Up here above the 42nd parallel the weather is such that I’m staying
inside and reading more, and you might also plan to spend extra time
indoors in the next few weeks. Or months. So as a public service, here
are the best books-without-many-pictures I read in 2010, complete with my
brief notes to myself about them. They’re in no particular order;
they’re all good and some are even better than that. I hope you find
something here that you like!
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The Blind Side
Lewis, Michael
I wouldn’t have guessed I could be gripped by the evolution of pass rushing in the NFL, or yet another story of a kid rescued from poverty and unrealized potential. But I was. Lewis is a great writer. (I read others by him this year, and they’re all good, but this is my favorite.)
Big Bang
Singh, Simon
Spot-on overview of the development of the big bang theory. Well written and informative…the illustrated bits are terrific.
Team of Rivals
Goodwin, Doris Kearns
Fantastic account of Lincoln’s presidency and how he made it work. Worshipful at times (Lincoln never makes a mistake that lasts longer than a paragraph, often not even a couple of sentences…suspending habeus corpus at the very least should merit more), but convincing in describing his genius. Civil War history could be taught out of this book to give a balanced and exciting picture of what was at stake, what was done (and compromised; Lincoln’s caginess about emancipation is enlightening), and what was said. It would engage everyone in a classroom.
Packing for Mars
Roach, Mary
Breezy and fun and a great closing statement. I’m a sucker for the subject matter, sure, but this is terrific even if you aren’t. She’s a great writer.
Seven Days in the Art World
Thornton, Sarah
A peek into the world of high/fine art. Fascinating (there are still some new ideas — Takashi Murakami is commercial but fun and interesting) and depressing (ugly commercialism and posturing are rampant) at the same time.
Fiction
Plainsong
Haruf, Kent
Spare and understated, the mood and emotions of the story creep in as you read it. I can barely describe any of the characters physically, but they’re all believable and feel real.
The Night Gardener
Pelecanos, George
Tightly woven and tautly written. You can see where The Wire comes from.
Mystic River
Lehane, Dennis
The journey is its own reward, since the writing is so good. But the ending is even more amazing. Apparently this was a movie, and it couldn’t have been very good — or had to be a different story with the same name — because the depth of characterization here would be almost impossible to achieve in less than a 12 part miniseries with writing and performances on par with The Wire. (Which Lehane wrote for. Yes, I think that show is brilliant.)
Science Fiction
Feed
Anderson, M.T.
Very good, and grim, dystopian future. The progress of the characters was predictable to some extent, but the book was well-crafted and tight — the subtle hints about the world itself added to the realism, as Anderson left just enough to the reader’s imagination.
Fantasy
The Wee Free Men
Pratchett, Terry
Great kids book, with an interesting cast, clever dialogue, and a plucky heroine who’s just right. I fear the next books might break the spell, but I’ll read them anyway.
The Line Between
Beagle, Peter S.
I enjoyed this very much, with the possible exception of the last story, which was slightly (though only just) less interesting than the others to me. “Two Hearts” was fantastic, even though I’d not yet read The Last Unicorn. (Which I then did, and enjoyed.)
Audio
A Slight Trick of the Mind
Cullin, Mitch
A sad novel of Sherlock Holmes’ later years as his mind begins to fail him. Moody and evocative and emotional, it’s an unexpected look at lost love and opportunity.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
Bryson, Bill
Charming reminiscence of growing up in 1950s Des Moines. It’s hard to believe that all the things he said and did happened to him, but even if they didn’t, in just the manner he describes, he had a wonderful childhood and knows how to tell his own story.
