2009 in books

[loneraven]

I am sitting in bed with a pile of books and a cup of coffee, and it is an absolutely freezing Sunday afternoon and I have no desire to get out of it again. Clearly, the time has come to talk about the eighty-three novels I read in 2009. Like I said before, this was my New Year's resolution - to read, and in doing so, maybe re-establish the habit

Comments

[wishfulaces]

I just finished reading Doomsday Book at Christmas, and oh, I had to bury my face in my pillow as I cried so my parents wouldn't hear. Connie Willis is so marvelous at writing people, like you say, and that book is so very gut-wrenching. Oh, Kivrin, and Mr Dunworthy, and Mary, and Colin, and Bardri, and all of them.

[loneraven]

*waaail* I am right there with you. I read it on four-hour train journey and embarrassed myself thoroughly.

[mirabile_dictu]

Doomsday Book is also one of my favorite books in the world. I am so in love with Dunworthy, and with Colin and Mary and just everyone. The characters are so real and dear to me.

[loneraven]

Me, toooo. Dunworthy is my favourite, too; he's so... something. Not a hero, not an anti-hero, just a quiet academic who's trying so hard.

[icepixie]

Mmmmm, LMB and Connie Willis, two of my favorite authors. I can't believe you hadn't read Doomsday Book yet! I figured it was required reading for Oxonians. ;) I was so pleased when I managed to cram two short stories by Willis into my syllabus for the coming semester. (I also have "Paradises Lost" from the Le Guin book on there. I thought it was by far the best of the pieces from that collection; in fact, it may be the only one I actually finished from it.)

Re: Middlesex: Have you read a book called Misfortune, by Wesley Stace? It's about a boy raised as a girl in Victorian England, and written in a sort of mock-Dickensian style. I read it a couple years ago and thought it was great.

[loneraven]

I don't know either! In my defence I read Fire Watch long before I went up to Oxford. Which Willis stories did you pick?

"Paradises Lost" is great, isn't it? The style reminds me bizarrely of Clarke, but it's got more heart. "Coming of Age in Karhide" is the other story I really love from the collection.

I have not read that! I will note down the rec, thank you!

[icepixie]

Which Willis stories did you pick?

"The Soul Selects Her Own Society" and "A Letter from the Clearys." Exciting times!

You can see the whole reading list if you want.

The style reminds me bizarrely of Clarke, but it's got more heart.

It's been...ten years, my god, since I read 2001, and I remember nothing much beyond not liking it, so I can't speak to that. But it does hae heart, yes.

[gamesiplay]

Yay, Birthday of the World! I love it SO MUCH. What I especially love about it is that even the stories that are, as you say, basically unremarkable narratively are kind of remarkable just for existing, for being stories set really rather matter of factly in such gender/sexuality-subversive worlds. I mean, assuming you considered the same stories "unremarkable" that I did.

Which ones did you like best? God, I could talk about my love of Le Guin's short fiction FOREVER. I actually cannot, off the top of my head, think of anyone in any genre who writes short stories that more consistently floor me.

Also, I really need to read Doomsday Book.

[loneraven]

It's so great! My favourites were "Paradises Lost" and "Coming of Age in Karhide", I think; she writes so well, god, but those two really did it for me. (I re-read "Coming of Age" a couple of times just to see how she did the trick with the pronouns! I couldn't do it.)

I also read A Fisherman of the Inland Sea when I was up in Edinburgh, and that was wonderful, too! I think the three churten-theory stories were my favourite out of that, but they were all rather wonderful.

YES, you need to read Doomsday Book. It is awesome.

[loneraven]

To be honest, the reason I managed it this year is the being out of academia, I think. Much more fun to read when you really don't have to!