The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
When I bought this book, I didn’t expect to discover a new 1984 or Handmaid’s Tale, but I did! It’s about a society in which people with no children and no super-valuable job become “dispensible” at age 50. (Unmarried artists and writers are prime candidates.) It’s disturbing, sad and brilliantly done, the sort of story that lingers. I think it’s important and the sort of book everyone should read, but be warned, it’s difficult to take.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
I don’t read much YA, but these convinced me I should. The Book Thief is about a German girl who hides a Jew in her basement during WWII. It’s told from the point-of-view of Death. (So cool.) Life As We Knew It follows a family through an apocalypse and then a post-apocalyptic world. Yet, it’s a small, personal story. Very well done. *recommends*

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
This sequel to Oryx and Crake occurs during the same timeline but follows different characters. A couple of the important people and events from Oryx and Crake show up along the way. I LOVE Atwood’s writing. I love her ideas. I love how she holds everything back until the very end yet somehow keeps me reading. I love that her characters are so real and flawed. She’s dark, yet hopeful.

So, yeah, I loved this book. I recommend reading Oryx and Crake first, though.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
I hadn’t read any Dan Brown before this, I merely saw the movies. I really enjoyed the movies, but I didn’t think I’d enjoy the books. I was wrong! Brown may use too-familiar plot conventions and a cliche here and there, but man oh man, his books make me *think* (and I like to think!) This one involves noetics, the Masons and Washington D.C. I read quickly and enjoyed every second.

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
*happy sigh* I adore Sarah Dunant. This story is set in a convent and is told by an alchemist nun (unusual, I suspect). It’s also about an unwilling nun being sold to the convent and how she deals with losing the love of her life. It’s a beautiful, sad and ironic story about love and religion, and it’s great historical fiction. Highly, highly recommended.

Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago
Ahhhh Saramago. Too bad I only have 2.5 books left to read by The Jose. This wasn’t my favorite of his but was wonderfully enjoyable nonetheless. It’s about death (the being) deciding not to take anyone’s life for a while and the resulting chaos. It’s full of Saramago’s thoughtful and humorous observations as well as being an engaging story.

The Sirian Experiments by Doris Lessing
This was my second Lessing book and the one that confirmed for me that I LOVE HER. She has this way of including the entire scope of human history in every chapter. I’ve read two other Lessing books since and they were the same way. This one is the story of the human race written from the perspective of an alien race trying to positively effect our evolution on Earth. So, it’s sci-fi, but also clearly literary. The idea itself is fascinating (and well-developed, of course) but that’s not all. The narrator is a wonderfully sympathetic character who learns along with humanity. This book continuously made me think and feel. It rocks. Highly recommended.

Shikasta by Doris Lessing
This is the first in Lessing’s five-book “Canopus” series. I suppose I should have read it before The Sirian Experiments (book three) but, alas, I did not. Didn’t need to! See all the great things I wrote above and apply to this book. Plus more scope and brilliance.

The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing
Again let me state my love for Doris Lessing. *LOVE* This is the story of a monster child born into an otherwise-ordinary family. It explores many aspects of feminism, especially relating to the responsibilities, emotions and desires of motherhood. It’s a complex, layered story that makes you think, but it’s also a page-turner. And it’s sci-fi! Lessing crosses the sci-fi/literary border gracefully.

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx
I saw the movie first, of course, but Proulx’s style is so original as to make this a great read anyway. It’s very short!

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
This book was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize, and I ended up liking it a *lot* more than the book that won (The White Tiger). It’s about a psychiatrist and patient in a mental hospital that’s closing after many decades. The history of the patient and the doctor are revealed with beautiful prose and vivid vignettes. But the present-day story is great, too. This book had a lot of layers and was a joy to read.

The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak
This is a *gorgeous* novel. It’s a set of intertwined stories set in Japan about love and loss. The Amazon review compares it to Haruki Murakami’s work, and I would have to agree. It has the same magic realism feel. I loved this book not for the plot or any particular character but because of the beautiful world it brought to life.

