More Books I Have Read in the Past Year

Last year I posted a short review of each book I read in my first year in Peru (between November of 2012 and February of 2014). Here is the second installment of the series – the books I read between March of 2014 and March of 2015.

There are fewer books on the list this time around for numerous reasons. First, I had less time to read in my second year than in my first – mostly because I was actually enjoying planning my classes and preparing resources for my students, so I wasn’t trying to procrastinate all weekend by reading instead of working! Additionally, I was less stressed and exhausted in my second year, so I had a more active social life (but I still spent the occasional Friday night curled up with a good book!) Also, I read some longer and more difficult books (such as Joyce, Faulkner, Gaiman, and Easterly) that so strained my brain I had to celebrate their completion with a few weeks of vacation from reading. Finally, my impending travels at the beginning of this year had me happily devoting hours and hours to reading Lonely Planet, Footprints, Rough Guides, and Fodor’s (but I didn’t read any of them cover to cover so I can’t put them on this list!)

A special thank you goes out to my brother, Chris, for sending me his old Kindle. I never thought I’d be an ebook kind of reader, but the convenience of it made my ink-and-paper treachery less heartbreaking.  

**My favorites are denoted with two asterisks.

Books from the Modern Library Top 100 List

(Modern Library has two lists of the 100 best fiction books, which can be found at http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/. One is according to the Modern Library Board and the other is according to the votes of readers. I eventually want to read all of them and I’m off to a good start – I’ve already read a number of these books in high school and college. These are the four that I’ve read in the last year.)

#3 on the list: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce) I hated the antagonist, Stephen Dedalus, as much as I hated myself while reading this. Him, for his pretension and whining. Myself, for wanting to finish the book only to earn bragging rights in literary circles (not that I am a part of many literary circles). That said, the detailed journey of Stephen’s rejection of Catholic and Irish conventions were well-written and intriguing, but it took Joyce way too long to get there.

#6 on the list: The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner) I admit that I had to read the Sparknotes explanation of each section after I finished it in order to understand what was happening. The four sections, each with a different narrator, are convoluted and jump around in time, but in a compelling and thought-provoking way. It reveals how our experiences are not ephemeral; rather they intertwine with the present and gain new significance throughout our entire lives.   

** #18 on the list: Slaughterhouse Five (Kurt Vonnegut) Although this book shares something in common with each of the previous two - it’s a pseudo-bildungsroman with an unlikable antagonist who jumps around in time – unlike the others, Slaughterhouse Five is actually relatable, understandable, and makes us root for the perennial underdog, Billy Pilgrim.

** #65 on the list: A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess) Only a travesty of this caliber can make my skin crawl and keep me frantically flipping pages, both enthralled and disgusted by each sensational new act. Pure genius.   

Other Classics

The Power and the Glory (Graham Greene) I pitied, despised, and rooted for the antagonist, a vagabond Catholic priest trying to escape the Mexican military.

** Nine Stories (J. D. Salinger) Just when you think the miserable character in each of these nine short stories is about to overcome some awful oppression, the story ends. Feel simultaneously hopeless and hopeful as you read each of these painfully beautiful stories.

2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke) Absolutely blew my mind and terrified me. Amongst all the other movies and books about artificial intelligence and life on other planets, this stands in a league of its own.

Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut) Just as quirky and compelling as Slaughterhouse Five but with more Kilgore Trout and drawings of buttholes.

Jazz (Toni Morrison) Heartbreaking in its premise, wonderfully constructed, and somehow fulfilling to read. The type of book that, even though you know the horrible event that will soon transpire, is still impossible to put down.

More Fiction

** This is How You Lose Her (Junot Diaz) Although this is a collection of stories, they are all tied together by a single character, Yunior, whose struggles and heartbreaks leap from every page. Diaz is a genius with simple, powerful prose.   

** American Gods (Neil Gaiman) A long, captivating book. Obviously well-researched and replete with action, intrigue, and philosophical musings about the nature of belief.

Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman) A little less interesting and page-turning than American Gods but still a fanciful concept and delightfully executed.

Choke (Chuck Palahniuk) From the author of Fight Club, this book messes with you in a way you didn’t think possible. The twist freaked me out and made me question everything. 

In the Garden of Beasts (Erik Larson) From the author of The Devil in the White City, this book is about the American ambassador to Germany during Hitler’s rise to power and his family that moves to Germany with him. Based on letters and diary entries of the actual people, the characters are so deliciously unsettling and untrustworthy, you’ll wish this was non-fiction.

