I’m a super voracious reader (as I think I’ve said here before), so in a given year I’ll probably have read between 15-20 books that I’d recommend to someone. Yeah, I read. I’m bragging. Deal with it! However, talking about 20 books would be a little too crazy to do here, so instead I’ll just tell you my top five. And let me tell you, this was not easy to whittle down. Get reading, you!
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
The most talked about book of the year (partly because the author got a $600,000 advance through a bidding war—must be nice!), Fielding is also one of the best. I’m not even really into baseball, but this book made me feel as exhilarated about the sport as I felt about the characters, the story, and the feeling of being sucked in from page one.
Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
Hitchens just died last week after a long battle with cancer. May he RIP, because the world has lost a brilliant writer and formidable mind. His last book of essays is also his best, covering a range of topics and zapped through with Hitchens’ signature harsh wit and cutting observations. It’s one I keep going back to, especially when I feel a little sad about the state of the world. Somehow, in his terrible realism, he always makes me feel better.
Fresh at Twenty: The Oral History of Mint Records by Kaitlin Fontana
A local choice for this year, this book covers the 20-year history of local indie record label Mint Records. It’s a fast moving, funny and thorough look at Vancouver’s music scene through the 90s and 00s and leaves no stone unturned in the bands that shaped that time. Of particular interest are the sections about the New Pornographers ascendance and the earlier years that shaped Mint’s sound. Plus, it comes with a download code so you can get your hands on some free music, to boot! Buy it at a local indie bookstore (People’s Coop Bookstore on Commercial Drive has some) and you’re doing double indie duty!
Blue Nights by Joan Didion
One of my favourite writers, Didion is also one of the most devastating. In her latest book, she talks about the death of her daughter Quintana, just months after her husband and collaborator died in their living room. Sounds sad, doesn’t it? It is. But it’s also essentially reading for anyone who’s ever grieved for a loved one. The directness of her style and her ability to say so much with so little keeps me coming back to her work, no matter how difficult it is to read.
Better Living Through Plastic Explosives by Zsuzsi Gartner
Another local offering, this book of sci-fi-esque short stories by luminary Gartner is super weird, and super awesome, too. I can’t really explain the stories, on the surface—my favourite is about a group of angels that inhabit some teenagers’ bodies and discover the joys of corporeal living—but suffice to say they’re crazy, and great. Get your hands on it!
What were your favourite books of 2011? Tell us in the comments below.
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