hospital was relocated to the suburbs of Kent in 1930, and Sydney Smirke's impressive Victorian building in Southwark took on a new role as the Imperial War Museum. Following the historical narrative structure of her acclaimed Necropolis, BEDLAM will examine the capital's treatment of the insane over the centuries, from the founding of Bethlehem Hospital in 1247 through the heyday of the great Victorian asylums to the more enlightened attitudes that prevail today."
67. The Gift of Fear - Gavin de Becker
"A stranger in a deserted parking lot offers to help carry a woman's groceries. Is he a good Samaritan or is he after something else? A fired employee says "You'll be sorry." Will he return with a gun? After their first date, a man tells a woman it is their "destiny" to be married. What will he do when she won't see him again? A mother has an uneasy feeling about the nice babysitter she's just hired. Should she not go to work today?
These days, no one in America feels immune to violence. But now, in this extraordinary groundbreaking book, the nation's leading expert on predicting violent behavior unlocks the puzzle of human violence and shows that, like every creature on earth, we have within us the ability to predict the harm others might do us and get out of its way. Contrary to popular myth, human violence almost always has a discernible motive and is preceded by clear warning signs.
Through dozens of compelling examples from his own career, Gavin de Becker teaches us how to read the signs, using our most basic but often most discounted survival skill - our intuition. The Gift of Fear is a remarkable, unique combination of practical guidance on leading a safer life and profound insight into human behavior."
68. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
"Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress...Huxley's ingenious fantasy of the future sheds a blazing light on the present and is considered to be his most enduring masterpiece."
69. Crucible of Gold - Naomi Novik
"Former Aerial Corps captain Will Laurence and his faithful dragon, Temeraire, have been put out to pasture in Australia-and it seems their part in the war has ended just when they are needed most. The French have invaded Spain, forged an alliance with Africa’s powerful Tswana empire, and brought revolution to Brazil. With Britain’s last desperate hope of defeating Napoleon in peril, the government that sidelined Laurence swiftly offers to reinstate him, convinced that he’s the best man to enter the fray and negotiate peace. So the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that forces them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire. With the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, an old enemy appears and threatens to tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk-for one bold enough to grasp it."
70. The Tommyknockers - Stephen King
"Set in Maine, this story concerns Bobbi who has developed telepathic powers. A spaceship landed at the bottom of her garden and when it is uncovered, the citizens of Haven metamorphose into increasingly bizarre and dangerous creatures."
71. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison
"The story takes place over a hundred years after the near-complete destruction of humanity. The Cold War has escalated into a world war, fought mainly between China, Russia, and the United States. As the war progresses, the three warring nations each create a super-computer capable of running the war more efficiently than humans. The machines are each referred to as "AM," which originally stood for "Allied Mastercomputer," then later called "Adaptive Manipulator", and still later "Aggressive Menace". One day, one of the three computers becomes self aware, and promptly absorbs the other two, thus taking control of the entire war. It then brings about the mass genocide of all but five people, and redefines its name as "I think, therefore I AM".
Four men and one woman are all that remains of humanity: Gorrister, Nimdok, Benny, Ted (the narrator), and Ellen. They live together underground in an endless complex, the only habitable place left, although it is explained that the last few survivors had no choice to return above ground. The master computer has an immeasurable hatred for humanity and spends every moment torturing the group with all its power, twisting their minds and physiques, hurting them and not allowing them to die: AM has not only managed to keep the humans from taking their own lives, but has made them virtually immortal. As long as AM has its way, the torment will never end, and every day will be more horrific than the last...
The story begins on the one hundred and ninth year of their torture."
72. Heart Songs - Annie Proulx
"These stories reverberate with rural tradition, the rites of nature, and the rituals of small-town life. The country is blue-collar New England; the characters are native families and the dispossessed working class, whose heritage is challenged by the neorural bourgeoisie from the city; and the themes are as elemental as the landscape: revenge, malice, greed, passion. Told with skill and profundity and crafted by a master storyteller, these are lean, tough tales of an extraordinary place and its people."
73. The Englishman's Boy - Guy Vanderhaeghe
"A parallel narrative set in the American West in the 1870s and Hollywood in the era of the silent films. A struggling writer wishes to make an epic of the American West and believes an old-time Western actor will provide authentic content. However, the actor tells his own, different story."
74. The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith
"When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.
A war veteran, wounded both physically and psychologically, Strike's life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger..."
75. Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia - Marya Hornbacher
"Why would a talented young woman enter into a torrid affair with hunger, drugs, sex, and death? Through five lengthy hospital stays, endless therapy, and the loss of family, friends, jobs, and all sense of what it means to be "normal," Marya Hornbacher lovingly embraced her anorexia and bulimia -- until a particularly horrifying bout with the disease in college put the romance of wasting away to rest forever. A vivid, honest, and emotionally wrenching memoir, Wasted is the story of one woman's travels to reality's darker side -- and her decision to find her way back on her own terms."
So I was intending to do June and July separately as I have done for the past two and a half years, but laziness and an excess of fandom overcame me and I, er, read fanfic instead. It is with a great shift of will power I've managed to extract myself from the offending fanfiction and put this list together; once finished, I shall return to it, because apparently the urge has not petered out after two weeks like it normally does and instead I've developed a keen taste for 100,000-word-plus post-Reichenbach John/Sherlock magnum opera, a habit not conducive to ordinary reading, regular blog updating, the creation of art, or full-time employment. I can barely remember details about what I read last week; this is going to be an arse-on.
The new reads that really stood out to me these past two months have to be Code Name Verity and Wasted. The former impressed me with its slickly realised characterisations. It is not as difficult to find intense female friendships in books as it is in films, yet you still get the impression that the industry is not 100% convinced. It's therefore a pleasure when you come across a book like this where the female relationship is the book's heart and soul. A shame then that it is not more talked about, in fandom circles I mean, where you know fine well that if this were two male leads fangirls would be grabbing on with both hands and slashing the tits off them.
I therefore felt rather guilty when I was becoming, if not impatient then certainly antsy, during the scenes that did not involve Verity and her captor. That was a relationship that really hit my buttons, and surprisingly hard-hitting for a book I had thought was young adult. A gripping book with an amazing ending that at the time made me gasp, though looking back seems inevitable.
Wasted was another amazing book that will in all likelihood end up in my top ten if not top five books of this year. Never self-pitying, it is somehow more powerful for it, and the author never makes the mistake of assuming her experience reflects that of other women and girls. The writing is exquisite, visceral and unsentimental, poetry made prose, and made all the more astonishing by the writer's age at the time. Some will complain of the unsatisfying ending but it could not realistically end any differently, being confined by the reality of the author's life and the condition itself. I didn't mind. This is the sort of book that changes your way of thinking about something forever.
On the re-read front was To Kill a Mockingbird which I've not read for a decade or so. I went into this somewhat... cautiously? cynically? because so many books have failed to live up to my memories of them and I have since read the "racist" arguments that do in fact hold water but that would have made me felt accused as a teenager. Nevertheless I really enjoyed this re-read, more for its command of story this time than, y'know, making me feel like it ups my liberal, non-bigot credentials. The racist arguments still hold water but I came out of this thinking that was more to do with the teaching of the book, and the background of other literature and media that it is held up against, than the actual book itself. This remains for me a beautiful coming-of-age story and one that, despite its flaws, still deserves a place in the pantheon of Great American Literature.
"Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear."
58. The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
"Published in 1898 and never out of print since that time, 'The War of the Worlds' is one of the most influential science fiction novels ever written, and the seminal work for all the many 'alien invasion' tales that have followed. The amazing products of Wells' prodigious imagination - death rays, mobile weapons-platforms, flying machines (all unheard of in his day) - have proved wonderfully, and hideously, prophetic. Given today's advances in space exploration and the discovery of earth-like planets orbiting other stars, the author's vision of evil, conquering aliens continues to strike a chord of terror in modern minds."
59. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum
"Dorothy thinks she is lost forever when a terrifying tornado crashes through Kansas and whisks her and her dog, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. To get home Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City and find the wonderfully mysterious Wizard of Oz. Together with her companions the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion whom she meets on the way, Dorothy embarks on a strange and enchanting adventure."
60. Protect Me From What I Want - Delilah des Anges
"When a 40-year-old cold case opens unexpectedly on a sleepy island, John Hennessey (perpetually-on-the-brink-of-being-fired) finds his past comes back to haunt him, too. This unconventional tale is told in the first person to an unseen reporter, and through the eyes of a not-wholly honest observer."
61. Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
"Two young women become unlikely best friends during WWII, until one is captured by the Gestapo. Only in wartime could a stalwart lass from Manchester rub shoulders with a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a special operations executive. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted to each other. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in “Verity’s” own words, as she writes her account for her captors. Truth or lies? Honour or betrayal? Everything they’ve ever believed in is put to the test…"
62. The Island of Doctor Moreau - H.G. Wells
"H. G. Wells' classic about the nightmarish excesses of biological experimentation."
63. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
"'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'
A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the thirties. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story, an anti-racist novel, a historical drama of the Great Depression and a sublime example of the Southern writing tradition."
64. Zombie Survival Guide - Max Brooks
"Don't be reckless with you most precious asset - life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it. The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead. It is a book that could save your life."
65. The Mask of Apollo - Mark Renault
"In a vivid depiction of Ancient Greece and its legendary heroes, The Mask of Apollo tells the story of Nikeratos, the gifted tragic actor at the centre of political and cultural activity in Athens, 400 B. C. Wherever he goes, Nikeratos carries a golden mask of Apollo, a relic and reminder of an age when the theatre was at the height of its greatness and talent. Only a mascot at first, the mask gradually turns into Nikeratos' conscience as he encounters famous thinkers, actors, and philosophers, including the famous Plato himself."
66. Bedlam: London and its Mad - Catharine Arnold
"'Bedlam!' The very name conjures up graphic images of naked patients chained among filthy straw, or parading untended wards deluded that they are Napoleon or Jesus Christ. We owe this image of madness to William Hogarth, who, in plate eight of his 1735 Rake's Progress series, depicts the anti-hero in Bedlam, the latest addition to a freak show providing entertainment for Londoners between trips to the Tower Zoo, puppet shows and public executions. That this is still the most powerful image of Bedlam, over two centuries later, says much about our attitude to mental illness, although the Bedlam of the popular imagination is long gone. The hospital was relocated to the suburbs of Kent in 1930, and Sydney Smirke's impressive Victorian building in Southwark took on a new role as the Imperial War Museum. Following the historical narrative structure of her acclaimed Necropolis, BEDLAM will examine the capital's treatment of the insane over the centuries, from the founding of Bethlehem Hospital in 1247 through the heyday of the great Victorian asylums to the more enlightened attitudes that prevail today."
67. The Gift of Fear - Gavin de Becker
"A stranger in a deserted parking lot offers to help carry a woman's groceries. Is he a good Samaritan or is he after something else? A fired employee says "You'll be sorry." Will he return with a gun? After their first date, a man tells a woman it is their "destiny" to be married. What will he do when she won't see him again? A mother has an uneasy feeling about the nice babysitter she's just hired. Should she not go to work today?
These days, no one in America feels immune to violence. But now, in this extraordinary groundbreaking book, the nation's leading expert on predicting violent behavior unlocks the puzzle of human violence and shows that, like every creature on earth, we have within us the ability to predict the harm others might do us and get out of its way. Contrary to popular myth, human violence almost always has a discernible motive and is preceded by clear warning signs.
Through dozens of compelling examples from his own career, Gavin de Becker teaches us how to read the signs, using our most basic but often most discounted survival skill - our intuition. The Gift of Fear is a remarkable, unique combination of practical guidance on leading a safer life and profound insight into human behavior."
68. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
"Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress...Huxley's ingenious fantasy of the future sheds a blazing light on the present and is considered to be his most enduring masterpiece."
69. Crucible of Gold - Naomi Novik
"Former Aerial Corps captain Will Laurence and his faithful dragon, Temeraire, have been put out to pasture in Australia-and it seems their part in the war has ended just when they are needed most. The French have invaded Spain, forged an alliance with Africa’s powerful Tswana empire, and brought revolution to Brazil. With Britain’s last desperate hope of defeating Napoleon in peril, the government that sidelined Laurence swiftly offers to reinstate him, convinced that he’s the best man to enter the fray and negotiate peace. So the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that forces them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire. With the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, an old enemy appears and threatens to tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk-for one bold enough to grasp it."
70. The Tommyknockers - Stephen King
"Set in Maine, this story concerns Bobbi who has developed telepathic powers. A spaceship landed at the bottom of her garden and when it is uncovered, the citizens of Haven metamorphose into increasingly bizarre and dangerous creatures."
71. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison
"The story takes place over a hundred years after the near-complete destruction of humanity. The Cold War has escalated into a world war, fought mainly between China, Russia, and the United States. As the war progresses, the three warring nations each create a super-computer capable of running the war more efficiently than humans. The machines are each referred to as "AM," which originally stood for "Allied Mastercomputer," then later called "Adaptive Manipulator", and still later "Aggressive Menace". One day, one of the three computers becomes self aware, and promptly absorbs the other two, thus taking control of the entire war. It then brings about the mass genocide of all but five people, and redefines its name as "I think, therefore I AM".