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Good God. These stories are brilliant. Everyone needs to read them, then there are things we’ll all need to discuss. Chiang is a complete original. Go. Read.

One For Sorrow by Christopher Barzak
This is a beautiful, original ghost story. Barzak perfectly captures what it feels like to be young and searching for meaning. The story is about the difference between being alive and being dead–how cool is that? The writing is thoughtful and the characters full of vulnerability. I love the genre; it’s literary, clearly, but still speculative. I’m anxious to read his next.

Confessions of a Crap Artist by Philip K. Dick
The intro to this book says it’s Dick’s only published non-speculative novel. It’s about a very twisted family dealing with their destructive natures. I love the characters; even though they were rather despicable, they were still sympathetic and vividly drawn. Dick employs his usual brilliant subtext and engaging storytelling. You may note I’ve added him to my list of fave novelists. I didn’t know I’d like him so much. He continues to surprise me.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
What a beautifully touching book! And fast; I read it in an afternoon. The main character is autistic, and seeing how his mind works is fascinating. He tries to figure out who killed the neighbor’s dog and in the process, every safe thing in his life is challenged. Really, really enjoyable and uplifting read.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
This is my first Lehane novel. Wow! So full of twists! It’s about a couple of U.S. Marshalls tracking down an escaped mental patient on Shutter Island, which houses only the mental hospital and a really spooky lighthouse. It’s a smart psychological thriller. Definitely going to read more Lehane now.

Peeps by Scott Westerfield
I *loved* the parasite stuff in this book! Every other chapter talks about a different parasite, and apparently they are poised to take over the universe. (Srsly, beware.) In the other chapters, parasites are merely taking over the city by turning people into vampires. Very cool premise. Fun book.

You? Whatcha readin’?

Call of the Wild by Jack London
Cool book. Not much to say about it. I enjoyed it. It’s about a dog.

City of God by E.L. Doctorow
Wow. I loved this book, but it wasn’t a fun or easy read. The narrative style was challenging; Doctorow jumps POVS without telling you who you’re reading about (figure it out from context, dummy!), and his characters pontificate a LOT. But the pontifications are fascinating. He uses science ideas as metaphors (So cool!) and song lyrics for symbolism. The basic story is a priest searching for a crucifix that’s been stolen from his church, but the people involved have relevant personal histories stretching back through the whole twentieth century. The story glimmers with thoughtful themes and vivid writing.

Fast Times at Fairmont High by Verner Vinge
This was a fun sci-fi story about students who discover a government secret while taking an off-campus test. The cool part is the technology; humans are plugged directly into communications networks. Vinge deals with how kids in such an environment might forget how to live outside the network.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
This is a sci-fi story about humans discovering alien life and the consequences of making contact. I have some friends who really loved the novel, and I did love the ideas, but for some reason it dragged a bit for me. I think I wasn’t crazy about the narrative style. I did love the female character who became an indentured slave to gain her education.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
This was a fabulous book! A bounty hunter sets out to terminate androids who are nearly-unrecognizable from humans. The setting is a bizarre future where animals are mostly extinct, so people spend lots of money for the opportunity to keep sheep, turtles or pigs as pets. There are even android pets, but they give less status. Dick is amazing at building intense complexity into the world and characters. There’s so much subtext and irony. I want to see Blade Runner now, though I’ve heard they aren’t really the same.

Next up, a Scott Westerfield novel a friend recommended. Then… I dunno! You tell me!

Dragons and giant insects and lizards have evolved, and there are flash floods and new types of humans. There are descriptions of old civilizations buried for thousands of years. Europeans are still around… but not doing so well. Mara and Dann try to learn all they can of what happened during the 15,000 years Earth was habitable and what happened when the civilizations fell. It’s absolutely fascinating. Lessing made it incredibly believable. I highly recommend this book and suspect most of the people I know would really enjoy it. Looking forward to reading more of her for sure.

