best of 2009

I'm in the midst of a rare treat: An evening all by myself in a sexy downtown Toronto loft. The perfect night to curl up with a new book :)

It's a weekend of apartment hunting. So far I've had 5 viewings—1 hit and 4 misses. There are three more to see tomorrow and then I'll make my final call. I'll give you a hint though: I discovered that I'm through with charm and character. I want something NEW, CLEAN and BRIGHT. Crown mouldings and fireplaces don't turn me on anymore unless they are accompanied by a dishwasher, a second bathroom and a 24 hour gym.

I am crashing for the weekend with an adorable young lady, who was once my 'youth group kid' and can now be certifiably called my friend (doncha love when that happens) and a really fantastic musician, and I need to shout out to her for her gracious hosting: Thanks Jess Janz! But without further ado, I bring you my top ten reads of 2009:

1.    The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I read this book on a cross-Atlantic flight. I was riveted. I ignored the inflight entertainment and kept myself awake until I had finished it. No book of 2009 moved me like this. I went in with no preconceived notions of this book – I hadn’t even read the back cover – and relished pondering the mystery of what had caused this barren and burnt landscape and then discovering the answer for myself.

2.    American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Based on the life of former first lady Laura Bush, this book is structured according to three major life incidents: accidentally killing a young friend in a high school car accident, becoming a librarian and meeting her future husband while in her 30s, and of course, being the wife of a doofus who becomes president. Sittenfeld actually gave me some sympathy for both George W and Laura. American Wife is not a short book, but if it were twice as long I wouldn’t have complained.

3.    The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

I am a sucker for books about India. This one didn’t disappoint. It was witty, colourful, dealt with the class divide and all of India’s special quirks. It was really sad at times and laugh out loud hilarious at others.

4.    A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemmingway

This book totally exceeded my expectations and contained many of my favourite things: Paris, snobby literary circles, romance, celebrity gossip, trips through Europe, scandal etc etc. I have dreamed of books like this, then I found it.

5.    The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

I can’t pinpoint exactly why I loved this book. Indeed the language was beautiful, and it documents a tumultuous affair and loveable cuckold of a husband, but those aren’t why I love it. To me it was just this perfectly rounded, complete object that pulled me in and kept me in suspense even though, Green tells us exactly how the book would end in the first 20 pages. That takes skill.

6.    Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

I bring this book up in conversations to sound wise and worldly, but also because I think everyone (especially Christians) should read it. It’s about a boy who was raised a girl (vague genitalia and a careless doctor) and finds out when she/he’s a teenager. It tackled lots of grey areas with eloquence… oh yah, and won a Pulitzer.

7.    Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

This was my first graphic novel and it ruled. It’s about a progressive/communist family dealing with an oppressive Muslim Iranian government in the ’80s. It was especially poignant because my sister is in the Middle East right now – I can’t wait to loan it to her when she gets home!

8.    Microserfs by Douglas Coupland

This book is basically prophetic. Nobody knows modern culture like Coupland. I loved reading, from the present, his depiction of Microsoft/Silicon Valley in the 90s and seeing how his predictions have manifested themselves. He gets it dead on.

9.    Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome

Maybe this book was particularly special because it’s set on the stretch of the Thames between London and Oxford (hello, that’s a familiar commute!) but I don’t think you need to know England to find this book ridiculously funny. Read my previous review here.

10. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

Minorly predictable, but so wonderfully written that you excuse it. This is about the rise and fall of a crazy old lady in her youth, and the doctor who is treating her. I just got swept up in this book and couldn’t put it down. That makes a gooder in my books.