Four men and one woman are all that remains of humanity: Gorrister, Nimdok, Benny, Ted (the narrator), and Ellen. They live together underground in an endless complex, the only habitable place left, although it is explained that the last few survivors had no choice to return above ground. The master computer has an immeasurable hatred for humanity and spends every moment torturing the group with all its power, twisting their minds and physiques, hurting them and not allowing them to die: AM has not only managed to keep the humans from taking their own lives, but has made them virtually immortal. As long as AM has its way, the torment will never end, and every day will be more horrific than the last...
The story begins on the one hundred and ninth year of their torture."
72. Heart Songs - Annie Proulx
"These stories reverberate with rural tradition, the rites of nature, and the rituals of small-town life. The country is blue-collar New England; the characters are native families and the dispossessed working class, whose heritage is challenged by the neorural bourgeoisie from the city; and the themes are as elemental as the landscape: revenge, malice, greed, passion. Told with skill and profundity and crafted by a master storyteller, these are lean, tough tales of an extraordinary place and its people."
73. The Englishman's Boy - Guy Vanderhaeghe
"A parallel narrative set in the American West in the 1870s and Hollywood in the era of the silent films. A struggling writer wishes to make an epic of the American West and believes an old-time Western actor will provide authentic content. However, the actor tells his own, different story."
74. The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith
"When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.
A war veteran, wounded both physically and psychologically, Strike's life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger..."
75. Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia - Marya Hornbacher
"Why would a talented young woman enter into a torrid affair with hunger, drugs, sex, and death? Through five lengthy hospital stays, endless therapy, and the loss of family, friends, jobs, and all sense of what it means to be "normal," Marya Hornbacher lovingly embraced her anorexia and bulimia -- until a particularly horrifying bout with the disease in college put the romance of wasting away to rest forever. A vivid, honest, and emotionally wrenching memoir, Wasted is the story of one woman's travels to reality's darker side -- and her decision to find her way back on her own terms."
So I was intending to do June and July separately as I have done for the past two and a half years, but laziness and an excess of fandom overcame me and I, er, read fanfic instead. It is with a great shift of will power I've managed to extract myself from the offending fanfiction and put this list together; once finished, I shall return to it, because apparently the urge has not petered out after two weeks like it normally does and instead I've developed a keen taste for 100,000-word-plus post-Reichenbach John/Sherlock magnum opera, a habit not conducive to ordinary reading, regular blog updating, the creation of art, or full-time employment. I can barely remember details about what I read last week; this is going to be an arse-on.
The new reads that really stood out to me these past two months have to be Code Name Verity and Wasted. The former impressed me with its slickly realised characterisations. It is not as difficult to find intense female friendships in books as it is in films, yet you still get the impression that the industry is not 100% convinced. It's therefore a pleasure when you come across a book like this where the female relationship is the book's heart and soul. A shame then that it is not more talked about, in fandom circles I mean, where you know fine well that if this were two male leads fangirls would be grabbing on with both hands and slashing the tits off them.
I therefore felt rather guilty when I was becoming, if not impatient then certainly antsy, during the scenes that did not involve Verity and her captor. That was a relationship that really hit my buttons, and surprisingly hard-hitting for a book I had thought was young adult. A gripping book with an amazing ending that at the time made me gasp, though looking back seems inevitable.
Wasted was another amazing book that will in all likelihood end up in my top ten if not top five books of this year. Never self-pitying, it is somehow more powerful for it, and the author never makes the mistake of assuming her experience reflects that of other women and girls. The writing is exquisite, visceral and unsentimental, poetry made prose, and made all the more astonishing by the writer's age at the time. Some will complain of the unsatisfying ending but it could not realistically end any differently, being confined by the reality of the author's life and the condition itself. I didn't mind. This is the sort of book that changes your way of thinking about something forever.
On the re-read front was To Kill a Mockingbird which I've not read for a decade or so. I went into this somewhat... cautiously? cynically? because so many books have failed to live up to my memories of them and I have since read the "racist" arguments that do in fact hold water but that would have made me felt accused as a teenager. Nevertheless I really enjoyed this re-read, more for its command of story this time than, y'know, making me feel like it ups my liberal, non-bigot credentials. The racist arguments still hold water but I came out of this thinking that was more to do with the teaching of the book, and the background of other literature and media that it is held up against, than the actual book itself. This remains for me a beautiful coming-of-age story and one that, despite its flaws, still deserves a place in the pantheon of Great American Literature.