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
This is a retelling of the Penelope myth (she was constantly barraged by offers of marriage while waiting for Odysseus to return, and when he finally returned, he killed her twelve maids!) It’s a feminist retelling, looking at the reality of how the women might actually have felt if these things really happened. The writing didn’t feel much like Atwood–it felt more distant and tell-ish–but I think the ideas are the appeal of this book. Definitely interesting and worth reading.

American Rust by Philipp Meyer
Amazon reviews were calling this guy a modern Steinbeck. I totally see why. This book feels very American and explores the underbelly of a western Pennsylvania factory town. Two young men are forced into a violent encounter which changes their lives. The story is how they deal with it. One runs away and the other faces prison. The prose is gorgeous and the details exquisitely realistic. If you like Steinbeck, you’ll love this.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Coolest. Book. Evah. Loved it. It’s a dystopia where violence is so common in society the government has to come up with interesting new ways to combat it. It’s told from the POV of a young man heavily involved in the violent youth culture. What’s awesome is the language; a good 25% of it is made up! It’s fun figuring out the words from context. It’s a weird combination of English and Russian. What’s also cool is the dystopian element of how the violence is supposed to be curbed.

I watched the Kubrick film right after. It’s fabulously weird, like the book. Malcolm McDowell is perfect in it. He captures that boyish, “I’m violent but you still like me, don’t you?” attitude.

Miles From Nowhere by Nami Mun
The writing in this is just beautiful. It’s the adventures of a runaway told in non-linear format. I think this is Mun’s first novel. I hope she writes more.

And you? Read any of these? Have thoughts? Any interesting books you think I should know about?

*blows kisses*

Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
Atwood is brilliant for so many reasons. I love her groundbreaking and vivid prose style, and I love her ideas. She makes me think about my own life on every page. The premise of this novel was nothing spectacular: a woman remembers things in her past that shaped her. Yet it was engaging from beginning to end. Her way of presenting small events as relevant and interesting keeps me reading and makes the story and characters stay with me long after. Cordelia!

Animal Farm by George Orwell
Talking pigs! Comedy and tragedy! I love this book.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The story is a murder mystery at its heart. A man is hired to look into an entire family history to figure out what happened to one of the women twenty years earlier. He hires a computer hacker to help him. The forensics are cool and the clues surprising. It works really well as a crime novel, comparable to Lippman’s What the Dead Know, which was one of my fave’s of last year.

What Larsson did really well was building a whole world in this novel. He brought a really large family to life, members past and present, and even made the world of corporate takeovers and computer hackers interesting and real. I enjoyed reading this one, but when I got to the end I felt a little let down. The writing was really excellent and the characters fascinating and original, but in the end, the plot felt a little familiar to me.

I loved the girl with the dragon tattoo (the actual girl in the story). She was tough and smart.

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
It’s probably a little unfair to read an author’s best works first! The Remains of the Day was funny, tragic and ironic, The Unconsoled was strange and eerie and beautiful and Never Let Me Go was a stunningly brilliant literary sci-fi I try to get all my friends to read, but this one‚ Well, I’m still a fan, but I liked the others better, I guess.

In this one, a detective sets out to discover the truth about his parents’ disappearance many years after it happens. He searches his memory for clues, but his memory is not terribly reliable. It’s vintage Ishiguro, but I’d recommend reading his others first. If you absolutely love his stuff, this one is worth a look.

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
I’ve been reading a lot of Atwood lately. Because I love her. This was one of her first published novels and is really short. It’s about a woman sort of finding herself while searching for her missing father. It’s got all the good Atwood stuff (feminist ideas, fabulous writing) but not as much plot holding it together as her later stuff.

Tripping to Somewhere by Kristopher Reisz
This is a really cool YA horror novel about two girls who pursue a witches carnival. It deals with the search for beauty and adventure. I loved the characters; they’re authentic and they’re searching. The relationship between Sam and Gilly is really well done. The story is full of weird magic and fascinating people.

