The delayed but no-less-sincere Year of Women write-up

[mundungus42]

So 2011 was my Year of Women reading theme, including books by women and featuring interesting female protagonists. I read 31 books as part of the theme and am listing the ones I rated 4 or 5 stars at Goodreads below- more than half of them, which shows that it was a highly enjoyable year!

Comments

[mundungus42]

A brilliant mind completely at play is a wonderful thing to behold

It makes me wonder why people try so hard to make their writing Deep and Important when the fun stuff they write is so much more about humanity, more clearly written, and makes you want to keep reading rather than throw the book on the floor. You can tell from reading her that Austen probably cracked herself up while writing, and you know Arthur Conan Doyle loved having an excuse to write about science and exploration and other things that interested him. Writing that's fun is what people remember. Even Tolstoy and Hardy let their senses of humor out to play every now and then. This is not to say that cerebral can't be fun (see Thomas Mann), but I'd rather love a book (DFW) than simply admire the craft (Faulkner).

Villette's the bomb, just make sure your edition has translations of all the French lines if you don't read French. I really liked Patchett's Bel Canto- her craft is freaking meticulous, and it was a great pleasure to watch the story unfold and feel the exquisite tension she keeps throughout.

[tonksinger]

My Vilette is an old edition that I picked up at a used book sale, but I can usually stumble through French.

It makes me wonder why people try so hard to make their writing Deep and Important when the fun stuff they write is so much more about humanity, more clearly written, and makes you want to keep reading rather than throw the book on the floor.

Word. This is why I can't stand so much of modern "literary" fiction; it's all Deep and Thoughtful and about people who stand around Thinking Deep and Thoughtful Things but never DO anything. I started some book earlier in the year that was longlisted for the Orange Prize, but it was just dire. Whiny writer main character, small issues blown out of proportion for the sake of angst. Ugh.

[mundungus42]

Blech, sounds like a couple of the books that I read last year that didn't make the recommended list (one literary memoir, one by an overrated new novelist). LAME.

Literary fiction can be awesome, but it's so affected by the vagaries of what's trendy, and those trends are too frequently shortcuts that will date the piece rather than something like a distinct authorial voice.