Books for Younger Audiences

Charlie y la Fábrica de Chocolate (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) I had “read a book in Spanish” on my To Do list and felt overwhelmed by most Spanish authors (Mario Vargas Llosa, Isabel Allende, etc.). This classic seemed like a good place to start. Plus, Oompa Loompa songs in Spanish are just as magnificent.

Charlie y el Gran Ascensor de Cristal (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator) I liked the first one so much (and learned so many great words in Spanish) that I wanted to read the second one!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) I read this because my community mates were proctoring a reading group for teenagers at their school and this was the selection of the semester. I can’t believe I didn’t read it it high school! It’s so good, but I’ve been warned that the movie doesn’t measure up, so I’m not going to watch it.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Last year I reread the first five books in the series and I was desperate to finish the last two (for the sixth or seventh time each!) Luckily, the Kindle Chris sent me had the whole collection of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows It’s totally hypocritical, but there are many books that I refuse to even open and give a try and, yet, I chastise anybody who won’t even read at least a little bit of Harry Potter. Plus, I've reread the Harry Potter books so many times, I would have had time to read just a few pages of Twilight, clean up my vomit, and move on with my life. 

The Tales of Beedle the Bard J. K. Rowling is a genius and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. (But I’ll probably lose, because my weapon of choice would, fittingly, be a piece of chestnut wood, 9 ¾ inches long, with a single unicorn tail hair at its core.)

Quidditch Through the Ages I was reading this one on my Kindle and was being made fun of a little by my American community mates as I tried to explain why this book is so fantastic and fun to read. My two Spanish friends (who, may I add, are dashingly handsome, adventurous blokes) came to my defense and revealed that, they too, appreciate the beauty of this book.

Coraline (Neil Gaiman) So twisted and fun. I haven’t seen the movie of this either and I’m not sure I will. To be honest, the button eyes kind of give me nightmares.

Non-fiction

The White Man´s Burden (William Easterly) A old favorite of the international affairs crew, it’s a bit tedious but, while some specifics may be out of date, the central themes are still pertinent.

Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell) It holds true for all of Gladwell’s books: for at least two weeks after finishing, I become an obnoxious conversation partner in an eager attempt to share all I have learned via casual anecdotes.  Entertaining to read, but sometimes lacking in true substance. (Although if someone said the same about my blog posts, I would be ecstatic to receive such a compliment!)

The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell) More interesting than Outliers, but still an amalgamation of interesting stories rather than a book with a straightforward, conclusive thesis.

Lies My Teacher Told Me (James W. Loewen) Every story he tells is diligently researched and well-argued, but after an initial compelling argument, he repeats himself in only slightly different ways with moderately new evidence at least ten more times. He was in need of a better editor. Still, an impressive argument for improving history education.

Descartes´ Bones (Russell Shorto) Just the kind of history book I love! Tracing the exhumations and reburials of Descartes’ bones across Europe, Shorto explores the importance and controversial nature of Descartes’ writings about faith and reason.

Memoir

The Year of Living Biblically (A.J. Jacobs) I’ve read this author before and am a huge fan. He hilariously explores Judaism and Christianity while trying to live by all the rules of the Bible for an entire year – from the poignant to the awkward – and along the way discovers why and how the faithful chose to live.

Yes Please (Amy Poehler) I adore her and simultaneously want to be her best friend and her daughter. It’s surprisingly dark and personal, but only Amy Poehler could tell such depressing stories with wit and grace.

Bossypants (Tina Fey) I am equally as mesmerized by Tina Fey. If my life is ever made into a movie, I hope she plays me (even if she is 90-years-old and has bladder incontinence). Her book made me cry I was laughing so hard.

Poetry and Short Stories

** A Good Man is Hard to Find (Flannery O´Connor) Gritty, haunting, and not at all what you would expect given the title.

At the Bottom of the River (Jamaica Kincaid) Lyrical and powerful short stories, mostly focusing on the relationship between a mother and her daughter.

** Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri) So authentic and honest as to make you uncomfortable. Exquisitely written characters.

In Love and Trouble (Alice Walker) Another book of short stories with such developed characters, you’ll wish each had an entire novel to tell their story.

Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou) She’s one of those famous authors who you know is going to be amazing because everyone always says she is and, when you read her work, you are appropriately dumbfounded.

A Brave and Startling Truth (Maya Angelou) Ditto. She is a queen.

Be Amazing (Mental Floss book) I pretend that my strange tidbits and bizarre stories (always preceded by, “Hey! I read an article about this once…”) are an endearing quality of mine. The magazine and publishing company Mental Floss is responsible for making me either the most fun or most obnoxious person at the table. This book is filled with hundreds of ways to be amazing - from history lessons about how to declare my own sovereign nation to chemistry lessons on how to glow in the dark, this book has it all.