So, who is my favorite? Saramago or Atwood? I dunno! *head explodes* I’m just glad I still have several books of theirs to read…

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
It’s just as brilliantly written as her Pulitzer book, Gilead, but this one is about women rather than men. It’s the story of two girls who are orphaned by a suicide and taken in by their wanderer aunt. The aunt’s influence affects each of the girls differently. There’s not as much historical grounding in this book as in Gilead, but the setting is just as enchanting. It reminded me a little of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which I also loved. I definitely recommend this book. Robinson’s writing is luscious and rich and the characters are beautifully flawed.

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
This is a fun book! Doctorow’s got some cool sci fi ideas (people extending their lives through memory downloads into clones and people receiving food/shelter/material things based on popularity and accomplishment meters) and is set in a future DisneyWorld.

Reading some really cool stuff next…

And you? What are you reading these days?

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
The writing in this was sparkly, fabulous and engaging, but the story felt… well, I don’t read much YA, so it’s possible I just missed the point (very possible), but it just didn’t seem to go anywhere for me. Also, the anti-feminist worldview made me twitch. I mean, this is about modern teenagers… aren’t teenage girls these days supposed to be more informed and empowered than the previous generation? *twitch* The writing was still was pretty fabo.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
I read this because I *loved* We Have Always Lived In the Castle (which someone on my flist recommended, though I can’t remember who). This one is fun, creepy and charming with well-drawn (albeit strange) characters. There’s irony along with the suspense. It’s a true gothic–a young woman with no past to define her finds an affinity with a haunted house.

The Remains of the Day Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo is my hero!! *dreamy sigh* This is a truly perfect and beautiful book. It took my breath away, especially the ending. It’s full of irony and subtext (oh, the glorious subtext!!) and yearning. The romance was tragic and melty. The writing… wow. Ishiguro is my fave author now. I’m so in love. Note: I watched the movie after reading, and it didn’t in any way capture the humor (the humor!!) or the hopeful sadness of the story. The book is a bajillion times better. I only have 3 more Ishiguro books to read. How sad for me.

The History of the Siege of Lisbon by Jose Saramago
Beauuuutiful book. An unassuming proof-reader changes one important word in a history book then rewrites said story, and his brazen irreverence and creative twisting of history wins him love and happiness. There’s a lot of cool history here about, er, the siege of Lisbon, but the love story is the coolest part.

Anyone else read any of these? Thoughts?

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
This one was also fabulous, of course. It’s written from the POV of a Nazi war criminal who’s soon to be on trial for crimes against humanity. You end up rooting for this guy, which is bizarre, and also seeing the war and morality and good-versus-evil in a completely twisted way.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
I discovered a cool new author this month: Kazuo Ishiguro (who wrote The Remains of the Day, which I plan to read soon). This was the first of his books I tried and was, like the Miller book, literary sci-fi. It’s about science and love. *happy sigh* The scenes go deeply into the characters’ inner selves, but the premise is, well, I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say it’s a hot sci-fi-ish topic. The structure is one where you learn what’s going on little by little as you read, getting the full picture at the climax. The characters were so beautifully drawn (and flawed, especially unhappy Ruth) that I didn’t want the story to end. It’s a page-turner but also emotionally wrenching.

How to be Good by Nick Hornby
I didn’t like this one as much as the last Hornby book I read. I found myself unable to sympathize with the characters and kinda wanting to smack them around. I respect what Hornby tried to do, and his idea was interesting (how to be non-materialistic in the modern world and whether that equates to being moral), but the book wasn’t for me. I might try High Fidelity at some point anyway.

Joy
Glorious news: my husband bought me SIX JOSE SARAMAGO BOOKS for my birthday! *glee* I glanced at the first few pages of Baltasar and Blimunda tonight and am already super excited to read. I’ve also got some Jonathan Letham coming. Yay!